What is Depression?
Depression is a constant, low mood that has an impact on your everyday life.
Yes, everyone has ups and downs; however, with depression, the lows are long-lasting.
In the UK alone, depression affects one in 10 people during their lifetime.
Taraji P. Henson spoke out about depression to Variety in 2018: “I suffer from depression. I have a therapist that I speak to. That’s the only way I can get through it. You can talk to your friends, but you need a professional who can give you exercises. So that when you’re on the ledge, you have things to say to yourself that will get you off that ledge and past your weakest moments.”
For me, depression is a dark hole that can be very difficult to escape from. It is a bleak mood. The hobbies that I used to love no longer bring me joy, and all I want to do is be in bed.
There are different types of depression, including:
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – a depression that may occur during the winter season.
• Prenatal depression- a depression that occurs during pregnancy
• Postnatal depression- occurs after becoming a parent and given birth.
• Dysthymia- mild depression that lasts for more than 2 years.
At one point, I tried my best to avoid being around people; I stopped going out, I stopped visiting my family, and I totally isolated myself. Although this was my experience, everyone who has the disorder is affected differently.
What is depression caused by?
Like many other mental disorders, there is no single cause of depression; however, our biology and our environment can cause some individuals to be more susceptive to developing the illness more than others.
Researchers conducting a study involving 800+ families and found that a chromosome was linked to recurrent severe depression. Research shows that 30-40% of the risk for both depression and anxiety is due to biology and 60-70% due to environmental factors.
When I was feeling low, I used to drink several bottles of alcohol a week to boost my mood, but that did not work! In fact, it was probably counterproductive, the buzz will last for a couple of hours (that is if I hadn’t blacked out because I was super drunk) and then I was feeling low the morning after.
Who may develop depression?
According to research, women are more likely than men to develop major depression. Although there is no single cause of depression risk factors such as abuse, side effects of medication, biological vulnerability, and grief increases the risk of developing depression.
Some people may say you can’t prevent mental illness; however, having protective factors such as having a support system and receiving help after exposure to trauma significantly reduces the risk of developing depression.
Read 5 Myths about Mental Illness for more.
Symptoms of Depression can include:
Irregular and/or change in sleeping pattern
I used to struggle to get a decent amount of sleep throughout my undergraduate program at university. I would get a few hours a night a most.
Let me break it down…
I would wake up super early (I’m talking 5 am), go to the gym, go back home, take a nap (sometimes), and get ready for my lectures. Upon returning home, I would do my assignments, chill a bit and then go to the club and return home around before 4 am.
There were some days when I went to the gym as soon as I got home from the club (I was crazy y’all) and yes, I was tipsy.
That was a wild time in my life.
When I wasn’t in university, I would randomly wake up during the night.
It was super difficult to sleep straight through the night. I tried everything; camomile tea, lavender, I would read a book before going to bed…nothing would work.
I tried to reduce my use of electronics at least 30 minutes before going to sleep. It still didn’t work.
What didn’t help was that my bedtime was constantly changing.
I have a set bedtime routine, but this may change once I start working again.
Loss of interest in hobbies
I loved going to weekly dance classes, I enjoyed drawing, and I loved reading books. Around the age of 16, I stopped going to dance classes, and I stopped taking part in activities that I used to love.
Not long ago did I realise that doing these activities was my way to let out my negative energy and get creative. I started to notice that my mood changed, and my friends saw it too.
On my low days, my favourite phrase is,” I can’t be bothered”. It took me hours to do tasks such as brushing my teeth as I was so exhausted. Some days I didn’t even shower as I was so tired…
And I didn’t even step a foot outside.
Decreased energy
No matter how much sleep I get (which is usually less than 6 hours), I still feel exhausted. If I do not have any plans for the day, I usually fall asleep at some point during the day.
There have been many times I have fallen asleep at work. One time (not so long ago), I was literally falling asleep in front of my team leader AS SHE WAS TALKING TO ME. Thank goodness, she was super cool because I would have got a serious lecture about it.
I don’t want to rely on caffeine as an increased caffeine intake is not suitable for anxiety.
So as soon as I feel myself drifting off, I get up and get moving.
Loss of appetite
It is important to sustain a healthy, well-balanced diet which is essential for our overall wellbeing. At times when I’m in a bad mood, my appetite will go down the drain.
I stopped cooking as I didn’t have the energy. I stopped eating dinner. There were times I would eat popcorn or cereal and call it my dinner, but I’ll eat dessert.
Which makes absolutely no sense.
Poor concentration and difficulty making decisions
I am so friggin indecisive as it is, but I feel like depression heightens this. I would plan to go to the gym but getting there would be a hassle even though it’s a 2-minute drive. I would always try and talk myself out of it saying oh I’ll go tomorrow, just because I didn’t want to leave the house on that specific day.
That, combined with low concentration, is annoying as hell. Imagine if people are talking to you and you are distracted as you’re in your own dream world.
I feel rude asking people to constantly repeat themselves because I wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying. Hmm, that’s probably why I sucked at my old job. I kept making a ton of mistakes…
I was there for only a 6-month period, and I was on a performance review for almost half the time I worked there.
Pessimism
There are times when you think the darkness will never go away. Never seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Never expecting anything good to come your way and never raising your hopes that you are not too disappointed.
It can be a vicious cycle.
But you can get out of it.
And you will.
Different types of treatment available
Counselling
Talking to let things out is one useful way to deal with depression. At times, we must keep everything inside, but this will only make things worse.
Speaking to a trained professional is so super helpful. They will help you identify the causes of your depression, your triggers and different techniques you can use to cope with your low moods.
Self-care
Journallinnnngggg! It is so necessary. I can’t stress this enough. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about your feelings, then write it out!
Write down how your day went, what was positive, what was negative. You may even want to start a gratitude journal; write down what you are grateful for today.
If you would like to know more about journaling, check out my Youtube video below.
Even if you feel low, sometimes it is all about perspective. Even if you think it’s something small to be grateful for such as waking up, it’s something positive.
Medication
As stated in my anxiety blog post, medication is my last result. In contrast, medication may provide great relief to some individuals.
It is important to weigh out the pros and cons of taking medication and evaluate how it will impact your daily routine.
Antidepressants are widely popular for treating depression. They are said to increase the chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters which are linked to our mood.
Although antidepressants are fast-acting than therapy, they do not address the CAUSE of depression, but they aim to treat the symptoms.
Besides, there are several side effects of antidepressants, including loss of appetite and dizziness. However, this may differ between people, so please consult your GP if you would like to know more about the different medication types available to you.
As for me….
I am constantly trying to take on a holistic approach (e.g. herbal remedies) to distract myself from low moods.
Finally, during the pandemic, I was able to talk about how I was feeling to my doctor, and I had several sessions of CBT.
If you would like to know about my cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), click here.
When I begin to work full time, I aim to start long-term counselling which I am nervous but excited about.
I’ll see where that takes me.
I hope this brings some insight into depression.
If you can relate to some of the information listed above, please contact your GP or speak to someone about how you are feeling.
If you would like to contact me about how you are feeling, my email is always open.
Thanks for reading.
Take care.
XO
Love this post! So well written and really liked that you used references! So many posts make claims and don’t reference so it can be hard to trust the info. I have also experienced depression most of my life and it is so debilitating!! Think the reason was as your post explains a mix of environment and biology as I had an abusive childhood and my father was manic depressive. He even ending up sectioned! Sorry to read about your experience of depression but its great that you can write about it. Writing can be so therapeutic! Will share on Pinterest for others to benefit.
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m sorry that you had to go through that. Writing has helped tremendously. I find that journalling is a good way to reflect. Thank you for reading.
Very informative and timely post on Depression. Mental health is still a taboo, especially in the black community. Love your message: If you can’t talk about it, then write about it 👍. Please write a lot more on mental health. Looking forward 👌.