I felt writing about the Depression because I have come across many people in my life who are depressed and just struggling with their life to come out of this. It becomes very difficult for the other family members or friends to see their loved ones suffering from depression.

In a layman’s language can you tell me what depression is? It is nothing but the feeling of sadness, unhappiness, despair, gloominess, downhearted; hopelessness etc. It is a disorder that affects your mind in terms of thoughts, moods, feelings, behavior and even your physical health. But in scientific term depression is caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals along with other functions.

Anyone at any stage of their life can get depression; there is no age limit for it. Depression is curable with proper treatment and medications. Depending upon the type of depression it takes one week to six months and the person can return to his normal daily routine life but some chronic depression requires life long treatment.

Causes of Depression
There are different factors which are responsible for depression. The illness often runs in families. Experts believe a genetic weakness along with environmental factors such as stress or physical illness which triggers an imbalance in brain chemicals resulting in depression. The other factors which can be included for causing depression are:
Heredity, Stress, Medications, Illness, Personality, Hormonal imbalance, Alcohol, Nicotine and Drug Abuse.

Risk factors of getting a depression are more when you are living a stressful life; lose of a loved one or a job. It has been observed that women get the depression more often than men. That is why we believe that mentally men are stronger than women. Gender difference in depression is may be due to biological causes, hormones & different levels of neurotransmitters.

Symptoms of Depression
If you show little interest in once-enjoyable activities, if you feel sad, helpless, tired or worthless, and if your eating and sleeping habits have changed greatly, see your doctor to determine if you have depression. In addition, for a doctor or other health professional to diagnose depression, most of the following signs also must be present for at least two weeks.
o Lack of concentration
o Change in weight
o Agitation
o Fatigue or slowing of body movements
o Low self esteem
o Less interest in sex
o Thoughts of death
Depression can lead to wide variety of physical complaints, such as indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, headache and backache. Many people with depression also have symptoms of anxiety. Children, teens and older adults may react differently to depression. Kids may pretend to be sick, worry that a parent is going to die, perform poorly in school, and refuse to go to school, or exhibit behavioral problems. Older people may be more willing to discuss the physical manifestations of depression, instead of their emotional difficulties.
If you know someone who exhibits the characteristics of depression, encourage him or her to seek professional help.

Coping with Depression
Once the treatment for depression begins, you still have to manage on a day-to-day basis.
„Ï See your doctor regularly. Your doctor can monitor your progress, provide support and encouragement, and adjust your medication if necessary.
„Ï Take your medications. Finding the best medication for you may take several tries. It may take several weeks for you to start seeing results. Once you feel better, continue to take your medication as prescribed.
„Ï Don’t become isolated. Try to participate in normal activities.
„Ï Take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet and get the right amount of sleep and exercise. Exercise can help treat some forms of depression, ease stress and help you relax.

The other things that can help you to cope up with depression are meditation, social skills and spiritual skills.

Meditation helps settle the mind so you can think calmly throughout the day. The goal is not for immediate relaxation but to increase serenity. Meditation puts you in control of your thoughts by forcing you to be present in the moment and to observe your thought processes. There is no point in starting to meditate unless you intend to make it a habit; you won’t reap its benefits unless you practice on a regular basis.
In the early stages, meditate for 10 to 15 minutes once or twice a day. Increase this to 20 minutes no more than twice a day. Avoid meditating just before going to bed or you’ll be too energized to sleep.

Social skills involve relationships. People and pets are an important source of comfort: spend more time with them. Diversional skills are distractions. These don’t require dealing with the problem directly; but are a way of taking your mind off what’s happening.

Spiritual skills involve getting in touch with yourself to find meaning in your life. Tending to your spiritual life is an important way of dealing with stress, particularly if you experience a sense of loss in direction or meaning. Spirituality is not limited to religion. Take some time to connect with yourself and with nature.