Dr. Chan Myat Thu - Questions and answers about depression you should know

Depression is a complex term because there are so many different types. The simplest form is depression, which is caused by the feeling of sadness that we inevitably experience. However, if the symptoms last more than two weeks, they become more severe. If certain symptoms occur together. Or if they significantly interfere with our daily lives, we are sure to have depression.

Understanding depression

Understanding depression

• Question: How many people have depression?
• Answer: A lot. Between 5 percent and 10 percent of the world's population will suffer from depression at some point in their lives. It's now estimated that it's as high as 15 percent.
• Question: When does feeling down turn into depression? Answer: When you feel down and can't concentrate (i.e., you lose interest in work or family life) or have suicidal thoughts, it is depression. However, when you feel down for more than two weeks and it affects your sleep, appetite, performance, and concentration, it is depression.
• Question: Is sadness a symptom of depression?
• Answer: Sometimes it is true. But sadness and depression are not the same thing. Sadness is not a state of indifference like depression. In fact, when a person is sad, there is a reason for it. It is the same as being sad. This sadness is not depression. Some people who are sad can develop depression, but that is not a big deal. To understand depression, you need to know what depression is and what depression is not.
• Question: Why are people with depression different from each other?
• Answer: Depression can vary from person to person, depending on the severity, duration, and symptoms of the disorder. Some depressions are based on biological processes, while others are based on stressful life events.
• Question: What are the types of depression?
• Answer: Depression that occurs when a stressful event occurs in life (for example, losing a job or a loved one dies) is called a reactive disorder . This type of depression is not very serious because it reduces the ability to regulate one's emotions. However, sometimes it can lead to suicidal thoughts, so you need to be careful. Another type is major depressive disorder. As major depressive disorder is called, its symptoms are more severe than reactive disorder.
• Question: Are there other types?
• Answer: There are other types of depression that have more severe symptoms. These include manic-depressive illness and postnatal depression . Depression with these more severe symptoms is more likely to respond to antidepressants. This means that it can be controlled with medication.
• Question: What is the most common type of depression?
• Answer: Depression is a type of emotional reaction that is characterized by a loss of control. This disorder usually occurs when a person experiences a sudden stressful event (such as losing a job or breaking up with a loved one). It can also occur when a loved one dies. However, these feelings of sadness usually do not progress to depression. Question: How does depression develop? Answer: The reason is that people do not change what they can change. The presence of aggravating factors is also important. If a person is at risk of depression, the negative factors will make them worse. For example, a person with depression may experience a stressful event during a fire. When their biological processes are changing (such as a stomach ache or childbirth), social life, or stressors can make it worse, leading to depression. Depression usually resolves with time. It can also be treated with medication. In addition, it often resolves when the life experiences and stressors that triggered the disorder are reduced. However, sometimes these symptoms do not go away and become chronic. They may subside, then recur, and the symptoms may remain.
• Question: Does stress always cause depression?
• Answer: Not always. Everyone reacts differently to stress, so there is no set definition. Some people react to major stress with severe depression, while others only experience mild depression. Others may feel down for a few days and then recover. There are reasons for this. It is because of life circumstances. For example, a child who has lost both parents at a young age is more likely to be able to cope with the loss than a child who has not lost anything. However, you cannot say that you are depressed until you start showing signs of depression.
• Question: I've heard of chronic depression, what is it?
• Answer: Dysthymia is a chronic mood disorder that is somewhere between bipolar disorder and major depression. It is not as severe as major depression. The symptoms are also less severe. If symptoms have been present for two years, it is called dysthymia. It is not a biological disorder like major depression. It is also difficult to treat because it does not respond to antidepressants.
• Question: Depression is not hereditary.
• Answer: It runs in families. Some studies have even shown that it is hereditary, and even explain it in detail by drawing a gene tree. If someone has the gene, they are more likely to develop depression regardless of whether they are stressed or not. If they do, they will have a lifelong illness unless they are treated. Most doctors believe that major depression, bipolar disorder, and other types of depression that are linked to a biological process are hereditary. But reactive depression can also be hereditary. It runs in families. It is not clear why this happens. For example, when you adopt a child, everyone in the family gets reactive depression. It is important to note that hereditary is not the same as hereditary. For example, poverty also runs in families. In other words, the genetics of depression are not as easy to explain as eye color. It is complex.

Belief

Despair leads to depression.

Reality

Even people with major depression don't have a sense of hopelessness. Hopelessness is one of the two things that are required to be called depression. The other thing is a lack of interest. That alone is enough to be considered major depression. That is, if one of these two things is present, it is enough. At least three other less important things must also be present. These are: decreased energy, changes in sleep patterns, changes in appetite, changes in activity, decreased self-confidence, decreased concentration, and fatigue before work.

Understanding depression

Recognizing depression

• Question: How can depression affect our behavior?
• Answer: Depression can affect your behavior in many ways. In the short term, you may feel lonely. You may feel this way when you are at home or in bed a lot. After a while, you may feel like you have no motivation to do anything, and you may feel worthless. Over time, you may not be able to finish school, or do well at work, which can lead to dropping out of school, losing your job, breaking up with your family, or even breaking up with your spouse. In short, depression can make you feel less motivated, less motivated, and less interested in life. These are all problems that come with depressive thoughts and feelings. For example, if you think nothing is wrong, why would you want to work? When everything seems so negative, you may find it impossible to get treatment.
• Question: How can depression affect our thoughts?
• Answer: People with depression often have difficulty concentrating. Even if they don't, they tend to be pessimistic. For them, the idea that the glass is half full is half empty. For example, a person with depression may be extremely stingy with money. They are afraid of going broke if they spend money on things they really need. People with depression often think that they and the people around them are unimportant. They also see nothing as worthless. Their lives are filled with negativity, boredom, and they don't see the future as their own. When they meet each other every day, they always say, "How are you?"
• Question: How can we tell if someone close to us is depressed?
• Answer: Generally speaking, even if you don't always feel well, people with depression tend to be less active. They tend to sit around all day, or lie in bed. They don't seem to be interested in anything, so they dress in a casual or casual way. Most of the time, people don't even know how to joke around. They tend to be alone. In general, if a person has lost interest and tries to isolate themselves, this person is on the verge of depression.
• Question: Is it easy to tell if other people are depressed?
• Answer: In general, the symptoms of depression are difficult to detect. This is because they tend to be isolated and hide their inner feelings. When the first signs of depression appear, adults can easily hide them. They may not be as interested in reading as they used to be and may become less involved in social interactions. In children, they may not be able to do well in school. But they often hide this from their parents. When the first signs of depression appear, such as difficulty sleeping due to daily stress, they may also make mistakes even though they are concentrating. Some people do not show these symptoms, so they do not know that they are depressed. They may experience loss of appetite, weight loss, low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and general feelings of sadness. Other symptoms include: loss of interest, moodiness, changes in activity patterns, irritability, restlessness, It is characterized by a gradual increase in thoughts of death, difficulty accepting reasonable instructions from a person, and difficulty in recognizing mild depression. In most cases, mild depression is very difficult to detect. Both the person with the disease and those around them often ignore the changes in themselves.

Effects of depression

The Effects of Depression

Depression can affect you in many ways. Here are a few of the possible effects it can have on your mind and body.

If you believe you (or someone in your family) is suffering from depression, see a doctor to get a diagnosis.

Impact on thoughts

• Less interest in the subject matter
• The ability to concentrate will decrease.
• You will find it more difficult to make decisions.
• Optimism will decrease.
• There will be more negativity.
• Participation will decrease.

• My self-confidence will weaken.

Emotional impact

• I will be depressed.
• It will get hotter.
• I will become more impatient.
• You will have less desire to live longer (you may even feel like committing suicide).