The autumn and winter season favors the intensification of apathy and melancholy. Shorter days, less sun, less time spent outdoors may intensify the symptoms of depression and lack of vitality. However, can we call every low mood depression? Is low mood lasting several days a reason why we should see a GP?
Depression is a state of chronic suffering that makes normal functioning difficult or, in some cases, impossible. In most cases, depression is a chronic and recurrent disease with periods of remission and exacerbation. The main symptoms of this disease are low mood and loss of interests and the ability to feel pleasure. People living abroad, also in Great Britain, find it more difficult to receive a diagnosis and help when their mental health deteriorates.
Despite many years of research, the pathomechanism of depressive disorders still remains unknown. It is known that the occurrence of this disease depends on genetic conditions, but also to a large extent on environmental factors and human personality.
The main causes of depression are considered to be disturbances in the level of brain neurotransmitters, which is why pharmacotherapy is often necessary to treat severe episodes of depression.
Depression is not a homogeneous disease, which means that there is no one type of depression or one specific cause. This makes diagnosis and determining the cause of the disease difficult. In practice, we distinguish between the following states: symptoms of depression (depression), mild episode of depression, dysthymia, moderate episode of depression, severe episode of depression.
Depression or sadness?
Depression (sadness) – it is short-lived, caused by specific external factors such as: chronic stress, fatigue, illness, loss of job, loss of life stability; or internal - a sense of alienation (often accompanying emigration), illness, job dissatisfaction, unsatisfactory social or family relationships.
– pathological depression (depression) is long-lasting (weeks, months) with no clearly identified cause
Symptoms of depression
• Long-lasting depression is accompanied by other symptoms (disturbances in energy levels, circadian rhythms, appetite, anhedonia is often present)
• Decrease in mood reactivity (depression is the dominant state, if there is improvement, it is short-lived, and positive emotions, if they are experienced, are characterized by low intensity)
• Thoughts of giving up or committing suicide appear
• Loss of motivation
• The first episode of depression most often has identifiable, although sometimes difficult to clearly indicate, causes. Subsequent episodes often occur without obvious causes.
• People around you feel unrealistic, excessively negative perception of yourself and reality (the effect of the influence of mood on information processing)
• Symptoms persist for more than two weeks.
Examples of thinking styles in depression:
• Black and white thinking – “I'm either good at something or I'm not"
• Generalizing – “I always do everything wrong"
• Mental filter: focusing on details rather than the big picture
• Overlooking the positives – “It doesn't count, it was an accident"
• Emotional justification – “It must be true because I feel it"
• Overuse of guilt-inducing imperatives – “I have to, I should"
• Labeling yourself – “I have no energy, it means I'm lazy"
If you feel that the above text to some extent relates to how you have been functioning recently and the given statements are close to you, solve depression testto initially determine whether you are currently struggling with this mood disorder.
You can also make an appointment for online consultation with a psychologist, during which you will start working on your problems together.