At a point in the stages of life, we would be faced with series of hurdles and difficulties that will tend to bring us down and cloud our lives. The death of a loved ones, loss of a job or ending of a relationship are few things among other that occur. It is normal for feelings of sadness or grief to develop in response to such situations.
Sadness is part of our existence, it touches all of our lives at any given time. But when feeling of sadness and melancholy persists such that the person in question is never happy, then one should be on the watch and know that it might be beyond ordinary, beyond sadness. What could it be? Maybe a kind of disease or calamity.
Sadness are usually fleeting and pass within a couple of days, after which moments of joy and serenity creep in and restore itself. An individual then forgets the days of old and its occurrences and embrace life as it moves and changes. But there is a scourge more than a passing bout of sadness, dejection or feeling down, it has enormous depth and staying power, mostly it happens with a kind of obscurity at the first instance to the victim and people around him/her. Depression is an unending despair that will tend to survive a lifetime and escalate along the lane if not recognized or attended to. Historically, it has been shrouded in mystery, weak character and fear, but with the onset of advance research and technology, it is now considered to be a mental illness that interferes with daily life and normal functions.
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Trish was a 51-year old woman who was brought to the emergency room by her husband. She said “I feel like killing myself “. She had lost her interest in life about four months before. During the time, she reported depression every day for most of the days. Symptoms had been getting worse for months. She had lost 14 pounds without dieting because she did not feel like eating. She had trouble falling asleep almost every night and wake at 3:00 am several mornings a week (she normally wake at 6:30 am). She had low energy, trouble staying focused and less ability to do her office job at a dog food processing plant. She was convinced that she had made a mistake that would lead to the death of thousands of dogs. She expected that she would soon be arrested and would rather kill herself than go to prison.
WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
Trish was a 51-year old woman who was brought to the emergency room by her husband. She said “I feel like killing myself “. She had lost her interest in life about four months before. During the time, she reported depression every day for most of the days. Symptoms had been getting worse for months. She had lost 14 pounds without dieting because she did not feel like eating. She had trouble falling asleep almost every night and wake at 3:00 am several mornings a week (she normally wake at 6:30 am). She had low energy, trouble staying focused and less ability to do her office job at a dog food processing plant. She was convinced that she had made a mistake that would lead to the death of thousands of dogs. She expected that she would soon be arrested and would rather kill herself than go to prison.
Trish showed all nine symptoms of major depression for at least two weeks, depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, weight loss, insomnia, restlessness, loss of energy, extreme guilt, trouble staying focused and thoughts of suicide. Her doctor diagnosed her with major depressive order. [ excerpted from “Understanding Mental Disorders . Your Guide to DSM-5(www.pschiatry.org)].
The story of Trish encapsulated the totality of depression, how it works, it symptoms and what it leads to. However, the term “Depression” is defined in the “Merriam Webster” English Dictionary, it indeed corresponds with story mentioned. It is said to be “feelings of severe despondency and dejection” or “a serious mental condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way”.
Depression is the feeling of persistent sadness that brings about loss of satisfaction in interests and hobbies, it leaves the feeling of continuous burden and tends to sap the joy out of once pleasurable activities and make an individual feel less a human and started to loathe his/her existence. Eventually, such may resort to suicide as a way of escape from the burden.
Depression which is now a phenomenon influencing increasingly individuals around the globe is characterized by grief, fear, anger and shame without limit, one might feel deeply sad and break into tears easily without knowing what brings about the tears, one might also snap irritably at the least provocation. Being sad is not the same as having depression, though sadness can be mistaken for depression and depression is mostly considered as sadness .In sadness, painful feelings come in waves often intermixed with positive moments, the overwhelming pangs of sadness wear out easily over time. Unlike depression, the pangs of sadness persists, moods are decreased for time, mostly it happens for two weeks and slow down the individual’s productivity.
Depression cannot be lifted at will or with a strong decisions, it is beyond that. A man in the grip of depression can’t solve the problem by showing a little more backbone or energy, it can only be cured with proper medications and treatments.
3:0 CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
Depression can affect anyone at almost any age. The reasons why people have depression varies and a single reason has not been identified. However, researchers have done a great work and come to realize that there are many causes of depression which may range from the brain, genes and difficulties and interpersonal problems.
THE BRAIN
Popular lore has it that emotions reside in the heart. Science though, tracks the seat of emotions to the brain, certain area of the brain help regulate mood. Researchers believe that nerve cell connections, cell growth and the functioning of nerve circuits have a major impact on depression. Use of technology has led to a better understanding of which brains regulate mood and how other functions, such as memory may be affected by depression. Areas that play significant role in depression are the Amygdala, the Thalamus and the Hippocampus.
The Amygdala is activated when a person recalls emotionally charged memories, such as frightening situation. Activity in the Amygdala is higher when a person is sad or clinically depressed. The Amygdala is part of the limbic system, a group of structures deep in the brain that is associated with emotions such as anger, pleasure, sorrow, fear and sexual arousal.
The Thalamus receives most sensory information and relays it to the appropriate part of the cerebral cortex which directs high-level functions such as speech, movement, thinking and learning. Research suggests that depressive disorder may result from problems in the Thalamus which helps link sensory input to pleasant and unpleasant feelings.
The Hippocampus is part of the limbic system and has a central role in processing long-term memory and recollection. Interplay between the Hippocampus and the Amygdala might account for the adage “once bitten, twice shy”. The Hippocampus is smaller in some depressed people and research suggests that ongoing exposure to stress hormone impairs the growth of nerve cells in this part of the brain.
GENES
Every part of the body is controlled by genes. Mood is affected by dozens of genes, with variance in our genetic endowments, so do our depressions differ. Several genes influence the stress response leaving us more or less likely to become depressed in response to trouble. Researchers found that people with a particular variant in a serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) were more likely to become depressed in response to stress.
STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS
The term “Life is not a bed of roses” is best applicable to tell how our existence and affairs might exhibit upturns and inflictions, our lives can never reach the peak of perfection. Events such as loss of a loved one, divorce, loss of job and poverty can make an individual to be prone to depression. Stress plays a greater role in this aspect. Stress is defined as an automatic physical response to any stimulus that requires adjustment to change. Stress has its own physiological consequences. It triggers a chain of chemical reactions and responses in the body. Any real or perceived threat to the body triggers a cascade of stress hormone that produces physiological changes. If stress is short lived, the body and mood usually returns to normal , but when stress persists or in chronic and the system get stuck, changes in the body and brain can be long lasting.
Depression has also been linked to academic difficulties and problems at school. It is one of the most prevalent problems in the mental health of students at different educational levels such as high school, college and university. The socio-economic status of any student, family and personal income level, parental income level, parental education and family wealth, academic performance are among the factors that contributed to depression in students. It is should be noted that young people face many contradictions to succeed during their academic life.
To be Continued.
Sanni Mubaraq is a student of University of Ilorin and can be reached via: mubbysani@gmail.com
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