Depression and Youth
Depression
What Is Depression?
- Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- Loss of energy or increased fatigue
- Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or slowed movements or speech (these actions must be severe enough to be observable by others)
- Feeling worthless or guilty
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Risk Factors for Depression:
Depression can affect anyone—even a person who appears to live in relatively ideal circumstances.
Several factors can play a role in depression:
- Biochemistry: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to symptoms of depression.
- Genetics: Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression, the other has a 70 percent chance of having the illness sometime in life.
- Personality: People with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who are generally pessimistic appear to be more likely to experience depression.
- Environmental factors: Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty may make some people more vulnerable to depression.
How Job Status Impacts Mental Health:
Work is a central point in the lives of many people. Not only does their position provide them with money, but it also offers structure, socialization, a sense of purpose and belonging.
When a person loses their job or does not have a job, they can experience a void that becomes difficult to fill. Without employment, people may fall into problematic thinking and behavior patterns that result in negative mental health effects, including depression.
The Connection Between Job Status & Mental Health:
Jobs offer people so much in terms of their mental health and well-being. The financial gain of the paycheck is noteworthy, but the positive effects of work on psychological health go deeper.
Employment provides:
- An opportunity to socialize with likeminded people outside of the home
- Time removed from the stressors or stagnation of the home environment
- Structure and a sense of stability
- Outlets to practice problem-solving and communication skills
- Experiences to feel power, control and fulfillment
- An identity
All of these elements can boost a person’s mental health. When functioning well in a workplace, a person can gain self-esteem and feel confident, competent and self-assured.
Unemployment & Mental Health:
When a person encounters job loss, it can create a string of unwanted and sometimes unexpected repercussions. Some of the most common responses to job loss include:
- Anger
- Shock
- Confusion
- Sadness and grief
- Bargaining and compromise
- Poor self-esteem
- Feeling lost and aimless
How To Cope With Unemployment Depression in Healthy Ways:
Rather than relying on alcohol and other drugs to cope with unemployment depression, people should focus on healthy coping skills. The healthiest skills may seem uncomfortable and challenging at first, but they create the best effects with time.
Some helpful unemployment coping skills include:
- Building a routine. Job schedules can dictate a person’s routine, so they can find themselves rudderless when that schedule ends. Forming new patterns and rituals will establish a sense of normalcy.
- Setting goals. Going to a job makes a person set and complete goals, which leads to feelings of power and control. Now, a person must set new goals outside of the workplace to continue those feelings. Consider objectives related to physical health, hobbies, activities and new skills.
- Reframing your perceptions. If a person views job loss as a crisis, they will feel panicked and depressed. If they can switch their view to see the situation as an opportunity for growth, they could feel optimistic and invigorated. The only difference is perspective.
- Strengthening social bonds. Times of loss and depression tend to isolate people and remove them from loved ones. Choose to reach out to love and support rather than loneliness. Connect with friends and family to let them know what you are going through and how they can help.
Testing exploitation as a relational determinant of depression:
Symptoms Of Depression
Depression is different than occasional or situational sadness. We all experience changing mood, anxiety, and sadness as a regular response to everyday life; but if you notice that you consistently struggle to stay positive and gain pleasure from life, it may be a sign of clinical depression. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, clinical depression lasts for at least two weeks, and it interferes with your personal and professional life and relationships.
Depression And Its Effect On The Body
Depression is a mental disorder that affects your mental and physical health. The emotional symptoms of depression can be mentally devastating and also physically debilitating as well. Depression can lead to serious physical consequences by affecting the following systems of the body:
Digestive System
Your digestive system is responsible for digesting food and absorbing nutrients into the blood stream.
Depression puts your body into a state of emotional and physical stress, which can have the following symptomatic impact:
- Loss of appetite, malnutrition.
- Weight changes or fluctuations.
- Overeating.
- Stomachaches, cramps, constipation.
How Is Depression Treated?
Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80% and 90% percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. Almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms.
Before a diagnosis or treatment, a health professional should conduct a thorough diagnostic evaluation, including an interview and a physical examination. In some cases, a blood test might be done to make sure the depression is not due to a medical condition like a thyroid problem or a vitamin deficiency (reversing the medical cause would alleviate the depression-like symptoms). The evaluation will identify specific symptoms and explore medical and family histories as well as cultural and environmental factors with the goal of arriving at a diagnosis and planning a course of action.
Medication:
Brain chemistry may contribute to an individual’s depression and may factor into their treatment. For this reason, antidepressants might be prescribed to help modify one’s brain chemistry. These medications are not sedatives, “uppers” or tranquilizers. They are not habit-forming. Generally antidepressant medications have no stimulating effect on people not experiencing depression.
Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorders are interconnected with (and can contribute to ) depressive disorders. In fact, those who suffer from insomnia have 10 times the risk of developing depression. Depression can, in turn, affect sleep patterns. Insomnia is very common among depressed patients.
There are two types of insomnia. Depression can affect both:
- Sleep Onset Insomnia – Difficulty falling asleep.
- Sleep Maintenance Insomnia – Difficulty staying asleep.
Memory Loss
Memory loss is linked closely to your emotional and mental state. When your body is in a state of stress or anxiety, the flow of blood to the brain is constricted because the body doesn’t make memory a priority. This is why depression can make it difficult to focus or think clearly. Research also indicates that it may cause short-term memory loss.
What Helps Depression?
If you are living with depression, we strongly recommend that you seek professional care. In addition, focus on building healthy habits. When you take care of your body, your mental health benefits; building healthy habits can help you alleviate some of the symptoms.
Seeking Care
If you believe you may have depression, the first step is to talk to your primary care provider. They are trained and equipped to help you determine the type of care that will best suit your needs and get you back to living a happy, healthy life. If you do not have a primary care physician, contact us to learn about our many convenient locations and exceptional primary care physicians in the greater Seattle area
Vaibhav Soni
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment