Clinical Depression
Major depression, also known as clinical depression, is a mood state that goes way beyond temporary sadness or feeling blue. It is a very serious medical condition and it affects a person’s thoughts, physical health, behavior, feelings and moods. Mostly it is a lifetime condition characterized by periods of wellness, alternating with periods of sickness. In the United States, depression affects 5-8% of adults, meaning that more than 25 million people will have depression episodes throughout a year. Women suffer from depression more than their male counterparts by over 70%. Without treatment, the severity and frequency of the condition tends to increase over time (Blazer, Dan G., and Ronald C. Kessler).
Symptoms
People suffering from depression exhibit one or more of the symptoms listed below; loss of energy or fatigue almost on daily basis, consistent feelings of guilt or worthlessness, indecisiveness or impaired concentration, consistent hypersomnia or insomnia, markedly reduced interests or pleasure in most activities, feeling slowed down or restlessness, recurring thoughts of suicide or death and significant weight gain or loss within a short period of time. Medical practitioners hold that if a patient has several symptoms at once, then they are suffering from major or clinical depression (Blazer, Dan G., and Ronald C. Kessler).
Depression is an extremely complicated clinical condition, since a number of reasons might cause it. One person may suffer from depression during a major illness, others due to loss of a loved one, while others have a family history of depression. However, there are factors that increase the likelihood of suffering from depression.
- One of the factors is abuse, which can be physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; those can later cause depression.
- Second, there is a certain medication like drugs for treating high blood pressure, which increases chances of suffering from depression.
- Third are conflicts, which could be personal such as conflicts with friends or family members.
- Fourth is the sudden loss of a loved one.
The other cause of depression is major events occurring in one’s life like graduating, starting a new life, getting married, losing a job or even getting divorced. Serious illness can also cause depression through reactions to the illness or through depression co existing with the illness. Genetic history of depression is another factor that increases the risks of contracting the disease, though it is not clear to the medical practitioner how the condition passes from generation to generation. Lastly, the substance and drug abuse also have their influence; nearly 30% of the people who abuse drugs and other substances suffer from clinical depression.
James Eugene Carrey has Suffered from Depression
James Eugene Carrey (Jim Carrey) is one of the many famous people who has suffered from depression for a very long time in his life. Jim started suffering from depression at a very young age of 16 years due to family hardships. His mother was sick, so everyone else in the family had to work as security guards, and janitors for survival, since his family experienced extreme poverty. The mother always laid in bed and took many painkillers for her illness, and he had to look for the ways to make her feel better. Unfortunately, this was not helping and her condition did not improve. With time, he became very angry with himself and the world at large. This pushed him into depression, which continued through his successful career as a comedian. For a long time Jim was on Prozac anti depressants which helped him to reduce the impact of depression in his life. He also took up spirituality to deal with the depression and is currently not on the Prozac anti depressants. He is also conscious about his life style; he does not consume alcohol at all, and has ‘no drugs policy’. In addition, he admits that he rarely takes coffee as a therapy to his depression.