Definition:
It is a mental disorder that affects the human through the loss of pleasure in addition to lack of activity and a sense of lethargy, fatigue, and sleep disturbance, in addition to the loss of appetite or a sense of self-smallness, and self-blame.
Causes:
May be external, such as social conditions (marital issues) or financial conditions or sad events (the death of a loved one) or internal causes that lead to an imbalance in the function of the brain and its chemical vectors.
Risk factors: There are many risk factors, including:
Severe stressful events such as the death of a relative or financial problems.
Hereditary factors.
Some acute or chronic diseases: Tumours, heart diseases.
Certain medications.
Symptoms: Depression affects people in different ways. It can cause a wide range of symptoms that may range from a persistent feeling of sadness and hopelessness to the loss of interest in things that people used to enjoy, as well as the tendency to cry easily. Anxiety symptoms also appear in many people with depression.
A person may also show physical symptoms, such as constant tiredness and not getting sufficient sleep, poor appetite, poor sex drive and complaining of various body aches. The severity of depression symptoms can vary. At the slightest, depression may be a persistent feeling of gloominess, while severe depression can lead people to think about suicide, and that life is worthless. Most people experience distress and sadness or anxiety during various times, but poor mood may improve after a short period rather than a sign of depression.
Diagnosis:
Medical history and physical examination: Seeing a psychiatrist is no different from seeing any other doctor. When meeting the patient for the first time, the psychiatrist concentrates on the diagnosis of the condition as any other specialist Also, the psychiatrist sometimes resorts to some laboratory tests, but less than all other medical branches.
The psychiatric examination can be divided into two fields:
Case History
Mental State Examination
Diagnosis is conducted through symptoms, clinical screening, laboratory tests, and psychological measurements.
Complications:
Lower quality of life for the patient.
Having anxiety disorder
Problems at school, college, or work.
Family or marital problems.
Social isolation.
Self-harm, as the person deliberately injures himself.
Early death sues to other diseases.
Drug or alcohol addiction
Suicide.
Treatment: Treatment for depression involves either medication, psychological sessions, or a combination of both, depending on the type of depression that affects an individual.
Prevention: There is no guaranteed way to prevent depression, because it is an illness in which several biological and behavioural factors overlap, but there are steps that can reduce its likelihood, and help diagnose and deal with it in its initial stages, including:
Exercising and being active
Avoiding alcohol
Maintain a supportive social network of friends and family, especially in times of crisis.
Find out sufficient and reliable information about depression especially if you are a vulnerable group.
Reference:
Ministry of Health.
Date of access: 29.04.2022
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