Depression creeps into our lives unnoticed, but it is treatable!

Depression is “a state of low mood or aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and physical well-being”. Statistics show that in US almost 15million adults including men and women from a wide range of age bracket suffer from depression. It is also very unfortunate that only 1/3rd of such people receive treatment for depression.

There can be several reasons behind it like:

1. Inability of the concerned person to identify the symptoms of depression,
2. Inability to afford treatment for depression,
3. Inability to accept the fact that he/she is a mental patient and needs medical help etc.

To avoid a situation where negligence of patients can worsen the state of depression lets us have a quick look at the symptoms of depression Symptoms of depression:

1. Feeling of sadness all the time
2. Inability to concentrate
3. Sudden changes in appetite which may result in loss or gain of weight
4. Inability to gain pleasure from activities one used to enjoy previously, like sports, sex etc It might also mean withdrawal from such activities
5. Change in the number of hours of sleep either an increase or decrease in it
6. Extreme cases of depression can result in suicidal or self destruction tendencies
7. Inability to see the positive side of things
8. Lack of energy in carrying out day to day activities
9. Constant feeling of guilt or self hatred
10. Frequents spells of anger or irritation

How to deal with depression?

Once the signs of depression are identified, it is now time to get treated. There are ample medicines available to deal with depression which are commonly knows as antidepressants like Sertraline, Paroxetine, Effexor etc. Regular intakes of such medicines bring in a positive change in patients. The effect is seen within a period of 2-3 weeks in case the state of depression is not chronic.

Counseling by a qualified counselor, psychiatrist can also give miraculous results. During depression counseling sessions experienced counselors try to identify the reason, for a change in behavior through cognitive behavioral therapy/psychotherapy. Based on the findings of this kind of therapy experienced counselors then suggest ways to come out of the feeling of depression.

It has also been observed that group activities help in a great extent to come out of the feeling of depression .Socializing with people can make a positive difference to the state of depression. One can also opt to join a support group comprising of people with problems of depression.