Guide to Depression: Facts, Symptoms, & Cure

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses that negatively affects how you look at the world, how you feel and react to things. It is an all-consuming disease that brings along a constant feeling of sadness, and it becomes hard to snap out of it. Unfortunately, it also accompanies other devastating symptoms like weight loss, loss of appetite, impaired thought process, suicidal feelings and more.

Along with all these physical and emotional issues, depression can adversely affect the way one functions in his everyday life, but thankfully, it is something treatable.

Facts about Depression:

• Depression wraps you up in your own shell and makes the world ‘black and white’ for you.
• 65% of the time, depression is experienced as anxiety.
• It affects one in 10 people every year.
• According to stats, more than 300 million people in the world suffer from depression.
• Alcohol is considered a depressant and causes deep down depression without apparent symptoms.
• Women tend to experience depression more than men.
• It is a disease that can be hard on your loved ones as well.
• It distorts your thinking ability as well as thought process.
• Depression is not what brings you down; it is how you react to it.
• Regular exercise is the most inexpensive cure for treating depression.

Common Symptoms of Depression:

Symptoms of depression and related disorders may vary from person to person and according to the severity of the disorder, from mild to moderate and severe. They can include:

• Feeling of sadness and low mood;
• Changes in appetite (Rapid weight loss or significant weight gain);
• Insomnia (Trouble sleeping, waking up too early and not being able to sleep back or sleeping too much);
• Fatigue (loss of energy);
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed;
• Weeping spells;
• Pessimism (Feeling worthless, negative thoughts and anxiousness);
• Suicidal thoughts (thoughts about killing oneself);

Diagnosis of Depression:

The symptoms mentioned above must be present for at least two weeks to diagnose mild to moderate depression. However, if it is left undiagnosed, it can eventually lead you towards clinically significant depression and make one suicidal.

Treatment of Depression:

Depression is one mental disorder that is known to be completely treatable. More than 90% of people suffering from depression respond well to its treatment. With proper treatment, everyone gains relief from the symptoms of depression.

After conducting a diagnostic evaluation, which includes ruling out the organicity along with both, physical and mental state examination, your health professional would provide you with suitable options for the treatment. For example:

• Medication

Brain chemistry is known as the biggest contributing factor to depression, and it is an important factor in the treatment as well. Therefore, to modify the brain chemistry of an individual, antidepressants are often prescribed. Antidepressants are mostly non-sedative; hence, to cure sleep-related symptoms of depression, you may be prescribed a mild tranquillizer as well.

Antidepressants take at least two weeks to start working and improving the symptoms. Full benefits are seen after three to four months of use. On the contrary, antidepressants have their own side effects. For example, they may cause fatigue, constipation, excessive yawning, dry mouth, decreased libido and more. There are also some modern therapies like the IV ketamine infusions, which have shown great improvements.

• Herbal Remedies

A lot of natural remedies for depression work as great as antidepressants with minimal to no side effects, which is a bonus. For instance, as mentioned by studies, saffron is considered an amazing alternative to antidepressants like Prozac. It can be used in the raw form as well as in the form of saffron extract.

St. John’s Wort is another fabulous herbal remedy that you can opt. It is a plant native to northern Africa, Europe, and Asia. As stated by NIH, National Institutes of Health, St. John’s Wort can successfully treat the symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Another study conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that St, John’s Wort worked better than placebo when treating the patients of depression.

Apart from that, numerous studies have promoted the use of Kratom for stress relief. According to these studies, if Kratom is consumed in an administered amount, it can effectively treat depression. In order to get the finest Kratom online, visit Kratom Canada.

• Psychotherapy

Another treatment is psychotherapy or counselling that can help treat mild depression successively with simple talk therapy. If the depression is moderate or severe, psychotherapy is combined with medication. CBT, also known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, is one renowned psychotherapeutic procedure, which focuses on the present problems and their solutions. It makes you recognize the distorted thoughts and changes your thought patterns as well as behavior.

Lastly, don’t forget about self-care. It is as essential as anything, and you should focus on the positive side of the picture. Good Luck!