What Is Depression?

Depression is a disorder that affects you personally and everything you do daily in life. When it sets in, recovery is not easy. Depression brings you to a low state of mind that takes time before normalcy sets in again.

One can indirectly compare depression with sadness. If you are sad, everything around you looks uninteresting. You don’t find joy in living again. The same applies to depression. It is a state of mind that can affect the body because your mind and body are interconnected and dependent on one another.

When your mind is not right, your mood changes which affects your mental capabilities. Being a chain reaction, your low mental capabilities invariably affect your physical health. The by-product of depression’s effect on physical health is a gradual process. One might not even notice any changes in one’s life at the beginning.

Are You Depressed?

How do you know if you’re depressed? Some confuse being sad with depression. Sadness is a bit similar, but it is a short-term condition. One can easily get rid of sadness and be happy within a short time. But depression is directly the opposite. If the feeling lingers for more than two weeks, you likely have depression. Some other symptoms include:

• Being sad or having an empty feeling for two weeks or more.

• The act of feeling hopeless or helpless.

• Lack of interest in things generally.

• Experiencing changes in appetite.

• Experiencing occasional nausea, headaches, chronic pain.

• Experiencing changes in sleeping schedule.

• Isolation from friends and family.

• Concentration becoming difficult.

• Always anxious, and complaining of been stressed.

• Frequent irritability or anger.

• Looks constantly fatigued.

• Thinking of committing suicide.

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It is normal to see People with depression have trouble maintaining a normal work schedule. They might even find it difficult to fulfill any social obligation given to them. This might be due to the inability to concentrate which affects your memory. You can’t be organized when you’re in a state of depression, and making decisions becomes difficult.

Some people take temporary solace in alcohol or drugs, while others in food. Some gain weight when they are depressed, while others lose weight. All these might increase the instances of reckless or abusive behavior if not tackled in time. As nobody wants to be sad, so nobody wants to be depressed. During the state of depression, we lose a lot in any area you can think of. That is the reason why it is good to seek help any time one is going through it.

How Does Depression Affect You?

What you do daily complies with what you do over-time. If depression can affect you daily, it will affect you as long as you’re still depressed. If you’re a business person, it affects your financial level. It does not limit its disadvantages on how you sleep, eat, your education, career, your relationships, health, and concentration. It can also lead you to alcoholism or drug addiction.

Here are ways depression can affect us and ruin our life:

Digestive System: Digestive system helps our body in the area of food digestion, and assimilation of the digested food nutrients into our bloodstream. When depression sets in, it negatively affects our appetite. Some people tend to overeat, while others have a low appetite.

Those that overeat might likely develop obesity because of weight gain. It can even lead to hyperglycemia if the appetizing food is not a balanced diet. Hyperglycemia is a high blood sugar level in the bloodstream. And if it is not controlled, it can lead to diabetics.

Depression symptoms of low appetite might result in either malnutrition or hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a condition where you have a low sugar level in the body. It is also possible to experience stomach aches, cramps, and constipation when you’re depressed.

Cardiovascular/Immune System: Depression is a condition that prompts mental stress. Mental stress affects the brain and causes stress hormones to be released. This stress hormone narrows the blood vessel, thereby restricting blood flow. Since blood is the transport system of the body, and there is a restriction to its function, other parts of the body will be affected.

This restriction of functionality caused by the stress hormone can be damaging to your cardiovascular system and can lead to heart disease. Blood pressure tends to become high with increased pulse rate.

Over-reaction of these stress hormones for a long time can also result in a weakened immune system. The immune system helps the body to fight any strange body. If it’s low, then opportunistic infection sets in.

Sleep Disorders: Depression most times leads to sleep disorders. Your sleeping pattern is impaired. You might experience difficulty in falling asleep, and sometimes, difficulty in staying asleep. This condition is called insomnia. Insomnia and depression are interrelated, and insomnia is very common among depressed patients. Not refreshing sleep is also common with depressed people.

Memory Loss: Memory loss in a depressed person can be due to the stress hormone that is released into the system during this state. It constricts the flow of blood in blood vessels. The circulation of blood is impaired. Less blood reaches the brain through the capillaries. This is a chain reaction that results in temporary memory loss and is linked closely to your emotional and mental state. When your body is in a state of stress or anxiety or being depressed, it will be difficult to maintain focus or think clearly.

Seeking Care

The first step in seeking care is to talk to your primary healthcare provider. Your doctor is trained and equipped to help you determine the best care you need to come back to living happy, healthy life again.