Clinical Depression, like that of any other physical illness, is not easily noticeable or understood. Many times a person who is clinically depressed is mistaken for being sad and that’s when the underlying illness isn’t exposed. Clinical Depression is a mental illness that is real and exists but is rarely spoken of and mostly ignored. A person who is clinically depressed seems normal to others, but the illness is there and it is understood only with clear observation.
Symptoms of clinical depression often overlap with being sad. A person who is depressed finds no interest in any activity which once excited them. They tend to be tired during the mornings and gain energy by night. They worry about every small issue that happened in the past and begin to feel inferior to it. Only with close observation, one can understand if someone is clinically depressed. They want to be left alone most of the time and suicidal tendencies and negative thoughts run through their mind constantly.
Our expert, Clinical psychologist Rashmi Wadhwa, speaks about different types of depression, its causes and how is it treated.
The common types of depression are
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
- Persistent depressive disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Postpartum disorder
- Pre-menstrual disorder
- Atypical disorder
The reasons counting to depression are not stated evidently, but various factors result in clinical depression. “When a person is unable to tackle and handle a situation or when a person’s need and desires are not fulfilled, that’s when a feeling of sadness arises,” Rashmi mentions. “These thoughts would later form the basis to which an individual will put in efforts to accomplish a task. Repetitions of inadequacies would finally become the foundation of sadness, anxiety, stress and if not checked timely, would lead to clinical depression,” adds Rashmi.
Understanding the symptoms of clinical depression is the only key to identify a person who is suffering from clinical depression. A person who is behaving normal and active before, but suddenly loses interest in everything and feels sad for a majority of time is the major and first symptom of someone being clinically depressed.
All of us feel sad and down at least once in our lifetime and it’s normal. But a clinically depressed person stays sad for a majority of the time. He/she feels sad most of the time in the day and most days in a week. This is the first and the key symptom to observe in a person to find out if they are suffering from clinical depression.
Treatment
“Clinical Depression isn’t cured overnight. The development takes time,” Rashmi mentions. Right help in the form of both counseling and medication, from a trained counselor, would help in identifying the cause and leading to overcoming it”, she concludes.
Clinical depression is a serious mental illness that cannot be ignored and can be treated. It takes close observation and the right understanding to observe the symptoms of someone being clinically depressed and the timely help would help them overcome it.
You can reach out to Rashmi Wadhwa with your queries at wadhwa_rashmi01@yahoo.com
