What is Major Depression?

Major depression is actually a word that describes a person’s mood. However, since it was also used to describe a psychiatric disorder, it turned into the name of a disease over time. When the term “depressed” is used for an individual, it is necessary to understand that that person is in a state of some kind of mental breakdown. In daily life, everyone may feel unhappy, sad, or even pessimistic from time to time.

Major depression is actually a disease that affects the brain. Chemical imbalance occurring in certain parts of the brain reveals the disease. Depression is not a personality trait or a state of “spoiledness” as some people think. It should not be seen as a simple situation that the person can handle himself.

How Is Depression Classified?

The word “depression” is often used incorrectly in society. However, depression as a medical term has different meanings than expected. Not all types of depression are of the same severity. There are different types of depression. Depression;

• mild depression
• moderate depression
• Severe (major) depression

It is classified as. Types of depression affect an individual’s life in different ways. Depression is classified taking into account different factors. Among these factors; The severity of symptoms and how frequently they occur. In some cases, depression may progress with symptoms suddenly increasing in severity and then subsiding.

How Can Gender Differences in Depression Be Explained?

Depression is twice as common in women as in men. This is because men express their symptoms of depression by resorting to different actions. Women generally do not resort to such behavior. For this reason, women are expected to show more intense symptoms when stressors occur. Other important reasons are related to hormonal and habitual female roles. In addition, there are biological and psychological factors such as pregnancy, birth, and premenstrual period that occur in women and predispose them to depression.

Regarding the frequency of depression in men and women; Married women suffer from depression more often than married men, single or widowed men suffer from depression more frequently than single or widowed women, and separated and divorced men suffer from depression more frequently than all of them.

Causes of Severe Depression

The causes of major depression have not been fully explained scientifically. Still, the causes of severe depression are; It is examined in three groups: biological, psycho-social and genetic.

Biological Causes:

As a result of research, it has been proven that some hormones in the brain such as norepinephrine and serotonin are related to depression.

Psychosocial Causes:

It has been observed that individuals who are constantly exposed to stress in daily life are more prone to depression. Parental death, exposure to violence and trauma at a young age increase the likelihood of depression in later ages. Again, not being able to meet the feelings such as being loved, belonging, trusting and success that are needed at a young age are situations that cause depression in the following years.

Genetic Causes:

Scientific research has revealed that there is a genetic predisposition to the disease. Depression is also frequently seen in first-degree relatives of patients with major depression. Another reason for this situation is that people with psychological disorders reflect their problems on their family life.

What are the symptoms of severe depression?

Major depression is a serious and treatable mental illness. It manifests itself with physical, mental and emotional symptoms. The most obvious feature is a decrease in enjoyment of life and a bad mood. A depressed person becomes pessimistic, hopeless and unhappy. He always feels lonely and sad. Feelings such as restlessness and boredom immediately come to the fore in the individual who begins to become indifferent to those around him. These emotional states, which even interfere with daily life, can last for months. It begins to negatively affect the individual’s mental activities as well as his general health. We can list the following situations within the scope of severe depression symptoms.

1. The person feels worthless. Feelings of helplessness, guilt and anxiety disorder are observed.
2. There is a loss of interest in every aspect of daily life.
3. Patients are depressed most of the day, especially in the morning. However, there is a feeling of emptiness. Everything seems meaningless.
4. Due to extreme reluctance and fatigue, daily activities begin to slow down. A person cannot enjoy life.
5. He experiences hopelessness, helplessness, pessimistic thoughts, pessimistic and sad moods.
6. There is a loss of motivation. For this reason, it becomes difficult to set goals for the future and focus on the goal.
7. Weight loss occurs due to loss of appetite. Weight gain occurs due to the tendency to overeat.
8. Forgetfulness, distraction and panic attacks increase.
9. There may be inner restlessness, anxiety and fears, and feelings of tension. While there may be crying spells, some patients complain of not being able to cry.
10. Excessive sleepiness and difficulty waking up in the morning are very common. Insomnia and difficulty falling asleep may occur.
11. The person has difficulty trusting himself and the people around him. Loneliness is felt.
12. Sensitivity increases and avoidance of sharing one’s problems and withdrawal from social relationships are observed.
13. Energy decreases, the person gets tired quickly and it becomes difficult to learn something new.
14. Stomach and intestinal problems, neck, back, head and joint pain increase with the disease.
15. There is sexual reluctance.
16. Negative events from the past may constantly come to mind, and the feeling of regret may intensify.
17. In severe depression, a person may make plans to harm or harm himself. Thinking about death or suicide becomes more frequent.

Treatment for Severe Depression

Severe depression treatment is the name given to the treatment plan that aims to eliminate the negativities that affect people’s mood and mood. Nowadays, most people feel sad or depressed from time to time. This can be considered a normal situation in the struggle for difficult living conditions. However, if you are extremely unhappy, feel worthless with intense sadness, and if these feelings last for days, the situation has become a medical disorder. People in this situation need to receive treatment for depression.

Major depression is a serious illness that must be diagnosed and treated by a specialist doctor. The first thing to do is to go to a specialist doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Anti-depressants or alternative medications can be used in treatment. Antidepressant drugs are given to the patient in appropriate dosages by a physician specialized in psychiatry. Lifestyle changes and face-to-face therapy can be done. An integrative treatment method is used in which severe depression medications are used together with psychotherapy. Antidepressants used regularly usually start to work after 2-3 weeks.

In addition to medications, psychotherapy aims to remove the individual from negative thoughts and behaviors and make the individual more active. Hypnosis method is also among the depression treatment methods applied in addition to these applications. Mild and moderate depression is more difficult to diagnose. The symptoms usually do not bother the patient’s relatives. There is a possibility that the patient does not pay attention to the symptoms.

Does Severe Depression Go away?

With effective treatment, partial recovery can be achieved within weeks and full recovery can be achieved within 2-4 months. So how to get out of major depression? You don’t have to think. For those experiencing depression for the first time, treatment is continued for at least six months. Then, depending on the patient’s condition, termination may be made. In patients who have experienced depression several times, treatment may need to be continued for many years for preventive purposes.

Severe depression affects individuals’ daily lives, causing productivity to decrease and relationships to deteriorate. In fact, it can often cause deterioration in health. It is stated that diseases such as cancer, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity progress in people who do not receive treatment for severe depression.

Treatment for major depression should be personalized. Because people are not affected by depression in the same way. A treatment that works for one person may not work for another. Depression is a mental disorder. However, it can be treated. Approximately 85% of people suffering from depression have positive treatment results. It is observed that almost all patients’ complaints decrease and their quality of life increases after treatment.