Depression doesn't mean "going crazy". Observe yourself now if you are at risk of depression!

Boredom, more negative thoughts, fatigue and short attention span, who starts having these symptoms? Observe yourself now if you are at risk of depression. Moreover, statistics from the Department of Mental Health reveal that 1.5 million Thai people aged 15 years and over suffer from depression, More than 53,000 people or 6 people per hour attempting to commit suicide throughout the year. Depression can happen to anyone. If you begin to feel that your emotions are strangely different, you should observe yourself now. Many people still have misunderstandings about depression that people with depression are crazy or insane. Now, let's learn about it together. What are the causes? What are the initial symptoms? Can depression be cured or not? Let’s get started!

• What is depression?

• What is the difference between bipolar disorder and depression?

• What causes depression?

• Let’s check the depression symptom list

• How many stages of depression? / How many types of depression?

• Can depression be cured or not?

• How to prevent depression?

• I have depression, can I buy insurance?

What is depression?

There are still many misconceptions about depression (major depressive disorder) that people who suffer from the disorder are crazy or it happens to people who cannot dealt with disappointment or sadness; they would be fine and feel better if supported and encouraged. Actually, depression is a disorder related to emotions caused by brain abnormalities or an imbalance of 3 types of neurotransmitters: serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine which affect our daily life in terms of emotions, feelings, thoughts and behavior and also affect physical health as well. Depression therefore requires proper treatment from a psychiatrist.

What is the difference between bipolar disorder and depression?

For bipolar disorder and depression, you might not be able to tell differences between the two. In fact, these two disorders are very different even though both of them are caused by abnormal emotional state. Let's see how bipolar disorder and depression are different.

Bipolar disorder

It is a disease characterized by emotional disorders. In people who suffer from this disease, there will be 2 personalities: mania and depression. Sometime, the patients would feel lively but suddenly switching to feel depressed instead. We call this bipolar disorder.

Depression

It is a disease related to emotions, but depression patients are physically and mentally ill, affecting their thoughts and feelings. They feel discouraged in life, bored, unable to sleep, wake up in the middle of the night and frequently have nightmares which could affect their daily life.

What causes depression?

There can be many stimulating factors that cause stress or there may not be any at all. Importantly, it is a disease that can affect all genders and all ages, both children and adults. Mostly, depression is caused by:

• Chemical abnormalities in the brain;
• Genetic or family history of depression;
• Stressful environment from childhood until adulthood;
  
• Characteristics: being pessimistic or seeing the negative in everything.
  

Let’s check the depression symptom list

Depression is close to us. Even though it is a disease like other uncontrollable critical diseases, if we are aware of it, you can be treated properly sooner. Observe the symptoms yourself whether you have these abnormalities as follows:

• Feeling sad, depressed, discouraged, crying for no apparent reason, excessive worry or frustration, mostly having negative emotions;
• Tired of the surroundings, not socializing, not paying attention to the surroundings;
• Eating disorders: You may eat less food or more food abnormally, abnormal weight loss or abnormal weight gain;
  
• Sleep deprivation or oversleeping;
  
• Becoming sluggish and slower body movements;
  
• Fatigue and loss of energy;
  
• ADHD and poor memory;
  
• Feeling worthless, loss of confidence, hopelessness, thinking of yourself as a burden;
  
• Not wanting to live and thinking about death often.
  

How many stages of depression? / How many types of depression?

We already talked about what depression is and depression symptoms. Next, let's take a look at types of depression, so we can observe the symptoms of those around us or your own symptoms in a timely manner. Depression can be divided into 3 main types:

• Major Depression

This type of depression last for more than 2 weeks. You will often feel so depressed that you don’t feel happy or interested in things you liked before. You will have difficulty in sleeping. You will gain or lose weight dramatically and feel irritated, tired, sluggish, lacking energy and feel worthless.

• Dysthymia Depression

Dysthymia depression symptoms will continue for at least 2 years, but the symptoms are less severe than the major depression, not to the point the patients feel like doing nothing. However, the patients may not feel hungry, or they may eat too much. They may not be able to sleep, or they may sleep too much. They usually feel tired, exhausted and fatigued and lack self-confidence. They can't concentrate much, tend to make bad decisions and feel hopeless.

• Premenstrual depressive disorder

Women know this well. They are sad and sensitive, and they easily conflict (argue) with others. They feel anxious, stressed, tired and feel like doing nothing. Some people have symptoms in the last week before menstruation and get better in 2-3 days after the menstruation period. There are also physical symptoms, such as breast pain, swollen breasts, joint pain, muscle pain, back pain and swelling.

Can depression be cured or not?

Many people may think that when they have depression, it will be difficult to recover. If you are suffering from depression now, please see a doctor immediately for appropriate treatments to reduce the severity of the symptoms. Finally, (most) depressed patients are able to go back to work and live a normal life. The treatments include talk therapy, advice from a doctor, and psychotherapy together with anti-depressants at the same time. You shouldn't ignore the depression for a long time as it will be more difficult to cure.

How to prevent depression?

Although depression is caused by brain abnormalities that sometimes cannot be controlled, depression can be prevented by taking care of yourself, both physical and mental health, including diet control. Let's find out how we can prevent depression.

• Consume all 5 food groups. The lack of certain nutrients, such as omega 3, vitamins E, C, D, copper and iron will increase the risk of depression;
• Exercise at least 4 days a week;
• Get enough sleep and rest as needed;
• Practice positive thinking to strengthen your mind which helps relax our mind and reduce stress;
• Be more flexible, not stressed, love and respect yourself;
• Talk to family or friends in order to get rid of bad feelings in difficult times;
• When you start to feel depressed or feel not the same, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible to prevent the symptoms from getting worse;
• Most importantly, when receiving treatments, you must see a doctor regularly to prevent the depression recurrence. 
  

I have depression, can I buy insurance?

For anyone who wants to buy health insurance that covers depression or mental disorders, there may not be many available products because depression is a risky disorder. There may be a number of coverage conditions for mental disorders to the point that many people may be discouraged from finding health insurance that meets their needs. Therefore, before purchasing insurance, you must study the coverage very well to see if it covers mental disorders or not.

• Please study details of coverage, conditions and exclusions before making a decision to purchase insurance.

Sources: Data retrieved on 04/10/2023

🔖 Phayathai Hospital
🔖 Knowledge bank
🔖 Praram 9 Hospital
🔖 Bumrungrad Hospital
🔖 ThaiPBS