"I 've had enough, I can 't take it anymore!"
"It 's useless, there is no point in going on!"
"I am hopeless, I give up!"
"I can 't cope anymore!"
"I can 't stand my life anymore!"
"My life is not worth living anymore!"
"What 's the point in living?"
If these feelings and thoughts of emptiness, despair and worthlessness are intense, prolonged and overwhelming that you find it difficult or even impossible to function normally and enjoy life like you once did; and you walk around sad and tired for most of the day and going through it is an ordeal, then you are "depressed". You are suffering from depressive disorder or clinical depression.
How can you fight and overcome your depression?
Understanding Depression
The first step in effectively
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It is the most common of all mental health problems. Researchers estimate that 17 million Americans, or even much more, suffer from depression at some point in their lives.
You are not alone!
It is not just a passing blue mood, or the normal pain and sadness that follows loss of a loved one, or the "downside" in life 's ordinary ups and downs. The feelings of emptiness, helplessness, worthlessness, hopelessness and despair are intense, unrelenting and pervasive to such an extent that these affects your the day-to-day life, affecting your ability to work, study, eat, and sleep.
Common signs and symptoms of depression can include:
Diminished or loss of interest in almost all daily activities. Friends, hobbies, sports social activities and sex don 't interest you like they used to. You have become numb to pleasure, joy and happiness.
Sleep disorder. You either cannot sleep (insomnia), or you wake up in the early hours of the morning, or you oversleep and struggle to get out of bed (you just like to bury your head under the pillow).
Concentration problem. You find it difficult to concentrate, focus and make decisions.
Loss or Decreased Energy. You are so fatigued, sluggish and feel like a zombie all the time. You drag yourself to work. Simple tasks become difficult and longer to
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What causes your depression?
There is no single cause of depression but rather, a combination of many factors - genetic, biochemical, environmental and psychological.
Depression may run in families - meaning it can be hereditary. Some people may inherit genes that make them susceptible to depression. The genes do not cause the depression but increase the risk when certain psychological and social factors come into play at the same time. The genetic tendency to depression can be triggered by some stressful life experience.
Studies indicate that depression may be caused by chemical imbalance in the brain. The human brain operates on fluids called neurotransmitters, some give energy (adrenalin) and some control body movements. The neurotransmitters associated with depression is called Serotonin which regulates mood, sleep, appetite, alertness among others. When a person is overly stressed for a period of time, the brain uses Serotonin faster than it can create and when the level of Serotonin drops, you become depressed. Other studies indicates that depression can also be caused by elevated stress hormone called Cortisol, and by other biological