When it comes to depression, those who suffer from this terrible malady often suffer in silence. Such is the stigma behind depression that most people, even if they know they’re afflicted, will not mention it to anyone they know.
According to the World Health Organization, somewhere around 322 million people suffer from depression, clinical, post-partum, or the like. Due to some scientifically researched deductions, the overall mental health of people around the earth has steadily declined. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic certainly did not help problems but may have helped non-suffering people begin to understand those who have suffered for years, unable and possibly unwilling to reach out for the help they need.
Depression, which is also known as major depressive disorder, is a medical illness with certain markers such as;
- Feelings-Depression almost always affects the way people feel, causing them to feel sad and useless.
- Lack of Energy-Along with fatigue and a general lack of energy is a major marker for someone who’s suffering from depression.
- Loss of Interest-generally a loss of interest in hobbies or routine activities can be a warning sign of depression or reoccurring depression.
While these are the major markers for depression, they are not the only ones and can be individual aspects of the collective disorder or they can be coupled with other signs to create a sort of map of depression for the individual being affected.
Because depression can become worse over time and can also come and go, other signs may start to show, including but not limited to:
- Being in a depressed mood
- A general lack of energy or loss of interest
- Appetite changes
- Fatigue
- A loss of interest in activities or hobbies that used to bring feelings of pleasure
- Sleep disturbances including insomnia or sleeping too long
- Feelings of guilt or worthlessness
- Difficulty with making decisions
- Difficulty with thinking in general
- Dangerous thoughts
- Thoughts of suicide
When it comes to depression, it’s easy to take one of two paths. The first is to brush it off as something that happens to other people, or to say to yourself, “It’s nothing to worry about.” Both of those statements couldn’t be more wrong.
The first statement is wrong because depression is no respecter of persons. It can and will strike when you least expect it. It can quickly move from a bad day to a bad week, month year, decade. It’s important to know the signs of depression and to at the very least be honest with yourself about where you are mentally and how you’re dealing with any symptoms that might have arisen.
To put depression in its proper place, it’s important to know some startling facts about this massive mental illness.
- First, Depression is gender-biased in most regions of the world. The World Health Organization reports that women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as their male counterparts.
- Up to seventy-five percent of those in developing countries who suffer from depression go untreated.
- The world over, depression is the leading cause of disability filings.
- Statistically, 20% of young people suffer from at least one depressive episode before reaching adulthood.
- Finally, up to 34 million people in the US who are age 65 and older are living with depression.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand that depression is a serious illness, and that suicide is its most severe and problematic symptom. When the will to survive is superseded by the daily grind to wake up and breathe, it becomes a struggle for anyone suffering from depression to want to live. That is when seeking treatment, continuing therapy, and even building relationships with loved ones become pointless and life really becomes a struggle.
Suicide in fact is the second leading cause of death in the 15-29 age group and is responsible for more than 800,000 deaths each year.
Surprise, Surprise
It shouldn’t be alarming that depression rates have continued to increase year on year, especially since 2005. In a study done between 2005 and 2015 rates of depression rose an astonishing 18.4% and researchers are adamant that given the population growth and the loss of the stigma depression used to have has allowed not only for the increase in depression rates, but also the freedom to discuss mental health more openly.
This has, in turn, created a space where people feel comfortable talking about their personal struggles with mental handicap.
Demographics Role Play
It is believed, thanks to recent studies, that Hispanics, Non-Hispanic Whites, and Non-Hispanic Blacks suffer more commonly from depression than their Hispanic-Asian peers. Over half of the 322 million sufferers of depression throughout the world also live in either the Western Pacific Region or the South-Asian Region.
Financial Woes and COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control reports that in the United States financial difficulties increased the rates of depression and as family income went up, depression rates declined.
A recent WebMD study estimates that pre-COVID-19 depression rates have nearly tripled with the poor and jobless being the most affected demographic. As the pandemic lingers, those rates aren’t likely to start declining anytime soon.
Treatment Centers for Depression
Like other types of rehab centers, the rehabilitation centers for depression can offer relaxation, medical treatment, exercise, and good nutrition can culminate in a type of therapy that allows for depression sufferers to seek treatment for the whole person.
From The east coast to the west and all around the world, rehab centers for depression and co-occurring addictions such as substance abuse, can offer a respite from the mental torment of depression and offer a relaxing, healthy approach to managing your depression symptoms. If you or a loved one is suffering from depression, a rehab center is just a phone call away and can be found through a quick search on your favorite search engine.
Don’t let depression ruin any more of your days or nights and finally take that first step in your journey to getting healthy mentally and physically.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2395346/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4478054/
