What is Depression?

What is Depression?

Depression, as Dr. Nand Kumar, AIIMS, Delhi says, is understood in layman terms, as ‘sadness’, which is a normal or a common emotion. 

Clinical depression is when sadness exists for a long duration of two weeks or more, in conjunction with certain symptoms associated with the emotion.

The symptoms include - loss of interest or pleasure in day to day activities, excess or deprivation of sleep, chronic fatigue or loss of mental and physical energy, low confidence or self esteem, getting hurt or offended by minor things, irritability, isolation, decrease in social connection, loneliness, worthlessness, hopelessness, no sense of purpose in life, self harm and suicidal thoughts. 

Dr. Nand explains the causes of depression in terms of two broad categories - 

Outer Factors: prolonged stress

Inner factors: hormonal changes within the body and brain due to stress 

An expert in the field of psychiatry, Dr. Kumar points out that the correct professional to approach for depression depends on the severity of the disorder. In case of mild to moderate depression, a psychologist should be approached, while for severe depression, a psychiatrist should be consulted. Self diagnosis, he adds, isn’t bad many a time, however, must be correlated through the authentic sites for self-assessment. 

Talking about why depression happens, Dr Nand Kumar shares how depression, like any other disorders, runs in families with most cases of depression having around 50% genetic causes, and around 50% causes unrelated to genes (psychological or physical factors). Dr. Kumar adds a positive note on the inevitability of carrying a gene of depression - “One can change the expression of the gene by changing the circumstances, situations, and lifestyle.”