Depression: Who can be effected and how do you help

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First, what is depression?

In everyday life people can experience feeling blue or sad, but these feelings go away after some time. With depression, and there are a couple different types of depression, the feeling of sadness is ever present. It can not go away by wishing or changing the mind set. Depression is genetically altered throughout the mind to be a constant state.


How to tell

There are many ways to tell if a loved one is suffering with depression. Though it is hard to determine and can sometimes be confused with dementia as explained in this video by Kennith Robbins, MD with the University of Wisconson-Madison




Symptoms can include;

This list of symptoms was copied from the following website:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/complete-index.shtml

-Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
-Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
-Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
-Irritability, restlessness
-Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
-Fatigue and decreased energy
-Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
-Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
-Overeating, or appetite loss
-Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
-Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment.



Who can be effected by depression:

Anyone can become depressed. Depression can be triggered by events in your life or on a whim. Most people who become depressed do so over a long period of time. At first it is hard to tell you are depressed, that is until one day nothing seems right. You may not even know you are depressed until told by a professional.



How to help someone who is suffering from depression:

Here is some basic advice about how you personally can influence the life of a loved one who is suffering with Depression.

a. Avoid asking questions like “Why are you feeling sad?” or “Why don’t you just try to be happy?” These can do more harm then good because the person with depression may not know the answers.
b. Let them know you are available to listen when they want to talk and support them through their hard times.
c. Understand that they are not them self, depression has clouded their personality in a way.
D. Help them seek help if they have not yet. Do not force anything,using encouragement and love will get you better results.
e. Be sure to keep tabs on your own feelings. as stated before depression can touch anyone. Depression isn't contagious like a cold, but to help others you should be sure you are okay yourself. Don’t let others sadness drag you down too.

There are many things that can help someone with depression other than moral support, but those are to be determined by a psychologist. Handling a loved one with depression should never be something you do on your own. Here is a list of informational websites about where to start looking for more information on this topic.

The National Institute of Mental Health
Here you can find a basic overview that goes further in depth from what I wrote here and it includes phone numbers to a couple of help lines.

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/complete-index.shtml#pub1

There are many PDFs (which if you are using googlechrome should open in a new tab, if you are using firefox it should open in a new window.) on this website made by the U.S. National Library or Medicine: NIH National Institutions of Health, which includes a ton of information on anything from the science aspect of depression to the personal. If you are looking for something specific (and are on a PC) click: ctrl+f and a search bar should pop up.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/depression.html