Depression - Definition and Discussion

Depression is a mental health disorder that can affect the way one eats and sleeps, the way one feels about himself, and the way one thinks about things. A depressive disorder is more than a passing mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness, and it cannot be willed or wished away. It seems to be related to a chemical imbalance in the brain that makes it hard for the cells to communicate with one another. Depression also seems to be genetic (to run in families).

Today, depression is a serious health condition affecting millions of people each year. The total cost in human suffering is impossible to estimate. Depression often impairs many aspects of our everyday lives and affects not only those who are depressed, but also those who care about the depressed person.

This depressive disorder involves the body, mood, and thoughts. People who are depressed cannot "snap out of it" and get better. Everybody feels low sometimes – but for some people it is much more serious, paralyzing their ability to get on with their life. Seven to 12 per cent of men suffer from diagnosable depression, and 20 to 25 per cent of women.

Depression can be linked to events in your life, such as the death of someone you love, a divorce or job loss. Taking certain medicines, abusing drugs or alcohol, or having other illnesses can also lead to depression. Depression isn't caused by personal weakness, laziness or lack of willpower.

There appears to be a complex relationship among stressful situations, our mind and body's reaction to stress, and the onset of clinical depression. It is clear that some people develop depression after a stressful event in their lives. Whether a stressful event itself can actually cause a person to become depressed is not fully known. There are times when we all must struggle with very painful situations in our lives. More times than not, these changes do not result in a person becoming clinically depressed. In fact, sometimes people become depressed even when there is little or no stress in their lives and everything seems to be going very well. And, no single stressful event will cause depression to develop in every person. The same type of stressor may lead to depression in one person, but not another.

Coping with depression can be challenging. Depression makes it hard to engage in the behavior and activities that may help you feel better. There's no sure way to prevent depression. However, taking steps to control stress, to increase resilience and to boost low self-esteem may help. Friendship and social support, especially in times of crisis, can help weather rough spells. In addition, treatment at the earliest sign of a problem can help prevent depression from worsening. Unfortunately, only about 1/3 of those who are depressed actually get treatment......While up to 80-90% who do get treatment can feel better, usually within a few weeks and return to the daily activities they previously enjoyed. Long-term maintenance treatment also may help prevent a relapse of depression symptoms.

Depression can be treated with medicines, or a special type of counseling called psychotherapy, or with both. Treatments such as antidepressant medications and psychotherapy can reduce and sometimes eliminate the symptoms of depression. How long will the depression last? This depends on how soon the patient gets help. Left untreated, depression can last for weeks, months or even years. The main risk in not getting treatment is suicide. Treatment can help depression lift in 6 to 8 weeks, or less.

In psychotherapy, the patient talks with your family doctor, a psychiatrist or a therapist about things that are going on in their life. The focus may be on their thoughts and beliefs or on their relationships. Or the focus may be on their behavior, how it's affecting them and what they can do differently. Psychotherapy often lasts for a limited time, such as 8 to 20 visits. In Toronto, Ontario, Ingrid Dresher has assisted many people to manage and fight depression. She has years of experience in psychotherapy counseling.

Most health professionals today consider depression a chronic illness that requires long-term treatment, much like diabetes or high blood pressure. Although some people experience only one episode of depression, most have repeated episodes of depression symptoms throughout their life. 

Effective psychotherapy can assist in shortening these episodes, making them less painful, less debilitating, and, in the best situation, to utilize the experience to gain profound and valuable personal and existential insights that can enrich the individual and the lives of those with whom the person is in relationship.