When something terrible happens to you, you react by feeling sad. It’s normal to feel sad over certain things, but when this feeling lingers for an extended period and affects how you live, it is called depression. It would help to understand that depression is a sickness. It doesn’t mean you are weak, and it can be treated irrespective of how serious it gets.
Depression usually makes you have regular low moods. In some cases, it may affect your daily activities and decrease your productivity. How do you know when you have depression? You will experience some symptoms, such as:
- Strong emotions of sadness
- Becoming less interested in things you used to love doing
- Anger, irritability and frustration
- Physical changes such as abnormal sleeping patterns, [1] altered eating habits, [2] and reduced sexual desire [3]
- Poor attention span, short term memory [4] and lack of motivation to complete tasks
Depression can exist in different forms, resulting in various symptoms.
Irrespective of the symptoms and whatever kind of depression you’re experiencing, you must understand that someone is always there for you, and you don’t have to struggle alone. You may find it challenging to open up, but it is the best thing to do. Depression can be cured with proper treatment methods, and the symptoms can be treated. The chances of getting cured are high if it is reported early. A good treatment programme should provide the following:
- Potent treatment methods that solve your problems, as stated within National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines
- A wide variety of therapy options
- Treatment in and outside the hospital and online therapy treatment options
- Efficient and legal drugs to improve depression, if it is required
- An experienced group of consultants and therapists to offer evaluation and treatment
It would be best to speak to a doctor if you feel sad frequently or show any symptoms of depression. If proper treatment is not given, it may exacerbate other medical conditions. Depression can get severe and negatively affect daily activities. Seeking assistance early is imperative.
The first thing to do is to talk to your doctor. He will evaluate your symptoms and give instructions. Your doctor will prescribe drugs to ease symptoms without causing side effects such as over-sedation, sexual effects and mental depletion. Ultimately, drugs treat and improve symptoms without negatively affecting total health. He might refer you to a specialist to offer a more precise treatment in severe cases. You can also reach out to hotlines if you think the depression is getting out of hand.
Treatment Methods
Depression can be treated. Before treatment begins, your doctor will ask you questions about the events that led to your depression. This helps to know what method or support is best for you.
The treatment method used depends on the seriousness of the condition. Several programmes exist. They include: