Depression
Short-term feelings of sadness or melancholy are part of life. Depression, on the other hand, is an illness in which symptoms occur for a longer period of time and interfere with life. However, correct treatment can help you recover from depression.
Anyone’s life can face a crisis. For example, exhaustion, divorce, loneliness, unemployment, substance abuse problems, financial difficulties, childbirth and the resulting hormonal changes, serious illness or becoming a victim of violence are all crises that may expose you to depression. Depression in its various forms is a very common illness. Approximately 10 to 15 per cent of the Finnish adult population suffer from mild depressive states, about 5 per cent from severe depressive states and slightly less than 1 per cent from psychotic depression.
There are many types of depression: mild, moderate, severe and psychotic depressive states. Depression may also involve other mental health disorders, such as anxiety, panic disorders, personality disorders or eating disorders. In bipolar mood disorders, depression is part of the disease, in which case a person’s condition alternates from hypomania or mania to depression.
Symptoms of depression:
- depressed, anxious or desperate mood
- reduced interest in other people and the environment
- inability to enjoy or experience pleasure
- insomnia or increased need for sleep
- almost daily powerlessness and fatigue
- slowing down or acceleration of movements and mind
- feelings of worthlessness, inferiority and guilt
- difficulties in thinking, focusing or making decisions
- images related to death or self-destructive thoughts
- loss of appetite and weight loss or increased need to eat and weight gain
- increased use of alcohol or other intoxicants
- decreased sexual desire
Sometimes there is no clear reason for depression in the life situation. Still, it’s never your fault. It’s good to seek professional help if the depression is prolonged and the symptoms interfere with life. Correct treatment can help you recover from depression.
High-functioning depression
High-functioning depression is not a diagnosis, but one of the phenomena related to depression that occurs especially in people who are highly demanding and inclined to perform. Despite other symptoms of depression, functional capacity doesn’t necessarily decrease, but daily life keeps going. It may be difficult to identify the person’s need for help, even though it would be very important.
What causes depression?
Depression is described as a syndrome that can have many different causes behind it. The onset of depression may be influenced by factors such as biological susceptibility, congenital temperament and the structure of personality shaped by experiences during development. Background factors may also include, for example, ungrieved sadness related to the loss of a loved one or another unprocessed emotional state or trauma in life that rises to the surface in the midst of a life crisis, sometimes unconsciously.
At the psychological level, susceptibility to the illness is increased by factors such as poor self-esteem and distorted self-image as well as various internalised negative mental models. Depression can be the psyche’s unconscious means of escaping frightening emotions. For example, your own or someone else’s feelings of hatred, grief or other repressed emotions may make emotional life and relationships more difficult for a long time.
What helps with depression?
Because the causes of depression are many, different treatments help different people. The earlier the person is admitted to treatment, the faster and more permanent recovery can be. And even if you have lived alone with the bad feeling for a long time, it’s possible to heal from depression.
There is a lot of talk about depression today, and an increasing number of people have the courage to speak out about their symptoms to their family and friends, physicians or other professionals in the field. Depression should not be ashamed of or hidden by anyone.
The most effective treatment for depression has been found to be combining psychological counselling or psychotherapy with possible pharmacotherapy. For some, effective treatment can be psychotherapy and possible sick leave at the acute stage, without any medication. Others need pharmacotherapy in addition to psychotherapy. Research has shown that pharmacotherapy alone without psychological counselling is not an effective or recommended treatment for a longer period of time. Plenty of information on the topic can also be found in the Current Care Guidelines for the patient (in Finnish).
You can recover from depression even without outside treatment. Support from family, friends and peers is particularly helpful in mild depression. The most important thing for family and friends is to be there and to show acceptance and caring without demanding the person to pull themself together. Routines, such as exercise, nutrition and sleep, also have an impact.
Sufficient help is not always available despite seeking it. This is not your fault. You should seek help again persistently, even if it feels heavy. There are also various low-threshold forms of treatment, such as chats, online courses and online therapy, which may help you.
