Causes Of Depression

Causes Of Depression - Post-partum Depression

Having a baby is the most thrilling, wonderful, emotionally fulfilling experiences in life, right? Right? I said RIGHT? You mean you’re not feeling that warm fuzzy feeling that everyone talks about?

You could be experiencing a touch of the baby blues and you’re not alone. Research shows us that about 80% of women who’ve recently given birth experience feelings of sadness, they feel upset and alone and those feelings of love they thought they’d have for their new little bundle of joy? Nope. Nothing. This of course induces emotions of guilt for not feeling the love she’s been told she’d feel towards her little one.

After a woman gives birth she might feel what has been labeled the baby blues. This is a transitory emotional condition that happens to about half of women who have babies. It can peak around 3-5 days after birth and can last from a few days up to 2 weeks. The new mom might cry easily, have difficulty sleeping, be sad, on edge and feel quite irritable. Baby blues are very common and aren’t considered to be an illness because they don’t stop a woman for caring for her infant. Baby blues isn’t brought on by stress but if the woman has a history of depression her baby blues may go on to a full blown depression.

A true postpartum depression occurs soon after birth and affects about 10-20% of women within the first few months after delivery. If you’ve suffered from major depression before giving birth you’re more at risk for developing this disorder. You may feel down, tearful, have difficulty sleeping or eating, thoughts of suicide, fatigue, the inability to focus or concentrate and an overall feeling of being inadequate as a mother.

Mother’s who have had postpartum depression say that they worry about the health of their child, while at the same time struggle with the fear that they might hurt their baby, although few women who have these feelings actually go on to hurt their babies.

Postpartum depression differs from simple baby blues in that it interferes with a mother’s ability to care for her infant. If a woman suffering from postpartum depression turns suicidal she might think of killing her child or other young children in a twisted attempt to not abandon them. This is then a psychosis and immediate treatment should be sought for the mother. Although rare, it does occur.

Postpartum psychosis can cause a woman to experience hallucinations, delusions or both. A woman who is experiencing this rare illness is more likely to act on her thoughts of harming her child. If not treated, it can return after the birth of more children.
Postpartum depression is a significant mental health issue for new mothers, but it is treatable.
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What is Depression

What is Depression - Depression in the Elderly

Depression has often said to be a natural part of the aging process—but that’s not true. There’s nothing normal about depression, though according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) roughly 35 million Americans over the age of 65 are suffering from depression, 2 million are experiencing major depression.

The elderly have unique circumstances that can contribute to having bouts of depression. The loss of a loved one is devastating at any age but when a person loses their companion of decades the loss can be debilitating and bring on serious depression in the one left behind.

Seniors often suffer from health issues that may include chronic pain and loss of independence. Often the elderly are isolated and their distress and depression may not be recognized. Physicians who treat geriatric patients often overlook signs of depression and concentrate on physical ailments instead. Seniors are less likely to talk about their feelings of hopelessness or loneliness, preferring to keep their personal issues to themselves. Their generation was not encouraged to talk about their feelings and most feel uncomfortable doing so.

Most assume that it’s a natural process of aging that causes a person to slow down and lose interest in activities that once gave them joy, but that’s not true. Episodes of depression can be triggered by anxiety about declining financial situations, prescription medications that trigger depression, self-image issues brought on by surgery or disease. Feelings that they have lost their purpose in life because their children are grown, they no longer hold down a job and feel that they have nothing left to contribute can increase the risk of depression in seniors.

Untreated depression in the elderly can lead to a host of serious problems, including health issues, prescription drug abuse, increased risk of alcoholism, a higher mortality rate and the increased risk of suicide.

While it’s true that to some extent a person may slow down as they age, the majority of seniors are enjoying their lives and are staying active into their seventy and eighties. Depression is not a natural progression of aging and If you are a caregiver or simply have an elderly neighbor, be alert for the warning signs of depression.

You can help a lonely senior feel needed in your neighborhood by visiting, by including them in activities and by keeping an eye on their needs. Depression in seniors is a treatable illness and you can help by being aware of the symptoms and seeking help for seniors in your life who may be having difficulties. Whether you’re 18 or you’re 80, no one has to live with depression in their life.
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Signs of Depression

Signs of Depression - Depression in Teens

The teenage years are emotional mine fields. Sometimes you may feel that your teenager is always depressed because that seems to be the mood they project a great deal of the time.

They don’t want to be with the family, prefer to be closed up in their rooms, perhaps listening to dark music and preferring to wear clothes as dark as their mood. An adolescent suffering from depression can be hostile to you, exceedingly grumpy or easily lose their temper at the drop of a hat.

You may be wondering what the difference is between this behavior, which seems like their normal attitude lately, and a full blown depression. The truth of the matter is that it’s sometimes difficult to tell just where their teenage angst ends and depression begins.

A teenager suffering from depression may show signs of hopelessness, cry often, be tearful, or may begin to write dark poetry and become interested in dark themed music and movies. They may begin to feel that life is not worth living, to the point that they neglect their personal hygiene because it’s simply not worth their effort. A depressed adolescent can feel as though this dark cloud over them will never leave and therefore their future is bleak. Boredom and the loss of any enjoyment from previously engaging activities is another sign of depression

Low self-esteem is common in a teen suffering from depression. Their sense of self-worth, which is always difficult to maintain during the teenage years anyway, takes a huge hit when depression creeps into the life of a teenager. They feel worthless and that they’re simply not good enough. Feelings of guilt can overwhelm them when things go wrong, as though every bad thing that happens is their fault.

Teenagers are already susceptible to feelings of inadequacies but when a perceived rejection occurs to a depressed teen whose sensitivities are already heightened, it can result in a devastating emotional meltdown and downward spiral.

Bouts of irritability, lashing out at those around them and isolating themselves from friends or family can also be signs of depression. Sometimes a depressed teenager will ‘reject’ his or her family because they feel they need to reject their family members before their family rejects them.

If your teenager was doing well in school and is now missing school more often than not, grades are slipping and he or she becomes hostile when approached about the situation, it could also be a sign of depression. There are so many traits in depression that can mimic normal teenage phases that it can be difficult for parents and leaders to ascertain with any degree of certainty whether or not a teenager is suffering from a major depressive episode.

Because depression can run in families, a teenager who is suffering from depression probably has one or two parents at home who are also struggling with this mental health issue. If you feel your teenager, or a teenager you care about, is in danger, please contact their parents, their school counselor or religious leader so that they can receive the help they need.
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