What is depression?
Depression is a mood disorder that manifests itself not only with negative emotions and thoughts, but also with dysfunctional behavior and subsequent somatic symptoms.
Prevalence and gender
The incidence of Major Depression Disorder is generally between 3-6%, and it is more common in women than men.
Symptoms
Depressed mood, decreased interest/desire for daily activities, decreased/increased appetite, decreased/increased sleep, feeling of tiredness and lack of energy, a heavy feeling of guilt and worthlessness, difficulty concentrating , constantly thinking about death/suicidal tendency. These symptoms have a serious negative impact on personal, social and work-related life.
Causes
Biological
Having depression in family members genetically is a risk factor.
Psychosocial
Stress, which has an important role in every psychological disorder, is also effective in the development of depression. When stressful life events (loss of a loved one, end of long relationships/divorce, job loss or negative health conditions, etc.) and the person's negative perspective on this situation are combined, it causes a depressive state.
Low social support and loneliness, prejudice/exclusion, childhood abuse/traumatic events, being bullied, having another psychological disorder. Being neglected by parents as a child.
Unemployment, substance/alcohol use and low socioeconomic level are also risk factors.
How does depression develop? (Cognitive Triad)
According to the theory of depression in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, depressed people develop negative beliefs about themselves, the world, and the future.
Self: The person perceives himself as worthless, inadequate, and flawed.
The world: The person perceives his experiences negatively: Other people are against him and the world is threatening.
Future: The person perceives the events he has experienced so desperately and without solution that he believes that these problems will continue in the future.
All these beliefs lead to despair and hopelessness.
Treatment
Psychotherapy: When we perceive our experiences as negative, we have negative emotions and as a result, we exhibit some dysfunctional behaviors. There are many different models of psychotherapy; they help the person realize their own false beliefs, replace their thoughts with more true ones, and challenge their depressive beliefs. In addition, some therapies aim to get to the root of these problems by raising awareness of one's feelings and thoughts.
IMPORTANT –SUICIDE
Depression is one of the psychological disorders with the highest suicide risk. If you know that the people around you are depressed, you hear him talk about death often, or you suspect that he is planning suicide, encourage him to seek support from a specialist and start therapy. Also, at this point, the most important support will come from loved ones (friends, family, lover/spouse, etc.); It will be very valuable to make you feel that you are not alone and to listen to him.
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