This Post is only a selection of suggestions and is not meant to be used as counselling or therapeutic advice. Any questions/concerns should be directed towards a local professional to gain more insight.
Depression (or major depressive disorder) is a common and serious health issue that negatively affects your mood, your thoughts, and your actions. Depression can cause a wide range of emotional and physical, leading to an inability to function at work at home. Signs of depression last longer than two weeks.
Depression affects all Canadians at least once in their lives. In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a decrease in their mental wellness. Mental illness affects people of all ages, education, income levels, and cultures. Depression symptoms can vary in severity, they can include: Feeling sad or having a depressed mood Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much Loss of energy or increased fatigue Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, hand-wringing) or slowed movements or speech (these actions must be severe enough to be observable by others) Feeling worthless or guilty Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions Thoughts of death or suicide In teens, symptoms may include sadness, irritability, feeling negative and worthless, anger, poor performance or poor attendance at school, feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive, using recreational drugs or alcohol, eating or sleeping too much or too little, self-harm, loss of interest in normal activities, and avoidance of social interaction.
What increases my risk of depression?
- Biochemistry: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to symptoms of depression.
-Genetics: Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression, the other has a 70 percent chance of having the illness sometime in life.
- Personality: People with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or generally pessimistic appear to be more likely to experience depression.
-Traumatic or stressful events: such as physical or sexual abuse, the death or loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or financial problems Blood relatives with a history of depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism or suicide Being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, or having variations in the development of genital organs that aren't clearly male or female (intersex) in an unsupportive situation
- History of other mental health disorders: such as anxiety disorder, eating disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder
- Abuse of alcohol or recreational drugs
- Serious or chronic illness, including cancer, stroke, chronic pain or heart disease
- Certain medications, such as some high blood pressure medications or sleeping pills (talk to your doctor before stopping any medication)
Only the following people can diagnose depression:
Psychiatric nurses
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
General practitioner (GP) (your doctor)
Other trained diagnosticians or therapists
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