Depression is a mental condition related to a serious mood disorder.
It shouldn’t be neglected as it can lead to serious consequences for the overall well being of the sufferer.
Major depressive disorder or clinical depression, influences mood, thoughts and the way one behaves. That’s why it can cause different emotional and physical issues. People who suffer from it may even feel unable to perform their everyday tasks because they often feel sad and unsatisfied with their life.
The information on the website of the American Psychiatric Association states that:
“Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year. And one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life. Depression can strike at any time, but on average, first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are more likely than men to experience depression. Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime.”
According to the association depression, symptoms can vary from not so obvious to extremely serious.
The symptoms include the signs like sadness and depressive mood, loss of motivation to perform your favorite activities, appetite changes, sleeping issues or tiredness, feeling of guilt or worthlessness and many more.
However, scientifical information is not enough to fully describe what this mental problem is.
That’s why we asked 5 people who suffer from depression to explain to us about their experience with their condition.
Here’s what they’ve told us:
1. You feel ashamed
Depression comes with a lot of pain and misery because many people like me who suffer from it feel ashamed to admit about their condition. or ask for help. There is still some kind of stigma that goes with mental conditions and many people who are depressed feel like they could be rejected by society or become a heavy load in their loved people’s lives which is the reason why they keep what they are going through to themselves.
Sandra, 23 New York
2. Problems related to physicial health
I feel stressed most of the time due to my depression. Depression actually comes with a lot of stress,which can seriously damage your immune system and your overall health. I’ve read somewhere that it could even cause abdominal bacteria disbalance which could lead to even more physical issues. It also affects my daily performance as I can barely concentrate.
Eugeen, 40 Palm Springs California
3. Inability to work normally
I think my condition prevents me from working normally. I feel I don’t want to do anything and want just to be on my own. I’ve also noticed that I get sick more often since a doctor diagnosed me with depression. That is another reason why I cannot work at my normal pace.
Paola, 39 Chicago
4. You start forgetting things
It all started when I noticed that I have strange mood swings, once I was happy the other moment I would burst into tears. And this is not the worst part since I have depression I find myself much more forgetful about things related to daily tasks. This causes me a lot of inconveniences.
Nora, 50 Phoenix
5. Sometimes it comes back
I thought I’d overcome my depression but it turns out this is not the case. It turned out to be a period of recession and then the problem came back again. I was desperate and didn’t know what to do.
Anne, 20 Detroit
How to beat this problem?
Hopefully, today there are different ways that people who suffer from depression could use to overcome it. For example, there are organizations like Anxiety and Depression Association of America or National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) that offer a lot of different methods of therapy and support for depression sufferers.
On top of that, you can always consult a licensed psychotherapist or a psychologist.
We, from Sexy Intelligence, strongly recommend that you ask for professional help if you suffer from depression which prevents you from living normally.
Do you know anyone suffering from depression?
Please, tell us in the comments.
