DEPRESSİON

DEPRESSION

Depression manifests itself through emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical symptoms and is quite common. Its overall prevalence ranges between 3% and 5.8%. It is observed approximately twice as often in women as in men.

Individuals may develop depression for many different reasons. Stressful life events such as the death of a loved one, separation, relationship problems, job loss, or financial difficulties can lead to depression. In some cases, however, there is no clear triggering cause. The fact that not everyone who experiences stressful events develops depression, or that no identifiable cause is present in some cases, suggests a genetic predisposition to depression.

One of the core symptoms of depression is a depressed mood. A person with depression is often unhappy, pessimistic, and hopeless. They may feel sad, empty, and lonely, and may cry without any specific reason. Another key symptom is loss of interest and anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure). The person’s interest in themselves and their surroundings significantly decreases, and activities that were once enjoyable no longer provide pleasure.

Individuals with depression may feel worthless and experience intense feelings of guilt. The depressed mood may sometimes be accompanied by tension, restlessness, excessive worry, and suspiciousness.

At times, individuals may appear irritable and angry, while at other times they may feel emotionally numb (unable to cry, feel anger, or experience closeness with others). These emotional states vary in intensity from person to person. Occasionally, a person may even appear more cheerful or active; however, negative emotions are generally predominant.

Depression also leads to changes in cognitive functioning. Difficulty concentrating, problems with thinking, and indecisiveness are common. The content of thoughts changes significantly. Individuals begin to view themselves, the world, and the future negatively. They may believe they are incapable of fulfilling responsibilities, useless, or a burden to others. These thoughts are often accompanied by intense guilt. They tend to focus only on negative aspects of events and exaggerate them, leading to a pessimistic outlook on the future.

Behaviorally, depression is characterized by a noticeable reduction in energy and psychomotor slowing. The individual feels exhausted, and even simple daily tasks become overwhelming. As a result, they either avoid tasks altogether or require significantly more effort and time to complete them.

Individuals with depression often prefer to be alone and withdraw from social relationships. Sexual interest and desire also decrease.

Physical symptoms may also accompany depression. These include headaches or bodily pain, decreased appetite leading to weight loss, or increased appetite resulting in overeating. Sleep disturbances are also common, including difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, or early morning awakening. In some cases, excessive sleeping may occur; however, even with prolonged sleep, the person does not feel rested or refreshed.

It is important to note that not all of these symptoms must be present for a diagnosis of depression. Sometimes depression may present with only a few symptoms. The severity of symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe, and varies from person to person.

It should also be remembered that grief caused by events such as the loss of a loved one, job loss, or financial difficulties is a normal human response. Feeling sad or low at times is natural. Therefore, not every episode of sadness or low mood is depression. In depression, however, symptoms are persistent, severe, and deeply distressing. If the emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical symptoms described above persist over time and begin to impair family, occupational, or social functioning, professional help should be sought. Today, many effective treatment methods are available to help individuals with depression.

References

• American Psychiatric Association. (2014). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) (DSM-5). (Translated by E. Köroğlu). Ankara: Hekimler Yayın Birliği. (Original work published 2013)
• Davison, G. C., & Neale, J. M. (2004). Abnormal Psychology (7th ed.). (Translated and edited by İ. Dağ). Ankara: Turkish Psychological Association Publications.
• Sayılgan, M. A., & Tuğrul, C. (1995). Ways of Coping with Depression (2nd ed.). Ankara: Turkish Psychological Association Publications.