Feeling down, going through stress, and being sad are a few emotions we all have been through, not once, not twice but several times, and is considered normal but sometimes when it increases a bit the people think it’s depression without understanding the intensity and complexity of the illness. Unfortunately, we either have glorified depression or we haven’t taken it seriously as a mental illness but characterized it as insanity.

This 2021, ZAFA Pharmaceuticals as the Top Pharmaceutical Company in Pakistan dedicates the mental health awareness month to the people suffering from depression and decides to spread awareness and correct information related to depression. Here are a few common questions that will answer your queries and will increase your information:

What does it mean by Mental Illness? 

We are going to firstly address the lack of knowledge amongst people about mental illness. Mental illness is a general term to refer to a group of health conditions involving changes in emotions, thinking, or behavior (or a combination of these). It is mainly associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work, or family activities. Mental illness can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, geography, income, social status, race/ethnicity, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, or background. Mental illnesses are of different kinds and different severities; some are mild and only interfere in limited ways with daily life, such as certain abnormal fears mostly known as phobias. Other mental health conditions are so severe that a person may need care in a hospital. Mental health is diagnosed according to standardized criteria and has specialized treatments which include medication, cognitive and behavioral psychological therapies, psycho-social support, psychiatric disability rehabilitation, avoidance of risk factors such as harmful alcohol and other drug use, and learning self-management skills.

 

What is depression?

Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common yet very serious medical illness that negatively affects how one feels; the way one thinks and how one acts. A mood disorder that makes one feel constantly sad or has a lack of interest in life. According to DSM-5 by the American Psychiatric Association a manual doctor, who diagnoses mental disorders says one has depression when one shows five or more of these symptoms for at least 2 weeks:

• The mood is depressed for most of the day, especially in the morning.
• Feel tired or have a lack of energy almost every day.
• Feel worthless or guilty almost every day.
• Feel hopeless or pessimistic.
• Have a hard time focusing, remembering details, and making decisions.
• Can’t sleep or sleep too much, almost every day.
• Have almost no interest or pleasure in many activities nearly every day.
• Think often about death or suicide (not just a fear of death).
• Feel restless or slowed down.
• Lost or gained weight.

While these are noted as common symptoms, not all people suffering from depression will experience the same ones; how severe they are, how often they happen, and how long they last can vary from person to person.

What happens to the body during the depression?

As a result of depression, the body of the person also experiences chronic aches which may or may not respond to medication. While depression is often thought of as a mental illness, unexpected aches and pains like back pain or joint tenderness can be triggered by depression along with the risk of putting one through serious physical health conditions including heart disease and stroke.

Depression also plays a heavy role in appetite and nutrition since some people cope by overeating and bingeing while others might lose their appetite. A sudden loss of interest in eating can lead to a condition called anorexia while bingeing can lead to weight gain and obesity-related illnesses such as type 2 diabetes.

What happens in the brain during depression?

Repeat episodes seem to damage your brain more and more over time. There’s growing evidence that several parts of the brain shrink in people with depression. Specifically, these areas lose gray matter volume (GMV). That’s tissue with a lot of brain cells. GMV loss seems to be higher in people who have regular or ongoing depression with serious symptoms. Also, people with a major depressive episode have higher levels of translocator proteins that are chemicals linked to brain inflammation. Depression might be so hard to treat in some people because ongoing depression is likely to cause long-term changes to the brain, especially in the hippocampus.

It’s important to get help for your depression which is why ZAFA Pharmaceuticals urges people around the country as a duty of the top Pharmaceutical Company in Pakistan to take mental illnesses especially depression as serious as any serious physical health condition. ZAFA Pharmaceuticals ensures you that there is absolutely no shame in contacting a psychiatrist and getting help, it is rather brave.