According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in Spain 2,408,700 people suffered from depression in 2015, which represents 5.2% of the population. But if the data is alarming in itself, it is even more so to know that these are only those that are diagnosed and that the real figure could be much higher, because there are many cases that are not diagnosed and that, therefore, do not receive treatment. .
What is depression
Depression is a disorder in your state of mind, an alteration that produces both a psychological and physical decline. We all feel, at some point or another, feelings of melancholy or sadness. But most of the time they are temporary and are overcome in a short time without the need for help. But when we talk about depression this does not happen and feelings take over. They prevent you from living normally.
Everything is affected. Depression has psychological symptoms but somatic alterations also appear that affect your physique. And, although no one is saved, there are twice as many cases among women than among men. In total figures collected in 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 2 and a half million people suffered from depression in Spain, 5.2% of the population. Not counting those that were not diagnosed. So that depression does not catch you (you or your environment) by surprise, we tell you ways to detect it and its possible causes. Take note.
Symptoms of depression
- You are more susceptible. If when they ask you how you are doing, you want to answer: "Well, look at you", suspect that something is wrong with your mood. A symptom of depression is taking things badly frequently, seeing ulterior motives in what they tell you, in short, being more susceptible than usual in you.
- Make more mistakes. Depression causes your mind to stop working normally. You feel more confused, more tired, it is difficult for you to focus and … this leads you to make more mistakes. The problem is that you blame yourself for it and this fuels more negative thoughts, such as not being useful, being worthless, etc., which can aggravate the situation.
- An outbreak of atopic dermatitis. If you develop eczema and your skin itches, your body may be telling you that depression is lurking. There is a close relationship between atopic dermatitis and depression. A study from the University of Wisconsin (USA) found that adolescents with dermatitis suffered more from depression than the rest.
- Sleep bad. According to the Sleep Institute, 80% of patients with depression complain of insomnia due to not being able to fall asleep or not being able to maintain it after a few hours in bed. Only in some cases do they complain of sleeping too much. But, in any case, it is clear that depression leads us to sleep poorly and to be more tired during the day.
- Lots of TV. If the time you spend in front of the TV or tablet has increased significantly, it could also hide a depression. It is a way of isolating yourself from what you have around you, of escaping and closing in on yourself.
- Feeling extremely tired. Depression leaves you without energy and everything costs a huge effort. Feeling bad inside makes any act, even the most trivial, very difficult. At the same time, trying to mask your feelings increases this vital fatigue that, at the same time, can also be physical, because it affects the quality of sleep, food …
- "I can't go to dinner." Canceling an appointment at the last minute? Do you change the date again and again to meet a friend? Can't find a day to go out with some friends? Analyze if this lack of time is not really a lack of desire and hides something more than fatigue … You need a dose of vitamin S.
- Move slowly. This is another one of those symptoms that may surprise you, but depression can affect motor skills and make the affected person move more slowly, like in slow motion.
- "What are these laughing at?" If it bothers you to see people laugh, be in a good mood, and you tend to avoid people who are happy and having a good time, surely this rejection hides a depression.
- Aches and pains You don't know how to get on, your body hurts and you can't stand in the same position for a long time … This is a difficult symptom to quickly relate to depression, because bad posture or an excessively sedentary life can cause it, but … if you don't find one cause, check your mood.
- Headache. Various studies link headaches to depression and they are two diseases that feed each other, because headaches cause anxiety, but anxiety also causes headaches. Whatever the origin it may have, if you have frequent headaches, be sure to consult your doctor.
- Sadness. The most characteristic symptom of depression. Although we can all be sad in tough situations or if we have suffered a major loss, the sadness of depression is much more intense. He is older and persistent. You cannot think of anything that is not the focus of your sadness.
- Negative thoughts. Sadness is going to translate into more negativity. Guilt feelings also appear. You over analyze the past and blame yourself for the bad situation you live in. You feel that you have disappointed your environment and you come to believe that everything would be better if you disappeared.
- Personal abandonment. You do not have the strength or desire to fix yourself. We are not just talking about putting on makeup or putting on a heel. You have even abandoned your personal hygiene.
- You don't enjoy anything. That album that always encouraged you or the ceramic classes that you started with such enthusiasm. You notice that it is hard for you to get to enjoy the things, situations or people that gave you pleasure and pleasure before.
- Mental scattering. If you feel that it is difficult for you to think clearly, it is probably because depression can lead to less brain activity due to a decrease in serotonin, the "happiness hormone", and an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone. This can alter concentration, memory, attention …
- Anxiety about eating. It is very common to seek "refuge" in food when we feel bad, sad … And what we usually want is to eat sweet and fatty foods, so in addition to eating badly and snacking more due to the anxiety we feel, we can end up gaining weight . This, in turn, makes us feel bad about ourselves, guilty for not being able to control ourselves while eating, and "feeds" negative thoughts again.
- Or loss of appetite. Another aspect related to food is precisely the opposite. You almost completely lose your appetite. Your close people see a drastic weight loss.
- No desire for sex. Depression often leads to self-esteem problems and this affects our libido, so if you have not wanted sex for a period, ask yourself if there is something else behind you and not just fatigue or time problems.
- Poor digestion Digestion is a very complex process because both the stomach and the intestines are very nerve-lined organs and, therefore, very subject to your moods. Therefore, depression can lead to digestive problems, as can stress.
Causes of depression
There is no single cause of depression. As Dr. Antonio Cano Vindel, President of the Spanish Society for the Study of Anxiety and Stress (SEAS) and professor of psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), tells us to talk about the possible causes of the depression we have to look at a series of risk factors. In the combination of these different factors (genetic, biochemical and psychological) we can find the causes of depression.
- Gender. Depression is twice as common in women as in men. Although the general trend attributes it to genetic and hormonal differences, Dr. Cano Vindel also points to the greater stress suffered by women when assuming “more social roles that require more attention, suppose more stress and anxiety”. Age is also an influencing factor. There are more depressions between the ages of 35 and 45.
- Pregnancy. Along with the postpartum are vital stages of women with a greater risk of onset of depression. The body changes, hormones are altered and new obligations appear (very serious).
- Genetics. You can suffer from depression without having relatives with it, but the presence of a history of depression in the family increases the probability. A study by the UCL Institute of Education in the United Kingdom published in The Lancet Psychiatry concludes that the psychological background of the father and mother is a risk factor for having (or not) depression.
- Big changes. Strong blows such as the loss of a loved one and the grief it causes increase the risk of depression. Also a divorce, a layoff or even a retirement or going to live in a new country. External factors, life, can push you into depression.
- The hormone of happiness. Serotonin is always linked to depression. When depression appears due to external factors, the levels of the hormone drop. In other cases, it is precisely the low levels of serotonin that cause depression.
- Other diseases. Living with a serious disease like cancer, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, having a stroke, or living with chronic pain is also a risk factor for mood.
- Alcohol and drugs. Abusing these substances increases the risk, but also in many cases, addiction to them is created as a result of undiagnosed depression.
