Depression and Human Outlook

  Life is very complex , unpredictable and ever mutable. Nothing is permanent and perpetual on this Planet. Everything what we see and feel (Even an iota of Particle) has its own entity, frequency and momentum. Whenever we try to hold any part of life which is in flow, we become restless and the whole biological and psychology set up turns into some kind of disorder.To understand the flow and to be in flow,is the philosophy of life.

 “That which offers no resistance, overcomes the hardest substances. That which offers no resistance can enter where there is no space. Few in the world can comprehend the teachings without words, or understand the value of non-action”                                    Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 

Now in these days , life is very fast. Every one is working like a cog of machine hence creativity seems to be missing in our daily life style. In hectic schedule and time bound activity, we often forget to evaluate our potential . Our circle of aesthetic sense is shrinking. We are getting more engaged to our routine work . This is what the mechanism of life today . We have no sufficient time to go deep into ourselves and repair our inner world. As Guru Nanak Dev Ji Says;

Nanak, the whole world is in distress. He, who believes in the Name, becomes victorious."

To know outer world is knowledge but to know oneself is true wisdom. According to WHO , approximately 280 millions people are affected with depression worldwide. The number of women suffering with it is even more than that of men. Although there are known and effective treatments available , still 75% of people with low and middle class income , remain deprived of it.

In lack of awareness and education ,this problem is getting worse day by day.

Unaware people make it dangerous while associating it with superstition and black magic. This practice is prevalent in many part of the world. The people who perform it (Black Magic),entrap the innocent people. In the name of so called unscientific treatment, they exploit the emotions , trust and assets of them. No. of examples are there showing the bad results of these measures.

What is depression: According to American Psychiatric Association, Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act

Depression is a rift between expectation and reality .It seems to be absence of Nowness . The behavior of the person with depression,is characterized with the element of some kind of complex. In other words we can say that it (Depression)affects the sufferer Biologically and Psychologically. It always makes the patient feel low Physically as well as Mentally. If I am to define it(Depression) in single line,that is; Depression is the state of indifference in Mind, Body and Spirit. Mind is the master of every type of activity . If mind is stuck with any thought of complex either superior or inferior, it starts working accordingly.Depression is the condition of hopelessness. So, as we see, every spiritual master focuses on mind to uplift the life of human beings .                                                                                                                                                                   

                  While discussing the Classical Depression Eli Siegel says; Finding the world dull so that we can be superior to it is the cause of classic depression. However, it can take all sorts of specific forms. ( The Philosophy of Depression) 

Types of Depression: 

Persistent Depressive Disorder : When the phases of depression last for two year , it is called Persistent Depressive Disorder.

Postpartum Depression: It is the after baby birth depression and last for two weeks, in this phase mother feels low and exhausted.

Psychotic Depression: The person affected with this kind of depression develops Delusion and Hallucination.

The Seasonal Effective Disorder: It is common in the season of Winter when there is less exposure of Sun Light.

Bipolar Disorder: In this condition person feels sometimes low and sometimes experiences extreme high. These moods are called “mania” or “hypo mania” depending on the severity.

Causes of Depression:

• Abuse: Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can make you more vulnerable to depression.
• Age: Elderly people are at higher risk of depression. Loneliness, physical issues, social deprivation and unfulfilled expectation make it more worse.
• Death or Loss:  The death or loss of a loved one, can increase the risk factor of depression.
• Gender: As per the study presented by WHO, Women are more prone to depression than that of men. Reason may be the more hormonal changes, occurring at different phases of their lives.
• Genes: In some cases this problem is found genetically, that comes with the travelling of affected genes from one Biological generation to another.
• Major Events: Sometimes major overhauls in life like Marriage, Divorce, Migration, Loss in business and Loss in job etc. leads to the cause of Depression.
• Substance Use Disorder: Addiction of any kind of Substance like Alcohol, Cigarettes, Opium, Opium husk and Synthetic Drugs etc. plays a vital role in aggravating the condition of Depression.
• Other Disorders: Disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD),Tardive Dyskinesia and Dyslexia etc. might worsen this problem.
• Chronic Diseases: People suffering with any type of chronic diseases are easily exposure to Depression.
• Certain medications: Some drugs, such as isotretinoin (used to treat acne), the antiviral drug interferon-alpha, and corticosteroids, can increase the risk of depression.

Symptoms of Depression: Numbness , Loss of interest in normal life, Trouble in eating & Sleeping , Decreased energy , Decreased self esteem , Short temper nature , irritating behavior , poor management of relationship and persistent thought of something bad happening etc.

Mechanism Of Depression: When some unexpected thought triggers the mind, it disturbs the whole Biochemistry of body. The disturbed body further generates the perplexed thought which again imbalances the Biochemical reaction in mind. In this way, this process keeps on going and becomes a vicious circle.

Treatments: First of all it should be understood that depression is a mental disease and it is curable. Various treatments are available now in these days with different approaches to it. As it is a mental disorder , so there is not a specific treatment suitable for all. Everyone has it's own behavior with different sustenance power to cope with it. In this way , it is up to the Psychiatrist to decide after examining the patient and intensity of disorder what type of approach to be adopted . Here we will discuss some common techniques only. 

Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy is generally used to describe the process of treating psychological disorders and mental distress through the use of verbal and psychological techniques. 

Cognitive Behavior Therapy: (CBT) is a talk therapy designed to helps you change any negative patterns of your behavior that may be contributing to worsen your depression.  

Interpersonal Therapy: Interpersonal Therapy is based on the idea that depression can be related to our relationships. Therefore, with this technique, Therapist helps you improve your relationship. No. of other therapies are there which are useful to cope with it. 

Medication: There are many different medications that can help reduce the symptoms of depression.  To be honest I don't come from the Medical Background, so I can't go to the details of it. But for the convenient of my readership, I have created Hyperlink of word of Medication. Please explore yourself.

 Lifestyle Change: Ups and downs are the part of life. As we see the report ECG, we find this pattern over there which endorses the existence of life. Being sometimes Low and High is rhythm of Life but get crippled with any fluctuation is the matter of concern here. With the change in lifestyle one can be able to improve the severity of Depression. It requires initiative to take first, as one sees some improvement, efforts get multiplied automatically in the direction of upliftment of the state of mind. 

What comes in the list of Lifestyle Changes; 

1. Daily Exercise 2. Healthy Diet 3. Meditation 4. Yoga 5. Good Sleep. Above said tips could be helpful in elevating the mood of sufferers to bring them in the normal momentum of life. We should accept the life as it is. We can't avoid sorrow and joy, but working on ourselves , we could be able to take them equally. Acceptance of life in every format is the Mantra of living a healthy life. But it is easy to say than to apply, for this , where we are to work on our health, introspection and meditation are also required to repair our innermost . Be contented with what you have, do your best and have Patience , you would find yourself in ecstasy. 

Best Wishes for beautiful life ahead!

Harjas