Chronic Depression

Major depression is unlike the normal feelings of sadness, loss, or passing mood states that most people have. The condition is more persistent and because of that persistence, it could significantly interfere with your thoughts, behavior, mood, activity, and even physical health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), major depression is set to become the second leading cause of disability in the world, after heart illness.

When suffering from clinical depression, people have different ways of confronting it. Some acknowledge it, face it just like any problem, and seek help. Some ignore it as if it doesn't exist. And others simply accept that it's there but they don't do anything about it. In fact, they don't even ask for help. Those who ignore and don't do anything run the risk of developing the serious complications of depression. Like any medical disorder, untreated clinical depression has its hazards.

Chronic Depression

According to the landmark "Global Burden of Disease" study, mental disorders are the second leading source of disease burden in established market economies and major depression alone ranked as the leading causes of disability. Major depression takes an enormous toll on functional status, productivity, and quality of life, and is associated with elevated risk of heart disease and suicide.

Symptoms

The onset of major depression may be gradual so the symptoms are not immediately obvious. However, some of the signs to look out for to determine whether you are suffering from major depression or not include the following:

* Persistently sad mood, or high irritability

* Marked changes in normal habits, including sleep and appetite

* Pronounced changes in energy; often low energy almost daily

* Feelings of being “slowed down” or agitation

* Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities

* Persistent feelings of guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness, and emptiness

Causes

The causes of major depression are varied and the events that led to the development of the condition are sometimes too numerous to pinpoint a single one as the definitive cause. There are usually many factors involved – physical, biological, and even environmental factors all play a role.

According to scientific research, however, major depression is primarily a brain disorder. The problem could be traced back to three chemicals or neurotransmitters, which serve as messengers that transmit electric signals between brain cells. These are nor epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine.

A person suffering from major depression often exhibits a chemical imbalance between these three neurotransmitters, thus producing a clinical state where depression occurs. It is not enough however to treat major depression through psychotherapeutic drugs alone.

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This one is less life shattering than major depression but it makes anyone who has it miserable. It is a constant depression which varies from being mild to moderate. It's a sadness that stays with you.

It lasts over 2 years. Most people can continue to work, go on with activities, and manage to have relationships. But just under the surface is that negative, pessimistic feeling. You never really feel happy or content. Also, if a large stress enters your life, you can go into a Major Depression. Depression is a strong feeling of sadness usually lasting for six to nine months. When the depressive symptoms go away for a while only to return again, it is called chronic depression. Everyone experiences sadness at one time or another. These feelings tend to lessen with time. Chronic depression is long- lasting and interferes with daily activities, but not as severely as a Major Depression.  You can keep going on but you wonder why you should.

Symptoms: -Sad mood

-No interest in normal activities

-Tiredness

-Loss of enthusiasm

-Restlessness

-Keeping to self

-Irritability

-Distracted easily

-Difficulty making decisions

-Difficulty dealing with change

-Avoiding social contacts

-Many physical complaints with no basis

-Being slowed up and sluggish

-Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much

Remember, chronic depression is like a low grade fever.  It hangs around and makes you feel out of sorts, hurting, and not sure what to do about it.  You just know you can't go full steam ahead and don't want to anyway. I have known people with chronic depression who never are able to experience true happiness or joy in life.  This is because they spend most of their time just trying to survive and meet basic needs. They do not have the energy for much else.

Meet Doug who suffers from chronic depression:

Doug is 45 and will tell you if you are interested that he has never felt happy. He says that there have been ups and downs for him but he just doesn't get feel that his life has amounted to much. He has been married and divorced twice. The women he was married to told him that he was distant and had a hard time with closeness. His last wife told him he needed therapy because she knew he didn't like himself very much. Doug feels like he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and just cannot lighten it up.  He goes out five nights a week, stopping off at a bar, hoping to hook up with someone. He knows he drinks too much but it's the only thing that seems to pick him up at all.  He hasn't saved for the future and thinks he hasn't accomplished much.  He lives in an apartment and thinks by now he should be more stable and have roots.  His mother is elderly and he has a hard time thinking that when she is gone he won't have anyone who really cares for him. He thinks time has passed him by and it's too late for him to make any big lifestyle changes. He hopes that maybe he will just have a heart attack like his dad and have it over once and for all.

And Connie:

Connie is 36 and has never been married. She has had several affairs and wonders why she always ends up with guys who treat her badly.  She is a teacher and says that the only good thing she gets done is keeping the kids under control and says they don't seem to want to learn. She would like to do something else but needs the steady income and benefits. She has had to take a lot of time off work with her back problems and has been sent for every test imaginable. The doctor tells her that they can't find any physical reason for her pain. She keeps demanding that she needs pain medication because her back hurts and she has to be able to teach to support herself. She has a friend who seems to be in the same boat and they talk about how men seem to let them down. Connie is always trying a new diet, always talks about needing to lose 20 pounds, but she can't seem to stick to any plan. She calls herself a fat ass and gets very down. As she looks to the future she wonders if things are ever going to change, if she ever is going to be happy. Her doctor suggested she might want to see a counselor but her friend went for therapy and seems no better.  So she just keeps on doing the same thing every day.

If you or someone you love is suffering from chronic depression, you have a hard row to hoe. There is no room for optimism in your brain and you just keep trying to put one foot in front of the other and try to cope the best you can. It's a bad life and one that you can change if you want to. The problem with chronic depression is that the person suffering from it and the people around him or her don't get too excited about how the person acts. You can slide by in our society without people taking much notice of whether you are happy or not. Only you can decide if you want to take action to change your life 100% for the better

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Every human being is vulnerable to something, may it be a tragedy, memory, traumatic event, or stress. Though we strive to be happy, sometimes we can't help but feel sad and lonely.

Usually, these negative emotions don't stay for a long time. We tend to have the ability to find something joyful or gratifying. But this is not the case with more than a million men and women. They have to spend a lot of their time dealing with dysthymia, also referred to as chronic depression.

What Is Chronic Depression?

Depression is a medical mental condition. Though it's often triggered by a sad or traumatic memory or event, it is sometimes caused by an alteration in the brain chemistry. For example, if the production of serotonin or dopamine is low, it may lead to mood swings and sad feelings.

There are many types of depression, depending on its characteristics and severity. Manic depression is described as extreme feelings of mania and depression. Major depression is the most serious type and influences the way the sufferer lives his or her life. Then there's chronic depression, which is the milder form the illness.

A lot of those who have this still live quite normal lives, though they often find themselves lonelier than usual. It is referred to as chronic since it tends to last for a very long time, even years.

What Are the Symptoms for Depression?

The symptoms of chronic depression are very similar to those of other kinds, except that they are more moderate and tolerable. They also happen for extended periods.

You may have chronic depression if you experience any or all of the following:

• Feeling of hopelessness and helplessness
• Feeling of being guilty and unworthy
• Lack of concentration
• Temporary memory loss
• Change in eating habits and bowel movements
• Physical pain such as migraines and back pains
• Mood swings
• More moments of sadness and loneliness

Living with Depression

Managing depression is not that easy, but it's achievable. There are two possible treatments you can pursue: conventional and natural.

Conventional treatments mean the intake of depression meds such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. They increase the level of serotonin for mood uplift. Doctors may also give you tricyclic antidepressants or TCAs and monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs.

Like any drug, though, these do carry certain side effects. For instance, men who are taking SSRIs may experience lower sexual performance and desire. There's also the possibility of medication overdose. Thus, depression medications should never be taken without close supervision from the doctor.

Meanwhile you can choose natural methods of treatment. You have depression counseling or talk therapy (psychotherapy), where a facilitator helps a person and/or his or her family deal with the ups and downs of chronic depression.

Subliminal messages are also often used with cognitive-behavioral therapy, which affects the behavior and emotion of the sufferer. They aim to change the thinking pattern of the depressed individual. Some of the common examples of subliminal messages:

I can do this.

I have a lot of reasons to be happy.

I am a blessed person.

I am surrounded by angels.

The light of God shines upon me.

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How many of you have experienced something very painful? Have you been too ashamed or guilty to discuss your unpleasant issue with others? If so, why do you think that has been the case?  Would you agree that everything we learn in life comes from the teaching of others and our own experiences? Therefore, could it be that the reactions of others have programmed you to feel ashamed, guilty or angry?

Furthermore, have you noticed that you are unhappy? Where you unhappy before your distressing event occurred? If you are unhappy, would that not indicate that your upsetting situation has affected you dramatically? Do you think you are happy despite your situation? Perhaps so, and then, maybe not. Consider the following information.

Shame, guilt and anger can go undetected for years. You, as well as others might be unaware of your pain. Why has this occurred? You, more than likely, have also been taught to hide your emotions, not only to others, but also to yourself.

Do you need more proof? Consider the well-known statement, "No one wants to be around a sour puss." How many of you have heard this statement? Is it not reasonable to determine that the statement precludes many of us voicing our suffering in order to fit in with societal standards?

Instead of discussing any destructive emotions you may have due to a painful incident, most of you, starting very subtly, probably simply internalize those emotions. Over time, the effects of emotional trauma can have a physical effect on you in the form of weight gain, depression, or illness.

Perhaps you have sought help in the form of weight loss programs, medication, or counseling. Has it worked? Do you still have issues with weight, depression or illness despite your best efforts to improve yourself?

Maybe there is another approach more beneficial to easing your physical afflictions. The answer lies in dissolving the source of your pain; the destructive emotions of guilt, shame and anger.

Before you can dissolve those emotions, however, you must accept the fact that you are not at fault. Current spiritual teachings, based upon a misconstrued concept of God, may have you convinced you are at fault.

Most of us are convinced that God is outside of us. How many of you have been taught that to reach the kingdom of heaven that you must accept Jesus as your savior; you must be 'saved.'

However, to be 'saved' is an action from a source outside of you. To validate this point, one need only look up the definition of the word 'saved.' Webster's dictionary provides the following description: redeem, which means to regain. Does not 'regain' mean that you must get back to something from which you separated?

If the kingdom of God is outside of you, then you are, undeniably, separate from it and from God. However, Jesus himself stated, "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21 KJV), validating that God is not apart from you.

To quote a local shaman named Charles Crooks, "You are not separate, but are part of the whole." We are not separate from God. He is whole, encompassing all, including you and me. Therefore, you are part of His whole.

To think you are separate allows you to feel either superior or inferior to another, resulting in judgment. Only when all are equal, as is the case when you are part of the whole, can judgment be impossible. When you understand this concept completely, you will come to the realization that it is impossible for you to be at fault. How can you be at fault when you had a misconstrued concept of the spirit of God?

As you can see, the answer to achieving effective results to weight issues, depression or illness lies in understanding that the answer lies within you, not outside.

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Cindy L. Herb, author of Awakening the Spirit: The Open Wide Like a Floozy Chronicles, specializes in Mind, Body, and Spirit healing, and Physical/Sexual Abuse Recovery. As an inspirational speaker, Cindy L. Herb offers others an alternative approach to healing from any trauma through a simple, proven process. To download your FREE report, Some Helpful Steps to Healing, please visit the author's website at http://www.cherbchronicles.com. You can also follow cherbchronicles on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cherbchronicles. In addition, you can request Cindy L. Herb as a friend on Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube.