What is depression?

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by a decline in mood severe enough to affect a person's life. It affects all ages, from childhood and adolescence to young adulthood and old age. Its occurrence peaks during the twenties and then the fifties and sixties. It also affects women more than men, and some types of depression are specific to women, such as postpartum depression and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

It is important to note that depression is widespread and affects up to 7% of people. Rates are higher among those with other physical illnesses and those who use psychoactive substances, alcohol, and various drugs. In some conditions, such as cancer or Parkinson's disease, the rate may reach 30%. Its occurrence is also doubled among people with diabetes, strokes, and heart attacks.

What causes depression?

Depressive disorder has multiple causes, including:

  1. Lifestyle factors: These relate to lifestyle, its various pressures, and personal experiences with those pressures, all of which work together to cause depression. Drug and alcohol use may also contribute to depression. Symptoms of depression appear when these factors cause an imbalance in chemical neurotransmitters in the brain centers responsible for regulating mood.
  2. Genetic factors: Genetics certainly play an important role in depressive disorder. This role can be observed when the same condition occurs in more than one family member. It has also been demonstrated in studies of identical and non-identical twins and in adoption studies, which confirm the important role of genetic factors. The genetics of depression may intersect with other factors and mental disorders, such as alcohol addiction or bipolar disorder.

How do you know if you have depression?

The symptoms of depression vary in severity and duration and include:

  1. Sadness.
  2. Despair.
  3. Boredom.
  4. Loss of hope.
  5. Lack of passion and motivation.
  6. No longer enjoying things that were previously enjoyable.
  7. Physical pain.
  8. Reduced appetite.
  9. Poor sleep and difficulty getting up early.
  10. Feeling that life and its suffering are pointless.
  11. Wishing for death and thinking about escaping life by any means.
  12. Suicidal thoughts.

Symptoms range from mild and moderate to severe. In some cases, the symptoms of winter depression are atypical, with increased appetite and sleep. Depression may also be psychotic when accompanied by hallucinations and delusions, such as hearing voices saying that the person is guilty and must die, or seeing their own funeral before them.

Ways to treat depression:

As with other mental disorders, a person with depression does not necessarily have to recognize that they have depression or diagnose themselves. The presence of psychological and behavioral symptoms affecting daily life, performance, productivity, commitment to work or study, and social relationships is enough reason to seek a doctor's help. The doctor can then diagnose the condition and determine a treatment plan. Despite its severity, depression is an illness from which recovery is possible. It is treated through psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, and medication. In some cases, treatment may require magnetic stimulation or electroconvulsive therapy.

Many people prefer not to take antidepressants because they fear becoming addicted to them. It is therefore important to point out that this is not possible, because antidepressants are targeted medications that do not produce feelings that would lead someone to misuse them. They can be compared to an antibiotic performing its function. No matter how long the medication is taken, this does not indicate any degree of addiction.

Everyone with depression should understand that complete treatment and recovery are possible in most cases. A small group may have difficult-to-treat depression that does not respond to treatment, but doctors and mental health professionals can manage it differently and bring it to an end. Depression commonly recurs, meaning that it may return one or two years after an episode ends. The lifetime likelihood of recurrence after a first depressive episode is 50%, after a second episode it is 75%, and after a third it may reach 95%. Someone who has had three or more depressive episodes therefore needs ongoing treatment to prevent recurrence.

How can you treat depression yourself?

Treating depression yourself may be possible when it is mild and temporary, in which case it may resolve on its own. However, consulting a doctor is preferable even for mild depression because it may develop into moderate or severe depression.

Unfortunately, people often seek treatment late because they believe that the life problems causing their depression are normal. This convinces them that they do not need treatment, but only need to solve their problems, which is a mistake. Likewise, someone without problems may reject the idea that they have depression because there are no apparent problems and may also decide not to visit a doctor.

It is important not to neglect treatment, whatever its form, because depression has many complications. On a personal level, a person may lose their job or struggle in their studies or business, affecting them financially and emotionally and influencing their standing in society. Depression in a woman, for example, may lead to accusations that she is lazy and does not perform her duties, and divorce may result. Less apparent complications include untreated depression increasing the likelihood of heart attacks and making chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes harder to control. Among the worst complications are suicide attempts and suicide, for which depression accounts for three-quarters of those who die by suicide.

Preventing depression is based primarily on maintaining balance in life, practicing moderation and avoiding extremes, exercising, sleeping regularly, and eating regularly. Some personality types, particularly obsessive ones, also need to recognize that their way of handling and magnifying matters, along with their desire for difficult-to-achieve perfection, may lead them toward depression.


Download the Tatmeen app for online psychological and family consultations through the App Store or Google Play. You can also register on the Tatmeen mental health website to access valuable information and practical tools for strengthening your psychological and family well-being.