Depression is usually caused by some disturbing or stressful situation that occurs in life, such as death of a relative, financial problems, or divorce. However, it can also be triggered by the use of some medicines, such as Prolopa, or in case of serious diseases such as cancer or HIV, for example.
Depression can occur in men and women of all ages, but it can also affect adolescents or the elderly, and the top 5 reasons for depression include:
1. Significant events in life
Significant events such as divorce, unemployment and the end of a love relationship are frequent causes of depression, but situations that favor prolonged stress, such as frequent discussions at work or at home can also lead to depression because it causes the person to doubt of herself and her abilities.
- How to win: Find strength and move on, sometimes a new job is much better than the old one, which despite paying well, was not pleasant. Look for the positive side, if you are unemployed, think you can now find a new place to work, have the possibility to change branches or open your own business, for example.
2. Bullying or emotional blackmail
Emotional traumas that can arise when you are a victim of bullying or suffer emotional blackmail can also lead to depression, because when a person often hears insults over time, they may actually believe that they are true by lowering their self esteem which consequently favors depression.
- How to Win: Tell a trusted family member or friend about what is happening to you and try together to find a plausible solution. Imposing limits to defend yourself must be the first weapon of defense.
3. Serious illnesses
The diagnosis of serious diseases such as stroke, dementia, heart attack or HIV, for example, can also cause depression because it is necessary to deal with prejudice, face painful treatments or have to live daily with the fear of dying. And when it comes to chronic diseases like diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome or lupus, there is a greater chance of getting depressed because you need to change your diet, leaving behind foods that you like but are now harmful.
In addition, relatives who live with a person with cancer or who treat daily people totally dependent may also become depressed due to physical or mental fatigue, constantly suffering from the fear of losing the loved one.
- How to overcome: In addition to learning to cope with the needs and care of illness, one must strive to find well-being even in its limitations. Small outdoor walks, watching a movie that likes or go to take an ice cream can be useful to bring a little more joy. A very interesting tip is to take some time weekly to do something you really like.
4. Hormonal changes
Hormonal changes, especially estrogen lowering, occurring during pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause may potentiate depression. In addition, lack of omega 3 can also lead to depression because it decreases a person's ability to control their emotions and mood.
- How to beat: Normalizing hormone levels is the key to feeling better, during pregnancy and postpartum it is not possible to resort to medicines but strategies like increasing the consumption of foods rich in tryptophan and serotonin can be very useful to feel better .
5. Use of medicines
Frequent use of drugs such as Prolopa, Xanax, Zocor and Zovirax can cause depression due to decreased production of serotonin, which is a hormone responsible for the sense of well-being. But that does not mean that everyone who takes these drugs gets depressed. See more remedies that cause depression.
- How to beat: The ideal is to replace the drug with another that does not have this side effect but the doctor can prescribe antidepressants if substitution is not possible.
When to Seek a Psychologist
It is indicated to make an appointment with a psychologist when the symptoms of depression, such as constant crying, excessive tiredness or pessimism are present for more than 2 weeks and the person can not go beyond this stage alone.
The psychologist will do an evaluation and will indicate some strategies that may be useful to go through this phase faster. Sessions must be weekly and may last from 6 months to 1 year. However, only those who can indicate antidepressant medications are the psychiatrist and therefore this doctor can also be consulted.
