By: Suvarna Suryawanshi (Clinical Psychologist)

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person’s thoughts, behavior, feelings, and sense of well-being.

We all have times when our mood is low and we feel sad or miserable about life. Usually these feelings pass in due course of time.

But if the feelings are interfering with your life and don’t go away after a couple of weeks, or if they come back over and over again for a few days, it could be a sign that you’re  experiencing depression. Many times we confuse depression to small- temporary sadness. However, this is incorrect. Depression is different than normal sadness.

What is depression? 

In life sometimes feeling low is normal, but when such feeling stays for a longer period, it is called depression. For a person experiencing depression, life may look like boring & empty. The person may not be able to seek happiness with friends or at work place. Life looks hopeless, every positive things looks negative.

Depression is a low mood that lasts for a long time, and affects your everyday life. In its mildest form, depression can mean just being in low spirits. It doesn’t stop you leading your normal life but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile.

At its most severe, depression can be life-threatening because it can make you feel suicidal or simply give up the will to live. According to MediLexicon’s Medical Dictionary, depression is “a mental state or chronic mental disorder
characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, and self-reproach; accompanying signs include psychomotor retardation, withdrawal from social contact, and vegetative states such as loss of appetite and insomnia.”
It feels like My life is as Dark black night, there will never come dawn or any rays..
According to studies, women experience a higher rate of major
depression than men. The culture of men being more free to express psychological and emotional feelings could also be a contributing factor to this phenomenon, hormonal related changes; premenstrual syndrome [PMS],Premenstrual dyphoric disorder[PMDD], Post-Partum Depression; Low/high
appetite, high insomnia; increase weight, guilt feeling are some of the widespread reasons for depression.

Teenage mothers have three times more the rate of postnatal depression than that of older mothers.

Symptoms of depression

If below mentioned symptoms match with you then there are chances that you are depressed:
• If you have disturbed sleep or over sleep.

• Unable to concentrate; things suddenly look very difficult which otherwise could have been done easily
• After lot of efforts you still have negative thoughts
• Feeling of hopeless & helplessness.
• Low/high appetite
• On small things getting irritated, aggressive or angry.
• Slowly becoming addicted to alcohols, smoking than before
• Feeling that life is not good to live & think of finishing it.

If such thoughts enter your mind then, you require immediate treatment
Treatment

Psychological counseling plays important role in mental disorder. CBT (cognitive
behavioral therapy) is also an effective treatment as is social skill training like interaction with family , friends, work colleagues. Social interaction means smileing gestures, use of eye contact etc.

There is a need to manage stress with the help of “stress Management Technique”. However, don’t ever hide such kind of symptoms because depression is curable. If not treated properly and on time, there are chances that mental condition may worsen.
Discuss with your friend, family members. If there is no one to talk to don’t hesitate to talk about your issues to a psychologist /Counsellor or a Mental Health Professional /therapist.
Keep your mind – body healthy & relax. Eat healthy. Do exercise like yoga
regularly.
*Don’t use words as depression

*Learn to forget small things which make you negative.
*Keep in mind there is no success without big challenges, there is no value of success without failure.

*Unsuccessful or failure is not the end of life.

Suvarna Suryawanshi can be contacted on :  9167121888