Depression - a mental disorder

Depression and its Symptoms

Depression is a mental condition characterized by loss of interests, loss of enjoyment, decreased energy, guilty emotions, and depressed moods. Those with depression also have reduced self-esteem, irregular appetites and sleep, and a loss of attention. Depression has an adverse effect on how people feel, think, and act. Depression has an impact on people’s ability to control how they work, study, and interact with others. When a person spends more than two weeks feeling unpleasant, sad, and showing signs of loss of interest in pleasure, they are deemed depressed (Depression, 2017). The above symptoms do not have complete assurance of depression diagnosis but however, indicate the possibility of an individual suffering from the condition.

Depression and Anxiety

Progressively depression could impact several anxiety symptoms. Mental illness and health are all determined by a consistent interaction of social, biological and psychological factors (Compton & Shim, 2016). Evidence of the existence of depression characteristics are issues faced both in developing and developed nations. Massive corruption in most developing nations of the world causes depressive conditions of the people due to the leadership incompetence and impunity. Depression is a health issue globally and has been recognized in psychiatry and psychological studies to aid in the intervention and handling of the menace.

Factors Contributing to Depression

Individuals that are concerned with the conditions of health and equity of health are also involved in the understanding of mental illness since it impacts on ill and good of how individuals recognize society affairs. Depression mostly results from the effect of both social and health concerns in a particular region (Compton & Shim, 2016). Depression results from a number of issues including the family history of an individual, the individual’s personality, medical conditions and drug and substance abuse.

Familial and Environmental Factors

Depression could be characterized to result from family ties due to genetic association hence posing risks to new generations. However, this theory does not elaborate that an individual is prone to being depressive, but there are environmental factors around an individual that trigger the depressive genes. Individuals that experience low esteem, worry most of the time, and are perfectionists tend to have the potential to have depressive episodes (Depression, 2017). Additionally, individuals that have sensitive attitudes towards criticism and have negative attitudes tend to be prone to depressive episodes.

Medical Conditions and Substance Abuse

Medical conditions significantly cause depression the nature of the medical condition. However, a medical condition could result in an individual having a lot of worries and stress more so if the condition entails the individual undertaking management of a chronic condition in the long term, or an infection. Substance and drug abuse could occur voluntarily or be as a result of depressive episodes (Beck & Lam, 2012). An individual’s knowledge and experience of the abuse of alcohol and drugs could lead them to use the substances in cases of stress and depressive episodes.

References

Beck, A., & Lam, R. (2012). Depression. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Compton, M., & Shim, R. (2016). The social determinants of mental health.

Depression. (2017). Depression. Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 8 September 2017, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/depression

Goodman, R. (2016). Planning Melbourne. CSIRO Publishing.