It seems that more people are depressed today. But what are the reasons? And are people actually depressed?
Is it just that depression is more acceptable now and people are more willing to admit they are depressed? Is it genetic? Is it because society has become more corrupt? Is it because people have become hypochondriacs and think something must be wrong with them if they are feeling just a little out of it for a couple days? Is it due to self-medication and not knowing what real symptoms are? Is it because people are becoming less connected to the world and creating an antisocial bubble that revolves around “me, me, me?” Is it because people are getting away from God? Is it really even depression?
These are all ideas that have come to me recently, and I think there may be some truth to all of the above. I think many people don’t know how to handle average situations and just jump to the conclusion that they are depressed, and perhaps that is how the number of “depressed” people has risen.
Sure, there are actual depressed people out there who need medication and therapy. Also, there are people with short-term depression and depression that naturally occurs in certain situations and with life in general. I just think that some people confuse severe and clinical depression with just everyday depression.
I personally believe that people should not take pills unless they are completely certain they have severe depression. Why add any more unnatural substances in your diet and cause other health problems in the future when you could just go to therapy and learn a few coping strategies?
To back up my thoughts, an article I recently read talked about a study comparing the efficiency of an antidepressant, Zoloft, with St. John’s Wart and sugar pill placebos. St. John’s Wart helped 24 percent of the patients, Zoloft helped 25 percent and the sugar pill placebo helped over 30 percent.
The researchers think that the placebo worked because the depressed patients just wanted some attention, but when told it was a placebo, it stopped working. Um, what? That sounds like hypochondria to me!
Here is a link to the article: http://www.healthnews.com/blogs/melanie-grimes/family-health/mental-health/treatment-depression-pharmaceuticals-herbals-or-sugar-pills
Do people really not know the difference? How can a sugar pill trick people into thinking they are feeling better? Maybe they weren’t actually depressed? I know when I take medication, I generally don’t feel that much better, but sometimes I feel even worse without the medication (and isn’t that what a placebo is, no medication?) Most likely I would notice a difference.
Perhaps these people just had short-term depression and confused it with long-term depression. According to www.depression-help-resource.com, one short-term type of depression is called situational or reactive depression, and symptoms occur within three months of a stressor and don’t usually last longer than six months after a stressor.
In comparison, the most severe type of depression is called manic depressive disorder. Symptoms are consistent and last for most of the day, nearly every day for at least two weeks. That is just considered an episode if it’s for a couple of weeks, I’m pretty sure, but for people who have it nonstop and for several years, it is obviously very severe.
Dysthymic disorder is depression that lasts for at least two years, according to the website. A lack of symptoms for more than a couple of weeks probably means you do not have dysthymic disorder, according to www.mentalhealth.com. This is less severe than manic depressive disorder but still requires medication in most cases.
Anyway, according to www.depression-help-resource.com (and some of my observations), here are the top symptoms you should look for to know whether you have a more severe case of depression:
1) Significant weight loss/gain or decrease/increase in appetite
2) Difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping
3) Excessive movement or slowing down associated with mental tension (observed by others)
4) Fatigue or loss of energy
5) Feeling worthless, hopeless or having excessive guilt
6) Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
7) Repeatedly thinking about death or suicide, trying to attempt suicide or having a specific plan to commit suicide
8) Having at least four or more of the mentioned symptoms (Although dysthymic disorder supposedly only requires two or more of the symptoms, I really think just two symptoms could be caused by something else. With four or more, it is pretty obvious that it’s depression causing the symptoms)
9) Having antisocial behavior (I’m surprised this wasn’t mentioned on the website. I think feeling antisocial is a tell-tale sign of a depressed person)
10) Having low self-esteem (This goes along with feeling worthless to some degree, but also includes feeling ugly, fat, like no one likes you, etc.)