Depression is a mental health disorder that is characterized by constant depressed mood, loss of joy or interest in life, and other mood disorder. It affects how one feel, think, handle daily activities and relate to others. Accoding to webmd, over 59 million African and American adults are living with major depression. However, here are Signs of Depression in women and teenagers
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People with depression may feel sad, anxious, restless, empty, hopeless, worthless, dejected, helpless, angry, irritated or guilty; they talk or move slowly,loss appetite, have suicidal thought. Due to all this feelings, they might be experiencing health problems without a clear reason and symptoms might not go away despite treatment, symptoms like insomnia, excessive sleeping, digestive problems, general body aches, pains and fatigue are common in depressed people.
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Causes of depression are physical and mental abuse, sexual abuse (rape), bad treatment by parents, loss of a loved one, pet or job, stress, unemployment, financial difficulty, social isolation, natural disaster, medical diagnosis, family history, personality, side effect of a medication, menopause, heart break; it is also said to affect people that cannot handle the negative aspect of life more than those who can.
Medically, depression can be handled by medication (antidepressants) or psychotherapy (counseling) or by combining the two, and if it does not work like in severe depression; brain stimulation therapies like electroconvulsive therapies may be carried out.
The antidepressants generally have unpleasant side effects, and some of them are quite expensive.
There are other ways to treat depression, even the severe ones.
· Herbal remedy: St. John’s wort is a great herb in helping fight depression. Saffron, a spice derived from a dried portion of a crocus flower; the stigma of this flower treats mild to moderate depression. Talk to your doctor before taking any herb to treat depression especially if you are on medication to avoid any complication. Pregnant women should avoid herbs till after delivery.
· Supplements: Niacin or vitamin B3 has the ability to greatly reduce chronic depression. It even helps people with these ailments to relax naturally and sleep well at night.Omega-3-fatty acids also help because research has proved that low levels of this in the body leads to depression.S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is a mood boosting chemical of the body.
Taking the synthetic version can help with depression, but it shouldn’t be taken together with antidepressant and too much of it can cause cramps, constipation and upset stomach. Low level of folate has also been linked to depression, you can either take the supplement or eat folate rich foods like avocados, dark leafy greens, sunflower seeds, lentils, beans, etc. zinc helps mental functions such as learning and behavior; taking zinc supplements helps with depression and raises the level of omega 3 fatty acid in the body.
· Educate yourself about depression: this is the first and most important thing to do for yourself if you have been diagnosed with depression. This will teach you what to do, what to demand from your doctor; that is if you do not want medications due to the costs and side effects. Also speak to well knowledgeable herbalist and seek counseling. This will help you overcome your depression.
· Do not isolate yourself and seek help: isolating self from friends and loved ones will do no good, suicidal thoughts mostly comes when you are alone. Tell your family and loved ones how you feel and they will help you out. Their presence, laughter, company and care will make you feel loved and better.
· Try to be active: depression can make one to withdraw even from things that they love doing. Don’t let this happen to you. If you do not have a job at the moment, try engaging in sports or exercise classes or do volunteer jobs. This will help distract you from whatever your problem is and you will start feeling better.
· Set realistic goals for yourself because not meeting these unrealistic goals can make you more depressed.
· Confide in your spouse, trusted friend or relative: as they said a problem shared is half solved. My friend puts it in a way I love so much; she always say“a problem shared with the right people is as good as being solved”.
