As a result of many aspect of day-to-day life, including the ones completely outside your control, many lives have been turned upside down and depression levels are estimated be up by 200-400% in North America, so we can assume the western world is similar. All the more reason to understand and assess depression in yourself and loved ones.
Depression is now considered common, affecting about 340 million people worldwide. Although treatable, about half of all cases of depression go undiagnosed and unaddressed. Situational sadness is a typical and normal reaction to events, such as a recent loss, and is simply part of the human experience. Rather than suppress situational sadness, it is best to work through these periods with help from psychotherapists or counselors. A more serious medical diagnosis is clinical depression – it can also be triggered by a loss or other sad event, but then grows out of proportion to the situation and persists longer than is appropriate, affecting emotional and oftentimes physical health as well. Clinical depression often requires other forms of treatment in addition to counseling and therapy.
If you are regularly or chronically experiencing any of the following, which are common symptoms of depression, make an appointment to talk with a therapist or seek out an integrative medicine provider that will be able to take a longer intake and history and help align therapies with your personal health goals:
- A sullen mood
- Feelings of hopelessness, guilt and anxiety
- Loss of interest in things that used to be pleasurable
- Change in appetite
- Change in sleeping patterns
- Inability to concentrate
- A lack of energy or feeling run-down.
Ref: drweil.com