Depression Affects Your Environment… Be Careful!

BY: Neighbors’ Consejo|

Depression? This “simple” word means a lot of things: Sadness, loneliness, illness, problems, negative thoughts, and anxiety, among others, that only bring complicated situations to our physical and emotional wellbeing, including affecting  our relationships with friends and family.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH [1] ) affirms that “depression (also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression) is a common but serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. This disorder is so prevalent that 21 million US adults aged older than 18 years, experienced a major depressive episode; 20.6% of adult participants in a national survey were estimated to have experienced depression at some point in their lives.

Some of the symptoms are: feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness; angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters; loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports; sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much; tiredness and lack of energy so even small tasks take extra effort; anxiety, agitation or restlessness; slowed thinking, speaking or body movements, etc [2] .   

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5 [3] ) classifies depressive disorders as the following [4] :

  • Clinical depression (major depressive disorder): It means you have felt sad, low or worthless most days for at least two weeks while also having other symptoms such as sleep problems, loss of interest in activities or change in appetite.
  • Persistent depressive disorder (PDD): Is mild or moderate depression that last for at least two years.
  • Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD): Causes chronic, intense irritability and frequent anger outburst in children. Symptoms usually begin by the age of 10.
  • Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD): With PMDD, you have premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms along with mood symptoms, such as extreme irritability, anxiety or long depression.
  • Depressive disorder due to another medical condition: Many medical conditions can create changes in your body that cause depression.  

Depression is not a minor situation, this can cause big problems in your emotional wellbeing and your environment. That is why we invite you to identify your signs and immediately seek help, like the professionals at Neighbors’ Consejo, who are waiting to support you completely free of charge in Washington D.C.

References

 [1]https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression

 [2]https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007

 [3]https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24291-diagnostic-and-statistical-manual-dsm-5

 [4]https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9290-depression

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