All about Depression By Alyssa Sattler

History of Depression - Depression has been a huge issue for human beings since forever but it went by the name “melancholia” -Greek physician Hippocrates believed that depression was caused by too much black bile in ones spleen. Hippocrates used bloodletting, bathing, exercise and dieting to “cure” depression. But Roman philosopher Cicero believed that depression was caused by violent rage, fear and grief and that depression was more mental than physical - Many believed that depression was caused by demons and the anger of the Gods. Cornelius Celsus suggested starving, shackles and beating for treatments of melancholia

Who gets depression? -Anyone and everyone can be diagnosed with depression but the main age group that is affected by this mental illness is ages 15-24 -Depression is mostly found in women but can also be found in men -Evidence shows that when someone is exposed to criticism, negative people, bullying or anger, they are more prone to experience depression. -7% of people ages 15-24 were recorded to having had depression in the last year according to the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey -Depression is definitely one of the most common mental illnesses, if not the most common

Symptoms of depression -Difficulties with concentrating, remembering details and making small decisions -Fatigue and low energy no matter how much sleep you have had -Guilty, worthless, hopleess and helpless feelings -Insomnia, no sleep, too much sleep -Loss of interest in activities you once loved -Overeting or loss of appetite -Consistant pains, headaches, cramps or digestive problems not treatable -Consistant feelings of sadness, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or empty feelings -Suicide attempts

Causes of depression -Depression can be caused by genetic characteristics, changes in hormone levels, certain medical illnesses, stress, grief and or substance abuse -Depression is known by scientists to be a brain disorder - A persons teenage years can really impact their views on the world and how they feel towards themselves, therefore, for many many depressed people, their youth years are what “caused” their depression

How is depression diagnosed? -Doctors or psychiatrists often give their patients questionnares about their symptoms and family history -It is also often that you will be given medical tests to make sure that you don’t have other conditions with similar symptoms like nutrient deficiencies, underactive thyroid or hormone levels or reactions to drugs and or alcohol

Treatments for depression -Many professionals will suggest you consult with a counselor and talk about your feelings and whatever else you might need to talk about -Many professionals also suggest medications like anitdepessants to help you feel better in very bad cases of depression -Others way to manage symptoms can be, changing your lifestyle, improvements in sleeping and eating habits, physical activity and reduction stress

Long term prognosis -Up to 50% of specialists patients do not recover by 6 months and 10% do not recover for 5 years or more -Risk of relapse for those that recover is 40% or more over 2 years and gets to over 80% over 15 years -After going through antidepressant treatment it was reported that 10% had major depression after 7 months but 37% had a major depressive relapse during the next year

How depression impacts youth -As said before, depression is found mostly in teenagers which means that depression really effects every teenage person, or anyone to be exact because everyone has known or knows a depressed person whether they are aware of it or not. Having someone in your life that is depressed can be hard and upsetting -Depression can make a student not healthy enough to participate in school activities or school at all. As well as sports or social outings or just daily routines -Melancholia can hold you back from many things and ruin all the happiness in your life, even if there is a lot but you just don’t see it

Sources https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/historical-understandings-of- depression/ http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2017001/article/14697-eng.htm http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/detecting-depression#1 http://mentalhealth.fitness/learn-about-your-diagnosis/depression/ http://www.who.int/bulletin/archives/78(4)439.pdf