Mental Health and Depression

Negative thoughts regarding relationships, career, health, and personal issues are considered harmful for our mental health. Thinking of bad situations beforehand is also regarded as unnecessary, since the person’s way of thinking affects his or her outlook in life. These trail of thoughts can cause a pessimistic way of thinking that could seriously affect a person’s otherwise healthy way of living.

By consistently thinking and feeling down, a person might be already experiencing depression. A person dealing with this condition may also feel irritable for no apparent cause, together with lack of energy and concentration. Depression is not a one time event. If a person has experienced depression at some time in his/her life, the chances of a recurrence are high. Some people exhibit depression in various ways. Symptoms of such can be the following: consistent feelings of sadness, tension, and irritability; change in appetite with considerable gain or loss of weight; restlessness; change in sleeping patterns; decrease in pleasure of doing usual hobbies and interests; lack of decision making skills; feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and hopelessness; and thoughts of suicide and death.

People suffering from this kind of feeling may not seek help from other people, even from their own family members. Depression is believed to be an illness in a person’s mental health, and treating this would be very critical since this could affect not just the sufferer, but everyone and everything in their life. Other people dealing with depression sometimes attempt to harm themselves convinced that these negative feelings will never end. This is why everyone should be aware of the symptoms of depression and know that it is a treatable illness.

Depression results from a number of factors, depending on the person and his surroundings. Family history plays a vital role in having this mental health issue. Another factor triggering it can be trauma and stressful situations. Death, financial problems, relationship breakups, and changes in your life (be it a new job, school graduation, or getting married) can contribute to feeling depressed. Some people also possess the trait of pessimism, where they usually have a negative outlook on life or having low self esteem. Physical health conditions also cause depression. Serious illnesses including cancer, HIV, or heart disease can trigger depressive thoughts since these health conditions make the person weak and stressed out. By feeling depressed, these medical conditions might make things even worse than it already is. Other psychological disorders including anxiety, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and particularly substance abuse can easily make a person feel depressed.

Being depressed can really make the person feel bad, inside and out. But by taking the first step, which is to get proper treatment, depression can deliberately be healed. There are several medications specifically designed for the treatment of depression (also known as anti- depressants). Another way to take away feelings of depression is through psychotherapy. By expressing feelings and sharing it with a therapist, depression can be eased. Types of psychotherapy includes the cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps in identifying thought and behavior patterns related to feeling depressed. Interpersonal therapy, on the other hand, deals with the connection of depression and troubled relationships. A longer therapy process would be the psycho-dynamic therapy, which links depression to certain events and conflicts that a person has experienced especially during childhood. Group therapy is more on interaction with other depressed people, sharing rough experiences with the therapist and offers counseling as well.