What is Depression?

Depression is a debilitating disease that is characterized by great sadness, feelings of hopelessness, loss of motivation and feeling of having no value as an individual.

In the medical field, major depression is the term often used to refer to this disease. Depression usually occurs in the form of depressive episodes that can last from 2 weeks to several years or a lifetime. Depending on the intensity of symptoms, depression can be classified as mild, moderate or severe. In severe cases, depression can lead to suicide.

Depression not only affects mood, thoughts and behavior, but also the body functions. This explains why a person who is suffering from depression becomes more vulnerable to colds and other infections as the immune system is weakened.

Depression or mere sadness?

There is still lot of taboo surrounding the term ‘depression’. It is often misused in everyday language to describe the inevitable periods of sadness, boredom and melancholy that we all experience at some point in life.

For example, to feel sad after the loss of a loved one or have a sense of failure in case of problems at work is completely normal. But when these feelings tend to come back every day for no particular reason, it may be that you in fact have symptoms of depression. Depression is actually a real chronic illness that meets a specific diagnostic criterion.

In addition to the sadness, the depressed person maintains negative thoughts such as, "I am really bad," "I'll never," "I hate what I am." The person often feels worthless and has no interest in activities once enjoyed. Sometimes irritability is more predominant.

Prevalence of Depression

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders. According to a survey conducted by public health authorities in Canada, about 8% of those aged 12 and over reported having experienced a period of depression during the previous 12 months. Approximately 11% of Canadians suffer from major depression at one stage during their lives. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2020, depression will become the second leading cause of disability worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases.

Depression can occur at any age, including childhood, but it appears for the first time most often in late adolescence or early adulthood.

Causes of Depression

It is not known exactly what causes depression, but it is a complex disease involving many factors related to heredity, certain life events and the environment and habits.

Heredity and Depression

Following long-term studies on families and on twins, it has been shown that depression has a certain hereditary component, although it did not identify the specific genes involved in the disease. Thus, a history of depression in the family may be a risk factor.

Biology of The Brain and Depression

Although the biology of the brain is complex and still poorly understood, it has been observed in depressed people that there is a lack or imbalance of certain neurotransmitters such as serotonin. This deficit disrupts communication between nerve cells in the brain. Other physiological problems, such as hormone disruption (hypothyroidism or menopause, for example) can also contribute to depression.