Frequently Asked Questions About Depression Myths

For some reason, many people believe that they entirely understand depression just because they often feel like their sadness and isolation are giving them a strong sense of warning signs. Typically, they base their conclusion on the emotional impact of the things they cannot control. Though there is nothing wrong with that, the problem lies in the misconception of what mental health condition is genuinely all about.

The Truth About Depression

The interesting thing that people often say when someone they know deals with a mental health condition is, “you’ll get over it soon.” But will they? Will the depressed individuals get over their mental and emotional struggle just because some friend, colleague, or a member of the family told them that they would be alright despite being mentally unstable? It is disappointing how others are less compassionate about people’s dilemmas and only think of them as a speck of dust that one can shrug off.

But with respect to that emotional encouragement, those individuals with mental health issues cannot also blame those people who don’t understand the situation. That is the point. Some people do not understand. Therefore, it is also not their fault if they are sometimes insensitive and unaware of others’ feelings. It is not their fault if they think that depression is not an illness but rather a state that others hold onto only to get attention.

Sadly, people with mental health issues often need to constantly explain themselves. And when other tends to show no interest in it, they either opt for emotional outburst or choose isolation instead. Both impacts are not helpful. These can only make things worse, and both people with and without depression end up struggling in their relationships and daily lives.

Not because people are dealing with depression does not give them the right to feel the whole world is around them. Not because they are mentally ill but because they would require all the attention and support from everyone.

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It is funny that people usually self-diagnose and assume that their emotional meltdown is related to a mental illness. Unfortunately, no one can blame them as they only understand what they are emotionally and mentally going through. However, self-diagnosing a mental health condition is not just about who’s feeling what. It takes more than just sadness and a series of isolation to get to the bottom of the mental illness.

Fortunately, I have here some frequently asked questions that somehow answer people’s confusion about depression. Let me walk you through a couple of information that can straighten those depression myths.

What is a fact about depression?

Depression, a known serious mood disorder, is the leading cause of disability in the United States. It affects people between the ages of 15 and 44 years old. In terms of gender impacts, it affects women twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with mental health conditions. Aside from that, research shows that nearly 50% of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

What are the seven types of depression?

The seven types of depression include Major Depression. It causes a tenacious sense of sadness and loss of interest and can interfere with your daily functioning. Persistent Depressive Disorder or also called Dysthymia. It is a chronic form of depression that causes an individual to lose interest in life, lack productivity, and feel hopeless. Another one is Bipolar Disorder or manic depression. It brings severe high and low moods to an individual and affects sleep, thinking, energy levels, and behavior. Nest is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or the type of depression related to seasons changes. There is Psychotic Depression. It is a severe mood disorder that requires hospitalization due to some Worrisome signs and symptoms. Peripartum (Postpartum) Depression or also known as “baby blues.” It is a type of depression that is very common, affecting 1 in 8 women during the first months after childbirth. Another one is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). It is a state in which a woman experiences difficult depression symptoms, irritability, and tension before her menstruation. Lastly, there is ‘Situational’ Depression, similar to clinical depression. It is a type of adjustment disorder that affects everyday life following a traumatic event.

Is depression the number one mental illness?

Major depression is considered one of the most widespread mental illnesses. It impacts more than 16 million or almost 6.7% of American adults each year. Depression can affect anyone, at any gender and age, and people of any race or ethnic group. The mental health condition is never a “normal” part of life, regardless of age, gender, status, or health situation.

What is the number 1 cause of depression?

There are many possible causes of depression that affect all types of individuals. These include inadequate mood classification by the brain associated with an experience of brain injury, early psychological trauma, or chronic maltreatment. It can also come from genetic vulnerability or those that refer to the inherited characteristics passed on from parents to their children. Depression can also come from stressful life events, medications, and medical problems.

Is depression always caused by something?

Everyone’s life experiences and stress factors are different. Thus, it is fair to conclude that their mental health struggles often come from a combination of factors that can contribute to a developing state of depressive symptoms. It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t always identify the cause of the mental health condition or even change difficult circumstances. You can’t always know the answer to everything about depression. However, the most important thing you can do is recognize the signs and symptoms and seek immediate professional support.

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How to know if an individual should go to a mental hospital?

It is significantly important to seek professional help when your mental health struggles become serious. Some of the more damaging symptoms of a mental health crisis that you should watch out for include not eating, not taking important medications, and not properly taking care of yourself. Also, if you seem tired all the time, you experience brain fog regularly. You get muscle cramps and experience a series of serious headaches. You can insert it into your list of warning signs.

Can you have seasonal depression and regular depression?

Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern, or formerly known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is characterized by recurring incidents of depression in late fall and winter. Usually, the alternating periods of normal mood for the rest of the year are quite normal for some individuals dealing with physical impacts.

Does depression make you age faster?

Unfortunately, a new study found out that people living with a major depressive disorder are biologically affecting older individuals. However, since there are no exemptions, it also affects people without depression, and that childhood trauma worsens this effect. Thus, the brain physically ages faster when depressed when looking into the brain’s changes, even when an individual is still young.

Can you inherit depression?

Honestly, no one simply “inherits” depression from their parents. Each person inherits a series of unique genes that may or may not affect the psychological state. However, in some instances and certain gene combinations, the mixed-up can predispose to a particular illness, including any related health disorder such as major depression and bipolar disorder.

What are the risks of depression?

There are specific risk factors that can affect depression. It could be personal turmoil or disputes with friends or family, past physical, sexual, emotional abuse, traumatic life events, constant medication, and an unstable emotional state. Sometimes, even good things in life, like moving or graduating, could make someone depressed.

Is mood disorder the same as depression?

When our general emotional state is distorted or inconsistent with your state of affairs and interferes with your ability to function, then it is considered okay to say that you have a mood disorder. It can be seen when you are extremely sad, empty, or irritable, or you may have moments of depression varying from being excessively happy.

Does depression physically age your brain?

The latest research out of Yale University explains that depression can physically change a person’s brain by hastening an aging effect. The effect leaves them more susceptible to illnesses associated with old age, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Depression can make people look physically older by speeding up the aging process in our cells.

Are depressed brains different?

Several scientists have found some delicate but essential differences when comparing a depressed brain versus a normal brain. There is a constant change in depressed brains, including brain shrinkage, grey matter abnormalities, and a more active amygdala.

What percentage of depression is genetic?

Research shows that people with parents or siblings who have a mental health condition such as depression are more likely to inherit the mental illness. Scientists believe that scores of as 40 percent of those with depression trace it back to a genetic link, while it is the environmental and other factors that make up the rest of the 60 percent.

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Final Thoughts

It would be very unfair for the record to say that people who often feel sad and lonely are only overacting. There is no such thing as overacting when it comes to depression because no one can tell whether the mental illness is complicated or not. Only those individuals who are experiencing agonizing signs and symptoms can make it obvious.

Therefore, if people say that they feel sad and want to isolate themselves, never think of it as an excuse to deal with life uncertainties. Instead of thinking that everything is okay, make room for the benefit of the doubt. Never let these people feel that their thoughts and feelings are invalid because you never know what different individuals are going through, and there’s no chance that they might get out of the mental dilemma on their own. It is important that we pay attention to their needs to help them bounce back and live the life they have always dreamed of having. Besides, there is no greater feeling than being there for someone who needs you and letting them know that they are not alone in dealing with unfortunate life situations.