MOST people experience moments in their life when they are unhappy. The problem may be work-related, because of physical illness or the death of a loved one. But this feeling of sadness or unhappiness is generally not permanent and normally passes after a short period of time.
It should not be confused with the mental illness commonly known as depression, which can severely affect a person’s work performance, social life and, at the extreme end of the scale, end in suicide.
Formally known as major depressive disorder or clinical depression, the illness is an increasingly common mental disease, particularly in developed countries. Researches say at least 8 percent of adults in the United States suffer from serious depression at any point in their life.
Depression can be found in several other forms. In bipolar disorder, a person’s mood swings back and forth between depression and mania. In seasonal affective disorder (SAD), people suffer from depression only during autumn and winter when days are shorter. Dysthymia sufferers experience mild depression, have low self-esteem and often lack of concentration.
People suffering from depression do not have the same symptoms all the time, according to researchers of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the US. Instead, the symptoms vary according to the patient’s personality and the type of illness.
Typical symptoms include feeling of anxiousness, hopelessness, helplessness and restlessness. Many sufferers also experience a loss of interest in once-enjoyed activities or hobbies such as sex. Difficultly concentrating, suicidal thoughts and sometimes actions as well as overeating or loss of appetite are also common symptoms.
While it is often described as a “modern” affliction it is not new and there have been many well-known sufferers, such as Winston Churchill (who called it “the black dog”) and painter Vincent van Gogh (who committed suicide).
Former US president Abraham Lincoln is said to have suffered from severe depression throughout his life. In 1842, he wrote: “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell.”
While depression can affect anyone – regardless of sex, age, race, religion – people in developed countries are more likely to be diagnosed with the illness and women are considered two to three times more likely to suffer from depression than men.
In 1990, the World Health Organisation said depression was one of the leading factors that cause “diseases burden” of women. The organisation recognises that up to 20pc of women in developed countries are affected by major depression at one time in their life. In the US, women are two times more likely than men to suffer from the illness.
Experts disagree over why depression is more common among women. Some say psychological, biological and hormonal differences between men and women are the main factors. For instance, women are particularly vulnerable to depression after giving birth (known as post-natal depression), because of hormonal and physical changes associated with pregnancy.
Men also cope differently when faced with depression, often turning to alcohol or drugs. This could be a factor behind the higher suicide rate for men; according to the NIMH, in the US, although more women attempt suicide, more men die from suicide.
The cause of depression is still unknown. Many experts say a combination of genetic, biochemical, environmental and psychological are the main causes of depression. While it is often considered a genetic problem, depression also affects people without a family history of depression. There are also environmental causes; trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or any stressful situation may cause a major depressive episode.
There are two methods medical experts use to treat a person with depression – medication and psychotherapy. With medication, patients are treated with antidepressant drugs.
For milder and moderate depression episodes, the psychotherapy method is often used. One advantage of this method is that it produces no physiological side effects but it can take longer for signs of improvement to appear.
There are also other methods sufferers can try such as Buddhist meditation. With meditation, the aim is to hone your concentration through anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) and advance to vipassana (clear intuitive insight into physical and mental phenomena as they appear and disappear).
Many people who have tried this meditation say they feel serene, have improvement in concentration and peace of mind.
