There’s depression that’s just a low mood, and there’s depression that’s an actual medical disorder with diagnostic criteria. Well, even that’s not strictly true; there are several conditions with similar symptoms that come under the heading of mood disorder and the subset of depressive disorder. What you probably think about when you hear the term, however, is what’s formally known as major depressive disorder (MDD).
When you have major depressive disorder, things that you normally enjoy lose your interest. You may experience lethargy, sleep problems, headaches, stomach aches or other pain. Your self-esteem and concentration may suffer as you become trapped in thoughts of your own worthlessness and the hopelessness of your situation. In the worst cases, there may even be psychotic symptoms like hallucinations or delusions.
These symptoms then proceed to have a knock-on effect on the rest of your life. You withdraw from social situations, meaning your relationships with family and friends suffer. You can’t perform properly at school or work. Even things like eating regular meals can become too difficult, causing your physical health to deteriorate further.
Depression often exists alongside other conditions, such as anxiety or PTSD. It can increase the risk of you developing an alcohol or substance addiction. In addition to making your physical health worse, living with chronic health conditions can increase or aggravate your risk of depression. It doesn’t just exist in a bubble on its own; it twists around every aspect of your life and health.
That’s why it may also take a combination of treatments to bring depression under control. It can’t be cured completely, but your quality of life can be improved. There may be medication to alleviate immediate symptoms, as well as therapy to try to figure out more long-term solutions. You may need to treat some of the underlying or adjacent conditions or adjust the stressors in your life, which is easier said than done when in a depressed state.
Depression is a lot more complicated than it sounds at first, encompassing biological, psychological, emotional and social factors that impact you physically and mentally and can spread to influence nearly every aspect of your life. It’s not something that can be dismissed, and even just bringing it under control can be an incredibly challenging process that requires a lot of support from family, friends and professionals.
