Depression and its social consequences. Severe effects of depression

Prolonged depression has become a real scourge of modern society. Exposure to constant stress, high pace of life, social and economic crises leads to the development of this disease, which affects all layers of society.

Most often it begins between the ages of 40 and 45, but there are cases of its development in adolescents. And among older people, the figure almost triples.

How to recognize depression?

Acute depression occurs in young and middle-aged people. Only recently a person was cheerful and active, and now he is losing interest in life, gets tired quickly, and does not show positive emotions.

Sometimes depression begins very early, in childhood or adolescence. In this case, even the person himself sometimes cannot identify this disease, and everyone around him considers this a feature of his character. Therefore, the patient does not consult a doctor, and the disease continues to progress slowly.

Symptoms of prolonged depression depend on the reason for which it develops, the most common of which are:

1. Often this condition accompanies a severe somatic illness (myocardial infarction, cancer, tuberculosis). All this time, the patient experiences enormous stress, especially when the illness is accompanied by severe pain. If the physical condition gradually deteriorates, then neuroticization of the personality occurs. In this case, depression resembles a hypochondriacal state (continuous fear for one’s life, fear of being a burden to others).
2. Alcoholism. Typically, certain personality traits lead to excessive alcohol consumption, which gradually worsen with the duration of alcoholism. In this case, depression worsens and suicide attempts occur.
3. There are often cases of prolonged depression in women after the birth of a baby. This condition is called postpartum depression, and manifests itself in the form of predominantly associative thinking, loss of a sense of reality, decrease or loss of tactile sensitivity.

Common signs of depression

Despite the multiple reasons that can lead a person to prolonged depression, there are common symptoms of this pathology:

• sleep and appetite disturbances;
• lack of positive emotions, constant bad mood;
• a feeling of constant weakness, inability and unwillingness to fulfill one’s obligations;
• desire for solitude;
• decreased libido;
• distrust of people, refusal to accept help.

In order to understand whether a patient has prolonged depression, or whether it is simply a manifestation of certain character traits, one should carefully monitor him. Depression is diagnosed when most of the symptoms of this disorder are observed.

What does depression lead to?

If measures are not taken, this condition has very negative consequences:

• Deterioration of health. Loss of interest in life leads to a person starting to use drugs and alcohol. Exercising, walking and eating a healthy diet greatly undermines your health and leads to the development of serious diseases.
• The accumulation of negativity can result in a nervous breakdown, in which there is no control. The patient may then commit fatal actions.
• Deterioration in appearance. A person suffering from depression is characterized by severe asthenia, or obesity, external unkemptness, sloppiness, and a dull look.

A long course leads to the development of mental disorders, which can only be treated by a psychiatrist.

Help for depression

If the disease drags on for a long time, then the person is no longer able to cope with it on his own. At such a moment, specialists (psychologists, neurologists, psychotherapists) come to the rescue. Only a doctor knows how to treat protracted depression, since there is no single recipe for this pathology.

To provide assistance in this situation, an integrated approach is used. And it is very important that the patient has a sincere desire to get rid of his problem, otherwise any methods will be ineffective.

At the first stage, he recommends taking medications that are aimed at eliminating irritability, normalizing sleep, and eliminating the influence of negative factors.

After this, the psychologist helps the client gain self-confidence, see the positive sides of life, and understand his place in it. Work is carried out individually, or in the form of group classes.

A person suffering from such an illness must independently come to the conclusion that he needs to take steps towards recovery:

1. Switch to a balanced and healthy diet.
2. Ensure yourself a good night's rest.
3. Use herbal medicine in the form of soothing decoctions and baths for relaxation.
4. Do exercises every day. Physical exercise promotes the production of serotonin, which is so lacking in depression.
5. Take care of your appearance. Buy new clothes, change your hairstyle, makeup, think about your style.
6. Do yoga, meditation, self-development.

The main thing with this problem is to stop feeling excessive pity for yourself, not to get hung up on your condition, and not to sit idly by.

Only in this case is it possible to overcome depression and return to life as a full-fledged member of society.

Major depression or prolonged depression is a severe mental disorder characterized by a sharp decrease in mood, mental and physical inhibition.

This form of the disease is often confused with somatic illnesses or even mental disorders, which is why the patient does not always receive specialized help and support on time. This is partly due to the excessive popularity of the word “depression,” any emotional distress or low mood.

One of the main differences between real depression, a serious mental illness, is considered to be a constantly depressed mood and a lack of connection with deprivation or loss of something. If a person states that he is depressed due to loss of work, money, separation from a loved one, or due to any other reasons, this may be a depressive episode, a “push” to the development of the disease, but not prolonged depression. With this disease, the patient ceases to feel his connection with the world around him, everything seems unnecessary and uninteresting to him, thoughts, feelings, desires disappear, melancholy, apathy, and physical weakness set in.

Major depression usually lasts from several weeks to several years before the person begins treatment or is admitted to a specialized hospital.

Causes of depression

Everyone is at risk of developing long-term depression; approximately 5% of the population over the age of 18 suffers from this disorder.

The development of the disease is associated with the impact of several pathological factors on the human body simultaneously. Most often, this form of the disease develops in both sexes. This is due to hormonal and age-related changes in the body, frequent stress and a general deterioration in health.

1. Endogenous or biological - deep depression can be caused by a hormonal imbalance in the body; a decrease in the concentration of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin causes a sharp deterioration in mood, apathy and other symptoms of the disease. This pathology, like other mental illnesses, is considered a hereditary pathology precisely because a predisposition to low levels of certain hormones, for example, serotonin, is transmitted genetically and in people with a hereditary predisposition, the risk of depression is several times higher. According to recent research by scientists, depression may occur due to a slower supply of nutrients and oxygen to the cerebral cortex; this may be associated with endocrine pathologies, metabolic disorders, lack of vitamins and nutrients in the diet, and even seasonal changes. Thus, they develop due to a lack of vitamins, shortening of daylight hours and physical inactivity.
2. Psychogenic – it is generally accepted that it is stress that causes protracted depression. Most often this occurs when a person “lingers” in negative experiences and does not “let go” of the situation. Depression can be caused by the death of a loved one, separation or divorce from a life partner, a sudden change in lifestyle, for example, bankruptcy, change of residence and other similar circumstances. Sometimes an illness occurs for no apparent reason - it is caused by the inability to achieve set goals, incorrectly set priorities, the feeling that life is not lived as one would like (for example, the so-called) and other similar reasons.
3. Social - every person, living and interacting with the people around him, feels the pressure of society and its demands. Social problems, uncertainty about the future, military conflicts, the danger of terrorism, drug addiction and other issues, the solution of which a person is not able to influence, many times increase the personal level of anxiety of each of us, which can also cause deep depression.
4. Physiological – the cause of prolonged depression can be prolonged overwork, chronic lack of sleep, somatic diseases, abuse of alcohol, nicotine and other psychoactive substances. Diseases and unhealthy lifestyles cause severe weakening of the body, and when using any doping, the nervous system is overexcited, mediators are synthesized and consumed in increased quantities, which is why their deficiency quickly occurs, which can become a risk factor for the development of the disease.
5. Other reasons - a prolonged nervous disorder can occur due to taking medications - hormonal, antihypertensive, anticonvulsant, sedatives and some others. If you take such drugs for a long enough time and without the supervision of the attending physician, deep, protracted depression may occur, which will be quite difficult to cope with, since a pronounced deficiency of neurotransmitters has formed in the body.

You can read more about the various causes of depression.

Symptoms

Symptoms of major depression depend on the severity and stage of the disease.

At the onset of the disease, the patient’s behavior and lifestyle remain normal, only his way of thinking and feeling changes.

As the disease progresses and the condition becomes more severe, pronounced symptoms of the disease appear.

General

Psychotic symptoms

In addition to the classic manifestations of depression, with major depressive disorder the development of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, etc. is possible.

With deep depression, patients hear accusing or condemning voices, smell unpleasant odors, and may see dead people, monsters, insects, snakes or other unpleasant creatures.

Typically, depression is dominated by ideas of one’s own guilt, insignificance, delusions of persecution, impoverishment, and jealousy. Unfortunately, patients often hide the psychotic symptoms of the disease, and their behavior is misinterpreted by others who do not pay attention to the person’s “eccentricities” and “bad character.”

Without medication and the help of a specialist, it is impossible to get rid of the psychotic symptoms of depression on your own. Without treatment, the patient's condition worsens, he may attempt suicide or harm himself.

Treatment

It is almost impossible to get out of such a serious condition - prolonged depression - on your own. For treatment, it is necessary to restore normal functioning of the nervous system and increase the level of neurotransmitters in the blood.

Prolonged depression, the symptoms of which can only be determined by a specialist, is interpreted as an internal psychological disorder that includes a deterioration in mood and loss of the ability to enjoy life, a failure of the thinking function (bad thoughts, tearfulness and sensitive perception of everything around), and motor retardation. This disease has been known since the time of Hippocrates, and an experienced psychotherapist will tell you how to get rid of it.

During prolonged depression, a decrease in self-esteem is observed, and there is also a loss of interest in life and usual routine.

In certain situations, a sick person is predisposed to alcohol, nicotine or other types of addiction. Treatments and causes vary.

Symptoms of the disease

Depressive symptoms are divided into main and additional.

In order to confirm the diagnosis, the presence of two main and at least three additional signs is required. Symptoms of long-term depression vary. The main ones:

• a depressed state that does not depend on situations for a long time (14 days or more);
• loss of interest or satisfaction in previous activities;
• profound fatigue and lack of strength, manifested by the persistence of this state (for example, for 30 days).

Additional symptoms of the disease:

• doom, sadness;
• feelings of guilt, meaninglessness, confusion, panic and fear;
• excessive self-criticism;
• inability to concentrate and find a way out of a situation;
• thoughts of death and suicide;
• loss of appetite, noticeable decrease or increase in body weight;
• sleep disturbance, manifestation of insomnia or, conversely, long sleep.

It is noticed no more often than in adults. Its symptoms:

• loss of appetite;
• sleep problems (nightmares);
• difficulties in learning that were not noticed before;
• Character problems: arrogance or hostility.

Over the course of 14 days, 4 or more of the following symptoms may occur:

• depression (children and adolescents may experience short temper);
• significant decrease in satisfaction or interest in most activities;
• loss of weight and appetite (increased cravings for food and weight gain are likely);
• mental agitation or inhibition;
• decreased activity and increased fatigue;
• a feeling of “worthlessness” and increased self-criticism, as well as an unjustified feeling of guilt;
• passivity of thinking or decreased performance, concentration;
• suicidal tendencies;
• disruption of the digestive organs;
• decreased sexual desire;
• decreased energy, increased fatigue during ordinary physical exercises and intellectual stress, excessive relaxation;
• pain and various unpleasant sensations in the body (for example, heart pain, stomach pain, muscle pain).

Prolonged depression appears after a prolonged stressful state, but often for no reason. In this case, the person feels a deterioration in health every day. It should be understood that in some people the presence of several signs does not at all indicate the presence of the disease. However, it is important to know how to get out of prolonged depression. It is unlikely that you can fight this condition on your own and must be treated.

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Forms of depression

1. Major depressive disorder (major depression) is a clinical form. During a couple of courses, no improvement is observed from treatment with antidepressants.
2. Minor depression, in which several typical manifestations are observed for more than 14 days.
3. Atypical form. Along with the main symptoms, specific ones are also observed: increased appetite, increased body weight, drowsiness, and emotionality.
4. The postnatal type of pathology develops after childbirth.
5. Recurrent transient depression, during which symptoms become apparent no more than once every 30 days for 3 days.
6. Dysthymia (considered long-lasting), referring to chronic mood disturbances. The patient reports daily unsatisfactory mood for more than two years.

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How does the disease manifest itself?

At first, neurasthenia, sleep problems, and loss of desire to perform daily duties are observed. Symptoms may worsen over 14 days, indicating the onset of the disease. Full manifestation occurs after 60 days or more. One-time attacks are observed.

If the disease is left untreated for a long time, the possibility of attempting suicide increases. There is a distance from family and friends for no apparent reason. Possible neurosis. The duration of the disease is on average from 20 to 32 weeks. The disease brings mental suffering to the person himself and the people around him. Relatives are not always able to help the patient. Especially when the disease has already developed into a protracted or severe form. A specialist can help. After all, sometimes ignoring pathology can lead to death. You need to contact a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, neurologist or psychologist.

The main advice from psychologists may be the following: do not feel sorry for yourself, fight your condition and try to get out of it, come to terms with the cause of depression, get enough sleep.

It is necessary to keep yourself in good shape, exercise if possible and eat right, which is especially necessary for women. Unfortunately, patients are often afraid to go to a specialist for the treatment of psychological problems due to perceived adverse consequences:

• likely social restrictions;
• general condemnation if anyone finds out that a person is being seen by a psychiatrist;
• fears of the negative impact of medications on well-being, which is often based on false ideas about the damage caused by psychotropic drugs.

Prolonged depression appears after prolonged stress. In this state, a person feels worse every day.

Here are some of the consequences this condition can cause:

• obesity or, on the contrary, ugly thinness;
• “dull” eyes;
• bags under the eyes;
• fatigue;
• poor posture (usually stooping);
• unkempt hair and skin;
• for girls – lack of attractive makeup and manicure;
• appearance of bad taste in clothing, etc.

Signs and symptoms

In fact, there are many types of depression. Some are associated with some event (postpartum, a consequence of separation, etc.), others – with age (in a teenager, in older people, in the end, a midlife crisis). But the manifestations of this disease are almost always the same.

This condition has the following symptoms:

It is important to understand that for some people, the manifestation of some of the symptoms does not at all indicate the presence of a stressful condition. For them, it’s just a character trait and an acceptable way of life for them. In a person who is in prolonged depression, at least 80% of these symptoms can be noted.

How to treat

Psychotherapy

Most likely, a person with prolonged depression will not be able to return to normal life on their own. There are some specialists working to help cope with this condition and other mental disorders.

Here is a list of people who have the power to make a significant positive impact:

• psychotherapist;
• psychiatrist;
• psychologist;
• neurologist.

Everyone works in their own ways. Some bring you out of despondency with conversations, others with medications, others with hypnosis, etc. But you need to remember that you should go to them only if you have a sincere and overwhelming desire to cope with a severe form of apathy. Otherwise, the help of doctors will most likely be invisible.

Drug treatment

This situation will have to be dealt with with the help of special medications. Their action is aimed at calming the nervous system and reducing susceptibility to irritating factors.

However, such medications cannot be the only method of treatment. They are prescribed in order to dampen this condition in order to begin more effective subsequent work with the patient.

Please note that some drugs have a number of side effects. You cannot prescribe them yourself. Only a specialist can choose a comprehensive and beneficial treatment for you.

Homework

A person must first of all help himself to get out of prolonged depression. Listed below are the basic techniques that will enable you to make a big leap towards getting rid of this condition.

1. Don't feel sorry for yourself. While a person sympathizes with his condition, he feeds his enemy - depression - with ever new forces. You need to be stronger, because life passes, and not in the best way, but everything can be fixed...
2. Don't dramatize. Many people go through what can be called the cause of depression. It is necessary to come to terms with the fact that caused this condition and either try to correct it, or move on with life, depending on the situation.
3. Don't sit idly by. If a person with such a problem locks himself in the house near the TV, nothing will happen. On the contrary, after a certain time he will drown more and more in his condition. And if he goes out and begins to develop himself, move, work on himself, make new friends, communicate, then the problem will gradually begin to be forgotten.

Video: Talk show with Konstantin Zelensky

Depression is a mental illness. Some people do not take it seriously and call any disorder associated with deterioration of mood this way, without even knowing how dangerous it is and how important it is to make a correct diagnosis in time. If you do not seek help in a timely manner and allow the disease to develop into a severe or chronic form, you may face the negative consequences of depression.

Social consequences

The impact of any disease on the body is purely individual and is associated with factors such as its degree, form, treatment methods, the patient’s attitude to therapy, etc. It is impossible to predict in advance what depression will entail in a particular person. However, there are a number of symptoms and signs that are characteristic of a person who has overcome such a mental condition. And they are, first of all, social in nature.

• Dominance of negative emotions.
• Lack of desire to learn something new, make acquaintances, etc.
• Problems with communication in personal and professional life.
• The appearance of previously unnoticed phobias and fears (often, for example, confined spaces).
• Decreased mental abilities.
• Irritability to noise or laughter.
• Decreased libido, other problems in sexual life.
• Prevalence of feelings of hopelessness and helplessness in many situations.
• The most serious thing is the reluctance to continue life.

Often after therapy, a person for a long time cannot bring himself to visit public places, especially those of an entertainment nature (bars, restaurants, clubs, etc.). This cannot but affect social adaptation. Withdrawal and unsociability are common consequences of depression.

Often, during therapy, people become so accustomed to taking medications that maintain the level of serotonin in the body (antidepressants) that they cannot completely get out of the state of depression on their own. This carries the risk of drug dependence.

The patient’s condition must be monitored even after he is cured, since at any moment he can lose faith in life and stop seeing any prospects, which often leads to thoughts of suicide. According to some studies, about 40% of people who are depressed think about leaving their life. Thus, what will happen if depression is not treated is much more dangerous than its manifestation itself.

Physical consequences

It is well known that a person’s mental state is directly related to a number of physical manifestations. Often such diseases cause a serious blow to the general condition of the patient. These health effects of depression typically affect the brain, heart, and nervous system. Among the most common are the following:

• Risk of developing thrombosis - a depressive state causes an increased release of adrenaline into the blood, which negatively affects the cardiovascular system and often leads to the formation of blood clots.
• Insomnia is a common symptom of depression, which often remains for a long time after treatment.
• Weakening of the immune system - due to a lack of deep sleep, the body does not have time to recover and becomes susceptible to various diseases; this is additionally affected by an excess of stress hormones.
• Reduced pain threshold - the hormone serotonin makes a person less sensitive to pain, its deficiency (as during depression) - on the contrary, reduces the pain threshold, which can even cause causeless pain in various limbs.
• Chronic fatigue is our body’s reaction to the reluctance to do anything, learn something new, and live in general.
• Hair loss, brittle nails, and white skin are a consequence of decreased immunity and lack of sleep.

Problems with appearance, especially in women, cause an even greater reluctance to change one’s own life in any way, which can either delay the moment of recovery or lead to a relapse after that. They are observed, as a rule, already during the period of depression, but often remain for some time after, until the body has fully recovered from the stress experienced.

Depression is more dangerous for people suffering from any chronic diseases. By the way, they can become an impetus for its development. In such cases, the patient, along with the symptoms of this mental disorder, experiences a more serious manifestation of the symptoms of the corresponding disease. And people in a depressed state tend to neglect taking care of their health, which can negatively affect their physical condition.

A special role should be given to the problem of alcohol or drug addiction, which often develop against the background of depression and then remain with a person for a long time. The false state of good mood that alcohol and drugs cause can be compared to the effect of antidepressants. Medicines treat symptoms, not the cause of the disease, and therefore cannot be considered as the only direction in the treatment of depression.

Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and other types of harmful substances that cause addiction have almost the same effect, but with even greater harm to health. As soon as their effect ceases, the patient again exhibits symptoms of the disorder. I immediately want to stop such a state, which leads a person into an endless circle of taking certain substances and drugs. Addiction is very difficult to treat, especially against the backdrop of an advanced mental illness, so often in such cases, when the patient does seek help or someone from his environment does, hospitalization and a long stay in the hospital are required to fully monitor the progress treatment.

Prevention

The most obvious answer to the question of how to avoid the harmful health effects of depression is to follow your doctor's instructions. But this is where the first problem arises. It takes a lot of strength for most people to even acknowledge the existence of a mental problem. In our society, it is not customary to talk about such things, much less consult a psychotherapist. However, it is precisely these actions that will prevent the disease from progressing to a severe stage.

How depression affects human health has already been described above. The consequences are truly serious. Their occurrence can be avoided only when the person himself is determined to achieve a complete cure. Of course, it will be very difficult to do this without the help of a specialist, family, friends and, last but not least, medications.

People who have overcome this disease are more susceptible to relapses. On this basis, they need to be monitored after completion of treatment. These can be individual psychoanalysis sessions with the attending physician or special support groups. The help of the environment plays an equally important role. Left alone with his thoughts, a person susceptible to developing depression becomes in a dangerous state of helplessness, uselessness, etc.