Can Anyone Get Depressed?
Everyone gets a case of "the blues" from time to time, but if a person loses all interest in things that used to bring them pleasure, there could be a problem. A continually depressed mood that won't let up can cause great change in the way a person feels and thinks. This is known as clinical depression, and it is an illness, not a character flaw. It can happen to anyone, at any age. It can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, medication, hormone fluctuations, or stress, but fortunately, it's very treatable.
Symptoms of depression can include:
- Persistent sadness
- Changes in sleep pattern
- Changes in weight or appetite
- Loss of interest in once enjoyable activities
- Irritability
- Physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment
- Difficulty in focusing or problems with memory
- Thoughts of suicide or death
If you experience a combination of these symptoms for a month or more, please seek help and treatment from a qualified medical professional. Depression can be biological, cognitive, or gender-based in nature. It can also occur along with certain illnesses, such as cancer or heart disease, and a lot of times, it is related to a person's environment or situation.
Depression is the most easily-treated of all mental issues. Almost eighty percent of depressive cases can be successfully treated. Depending on the situation, different therapy may be required; support groups and psychotherapy can help people cope with the life issues that can bring about depression. Some approaches help depressed patients change the negative thinking patterns that encouraged the condition, and other treatments focus on improving interpersonal relationships as a way to reduce the patient's feeling of hopelessness and despair.
Depression no longer carries the stigma that it once did. As we said, it's a medical condition and not a weakness of the person that has it. Anyone, no matter what stage of life they are in, can become depressed- and thankfully, the medical and scientific communities are continually coming up with ways to treat this condition.