I want to spend a little time talking about a disease that afflicts approximately ten percent of the population of this country, yet most people do NOT understand, or even really consider a disease. I won�t try to be clever and keep you in suspense � I�m talking about depression.
It�s unfortunate that a lot of people don�t understand the first thing about depression. It�s a real disease with real dangers and causes real problems for the people who suffer from it. It�s not simply something that�s all in a person�s head, nor is it something they can just �get over.� It doesn�t work that way.
People who have never suffered from depression, or at least been closely associated with people suffering from it, have trouble understanding just how serious a disease it is. Major Depressive Disorder, commonly referred to as �Clinical Depression,� is extremely serious, even potentially fatal, and is far more than simply feeling sad or hurt about something. It affects the physical body as well as the mental and emotional facilities of the person suffering from it.
There are several types of depression, ranging in severity from the annoying to the potentially fatal. Dysthymia is a mild form of depression. Although long-lasting, (at least two years, by definition,) it�s effects are not debilitating and do not significantly affect a person�s day-to day life. They might be seen as a somewhat negative person, but they are able to function in society with some degree of normalcy.
Bipolar Disorder is another form of depression, in which the person suffering from it cycles between being depressed and being hyper-manic for periods. There are two sub-types of Bipolar Disorder. B-1 is more manic than depressive, and in fact it used to be know as Manic Depression. It is more likely to lead to suicide than any of the other types of depression, with the exception of Major Depressive Disorder. This is most likely because of the extreme highs and lows that the person suffering from this type of depression bounces between. B-2 is far more depressive, with evidence that manic episodes are possible, and most likely probable, but don�t figure as prominently as with people suffering from B-1.
Postpartum Depression is a Depressive Disorder occurring in a mother within two years after giving birth. It ranges in severity from very mild, to a Major Depressive Disorder. The mild cases are FAR more common than major in this instance, and many women have used this as an excuse for getting out of doing things they don�t want to do after childbirth. (I know some women will read this and get pissed, but these are FACTS. I didn�t make it up. Sorry.)
There are several other minor depressions that are similar to these, such as Premenstrual Dysphoria, which is of course, those delightful few days we all get to experience in one way or another once a month. Or Recurrent Brief Depressive Disorder, which is pretty much what it sounds like. Depression returns on and off, usually lasting less than two or three days at a time. But it can range in severity, but it is NOT tied to the menstrual cycle.
Then we get to the big one, the big cheese of the depression world, and the one usually called simply depression, as wildly inaccurate as that is. Major Depressive Disorder, or, as I mentioned before, Clinical Depression. I�m gonna go with the actual term as opposed to the accepted one, okay? Thanks.
Major Depressive Disorder is by far the most dangerous form of depression. Although people with any of the various types are susceptible to feelings of suicide or other self-harm, MDD sufferers are the most at-risk. Also, the levels of depression reached by people with this type of the disease can have serious non-fatal repercussions. And suicide is also not the only way MDD can be fatal to one who suffers from it, since these are typically people who do not care about themselves any more.
Some of the symptoms will help explain why people suffering from MDD are more at risk health-wise than people with other forms of depression. They includes feelings of overwhelming sadness and/or fear. And I don�t mean sadness like your dog was old and had to be put down, which is explainable. I mean multiplying that ten-fold, and then multiplying THAT. And the seeming inability to feel emotion, (other than sadness of course,) or feeling �empty� inside. Like someone ripped out your heart but it didn�t kill you. Also, a decreased amount of pleasure in things you used to enjoy, if you feel any joy from them at all. Even your favorite activity can no longer produce a positive reaction from you.
Feelings of guilt, or loneliness and isolation are also symptoms. Although they can be harder to diagnose if say, the person IS alone or isolated, such as living in a cabin in the woods, or people are too busy all the time to see what they are up to. Feeling helpless, hopeless, or worthless are more symptoms. It�s fair to say that people suffering from MDD usually exhibit several of these symptoms, if not all of them.
Suicidal thoughts and/or recurrent thoughts of death are also symptoms. Desires of just giving up or just going away to die alone, thoughts of your own funeral, and wondering what it would be like, thoughts of how it would feel to die, or if anyone would even care. These are all signs of depression.
But these are more or less internal symptoms, and not easily identifiable unless the person feeling them decides to discuss it. There are external symptoms as well, that can be easily identifiable if people are looking for them. Severe change in appetite, with the accompanying weight loss or weight gain, changed sleep patterns, either excessive sleeping or sleep deprivation, and mental or physical fatigue are all symptoms, and can be seen by others around the sufferer. Trouble concentrating and decreased motor ability are two more symptoms that can be seen, and could mean a larger problem.
These are the main signs that someone may be suffering from Major Depressive Disorder, but there are other possible symptoms. Things that do not always mean the person is suffering from depression when taken by themselves, but when coupled with any of the above symptoms, could be a recipe for disaster if not treated. These include self-loathing, a decrease in self-esteem, physical aches and pains with the belief that they are symptoms of a serious illness, fear of going crazy or having a breakdown of some sort, inability to perceive time, periods of crying, aggressive or irritable behavior changes, and lack of attention to personal hygiene.
As for what causes depression, the reasons can be even more varied than the depression itself. Some doctors have hypothesized that it could be at least partially hereditary, which doesn�t mean if you parents aren�t depressed that you won�t be. But if an elder member of your family suffers from some form of depression then you are more susceptible to it than someone whose family has no history of depression. It may also be neurological, owing to a drop in levels of serotonin, or decreased activity in neurotransmitters, (of which serotonin is one,) between the brain and the rest of the body.
Serious medical conditions can also cause depression, especially those that are either life-threatening or potentially life-threatening. These include, but are not limited to, heart disease, cancer, adult onset diabetes, Parkinson�s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis or any other degenerative disease. Really, anything that people know once they are diagnosed with it, they are stuck with it for life, or there isn�t a good chance of curing it.
Other things that can cause depression are diet, poor quality of sleep, alcohol abuse, addictions to sleeping aids or other pills or drugs. Life experiences can also bring about depression, such as poverty, job loss or extended periods of unemployment and financial problems where you cannot pay your bills. The loss of a spouse or other close family member, the ending of a close or valued relationship or a divorce, rape or �involuntary celibacy�, (I love that one,) can all have a depressing effect on a person. So too can overwhelming or long-term stress from a job, school or even at home, such as a bad marriage or living arrangement.
Whatever the cause, and there can be, and usually are, multiple causes for Major Depressed Disorder, it IS serious, especially if left untreated. The problem being that most people who suffer from MDD are apathetic and aren�t going to go out of their way to seek help. Even if they do realize what the problem is, they aren�t generally going to care enough to do anything about it.
And it can be treated. There is no CURE for depression, and people who suffer from MDD are likely to be battling it for the remainder of their lives. But it can be battled, successfully with help. Unfortunately, in today�s society finding people who are willing to make the kind of commitment required to help someone suffering from MDD is virtually impossible. A really good doctor will call a patient they know suffers from this disease if they haven�t heard from them in a while, just to make sure they are still okay. Having good friends around to keep an eye on someone suffering from MDD is good, but again requires a commitment most people are unable or unwilling to make for anyone other than themselves.
But there aren�t a lot of other options available. It�s something that not even all health plans in this country will recognize as a real disease. And it is a debilitating one as well, affecting home life, social interactions, work, and pretty much everything in between.
And not everyone suffering from this disease will admit they want or need help, which also makes things tough. How do you convince a grown adult he or she needs help, when they don�t want it, or won�t admit they need it? That�s a tough one.
If you know someone who is exhibiting the symptoms for Major Depressive Disorder, well, I don�t actually know what you can do to help them. Between 12 and 18 percent of the people in this country alone suffer from one form of depression or another. That�s almost twenty MILLION people. Certainly there must be a way to help them. If anyone knows what that might be, please let me know. This rant is going to feel incomplete without some sort of answer. But I guess for now it�s going to have to be enough that I help get the information out there, so people at least know this is a real disease, with serious repercussions attached to it. Maybe working together we can all try to find ways to make it easier for people suffering from this disease to get the help they so desperately need.
Okay, that�s it for the serious stuff. I promise the next rant will see a return to normal entertainment.