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Depression

Depression is an alteration of mood characterised by sadness, pessimism, desondancy, emptiness and hopelessness.

Mild depression, is commonly precipitated by environmental events such as loss or bereavement.

Although the recovery time and prognosis depends much on the individual, the outcome is usually good.

Moderate depression is often accompanied by bodily symptoms such as loss of appetite and weight, sleep disturbance, diminished drive, motivation and energy.

The most prominent features of severe depression include extreme feelings of despair, guilt, hopelessness and helplessness. The individual may feel suicidal and experience frightening features such as hearing voices.

Many people recover spontaneously with minimal support, others benefit from counselling, more specific psychological treatment, while others may require medication or even hospital treatment.

Reactive Depression

Reactive depression describes a form of depression whereby the person can associate the cause of the depression to a past traumatic event such as for example bullying, redundancy or bereavement.

Endogenous Depression

Endogenous depression as indicated by its name means “from within” and it is theorized to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain either as a result of genetic heredity or malfunction in the brain affecting its chemistry. In contrast to reactive depression the person experiencing endogenous depression cannot associate his or her depression to past events though it must be said that its incidence is rare and these occurrences have gone unrecorded. To date the debate continues as this form of depression only exists as a theory, though growing interest in this theory is inspiring research.

Manic Depression

Manic depression refers to a bi-polar condition where the individual shifts between periods of euphoria and periods of deep depression. During the manic phase the person may feel as though they are full of drive, energy and creativity.

What is depression like?

Depression signs can vary from person to person. But what is almost similar in feelings and emotions in every person who suffers from depression is that they feel as if nothing is worth living for. There is a need to feel secure and safe within certain confines which is usually the sufferer's own home. That is why sufferers from depression has to take a lot of effort to go out.

One main reason amongst many others in suffering from depression is the lack of self esteem or reduced self confidence. Imagine and picture your confidence as being a nice framed canvass that has a work of art painted on it. Continuous blows to your confidence such as ridiculement, bullying and harrasement, is a hole being made each time to that canvass. If this treatment to your confidence is kept on for a prolonged time, the canvass will be just a hole with a frame. The sufferer will feel empty and worthless because the sufferer lacks the self confidence to carry on with normal day to day life routine which we take for granted.

Deep down within the sufferer's feelings is a picture of the sufferer being trapped in a deep hole where darkness surrounds the sufferer and only a bright light can be seen at the very top. There are no ropes and there are no stairs to climb. Another picture of depression is that of being stuck in the middle of a large thick mud pool all alone, where no one is to be found to grab hold of you and take you out of your struggle. Feelings can be of self guilt, sadness, being tearful when nothing eventful has happened during the day or feelings that is to the extreme, of getting killed or commit suicide (Why am I in this world? Is it the case that I no longer fit here? Then its better for me to leave and be at peace.)

If this is similar to what you are going through now, you can benefit from therapy from a therapist so that with time, your confidence can be raised to a level where you can get out of your internal struggle. You can picture the therapy process as you, with the help of a therapist, re-canvass your original blown out canvass and painting another work of art so you don't feel empty within. Confidence at the end of the day is a work of art that takes time to develop and is individual to each person.