Day: October 15, 2020

WHAT IS DEPRESSION? With the current state of the world situation there is an increase of stressors in the environment. This can affect people’s physical and mental health. The word “depression” is commonly used by people explaining their feeling of sadness or tiredness. The common use of the word depression has caused confusion whether they are feeling sad or they are depressed. Sadness is a normal human emotion responding to an external stimulus, however if the feeling of sadness prolongs for over 14 days or is accompanied by other symptoms, it can lead to depression. Depression is not something to be taken likely and the word has a negative connotation for implying that someone may be weak or lazy. Depression causes burden to both the mental and physical health of the individual and people around them.   Depression and the brain: Depression happens when there is an imbalance of three different neurotransmitters in the brain; serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. An imbalance of these three hormones causes a change to a person’s emotions and physical wellbeing. Signs to look for: Specialist would look for these signs and symptoms when diagnosing someone with depression. Severity varies for different individual but a person is diagnosed with depression if a combination of these symptoms last longer than 14 days:         1. Feeling of sadness, crying without a reason, constant worrying, easily irritated or agitated which causes         an effect