Mood disorders and depression
Everyone can feel sad or tired sometimes – it's a normal part of life. How can you tell when it's depression?
Everyone can feel sad or tired sometimes – it's a normal part of life. But if low mood, lack of interest, and/or mental fatigue lasts for weeks or even months and starts to interfere with daily life, it could be depression.
Depression is not just a "bad mood" or "laziness." It is an illness that can be caused by changes in the body, life difficulties, or past experiences. Depression can affect young and old, men and women, regardless of education or occupation.
Depression can manifest itself in different ways, but the main symptoms persist for more than two weeks:
- low mood,
- loss of interest and joy in life,
- fatigue and lack of energy.
In addition, there may be
- a decrease in attention and concentration,
- a decrease in self-esteem,
- feelings of guilt and worthlessness,
- hopelessness or a despondent and pessimistic attitude towards the future,
- disturbed sleep,
- changes in appetite,
- thoughts or actions of self-harm or suicide.
In addition, there may be
- a decrease in attention and concentration,
- a decrease in self-esteem,
- feelings of guilt and worthlessness,
- hopelessness or a despondent and pessimistic attitude towards the future,
- disturbed sleep,
- changes in appetite,
- thoughts or actions of self-harm or suicide.
What can cause depression?
Depression does not usually arise from a single cause, but rather from a combination of factors. These can be physical, mental, and/or social and environmental.
Undoubtedly, lifestyle and habits also play a role, and we can do a lot about these ourselves, such as:
lack of exercise,
poor sleep quality,
unhealthy diet,
lack of enjoyable activities.
Physical (biological) causes
1
Brain chemistry imbalance: Depression is associated with changes in the balance of certain neurotransmitters (e.g., serotonin, dopamine) that affect mood and motivation.
2
Stress hormones: Long-term stress can keep stress hormone (cortisol) levels high in the body, which exhausts the brain and can impair its functioning.
3
Brain development and recovery: People with depression may have a reduced ability to form new neural connections and adapt to change.
4
Various physical illnesses can also be associated with depression.
Individual vulnerability and life experiences
1
Inheritance: Some people are genetically more susceptible to depression, but this does not mean that they will definitely develop the condition.
2
Personal characteristics: People who are very self-critical, worry a lot, or strive for perfection may be more susceptible.
3
Traumatic experiences: Loss, violence, or neglect experienced in childhood can increase the risk of developing depression.
Causes related to thinking and feelings
1
Negative thought patterns: Often, more attention is paid to negative things and positive things are forgotten. Thoughts become extreme ("everything is bad," "I can't do anything").
2
Feeling of hopelessness: A person may feel that nothing can be changed and that everything bad is their fault.
3
Learned helplessness: If it was not possible to help oneself in previous situations, a person may start to believe that they will never be able to change anything – even if they actually could.
Triggering factors
Depression can be triggered by both life events and risky behavior, such as
- a breakup, job loss, or other life change;
- prolonged stress;
- physical or mental illness;
- drug (including alcohol) use.
Depression can be triggered by both life events and risky behavior, such as
- a breakup, job loss, or other life change;
- prolonged stress;
- physical or mental illness;
- drug (including alcohol) use.
Depression can be triggered by both life events and risky behavior, such as
- a breakup, job loss, or other life change;
- prolonged stress;
- physical or mental illness;
- drug (including alcohol) use.