Not always voluntary, depression is a common way of life – especially to those who seek happiness the most.
We all have our ups and downs. In our desperate search for happiness, oftentimes we are misguided by unnecessary distractions that lead us to a mild self-destruction. By definition, depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity.
Depression is often confused with a feeling of sadness, but for some who are used to this experience; it is usually a combination of different emotions – sadness, hopelessness, a feeling of being unworthy and helpless. There are good days and bad days – and sometimes, there are those worst-kind-of-days. It’s when you see no ray of sunshine, and hope seems to have been completely drained out of your body. It affects not only the mind – as most people would often assume. In a state of depression, our body feels weaker – we eat less, move less, and think as little as possible. We feel anxious, and our sense of balance seems to be in complete disarray.
In clinical studies, depression is considered to be the most common psychological disorder. Pharmaceutical companies have had multi-million dollar profits in manufacturing anti-depressants, and more and more people have been seeking therapy all in an attempt of pursuing our own sense of peace.
Certain types of depressions are known to be the following: Manic Depression (or what others call bipolar disorder), Atypical Depression, Major Depression, Psychotic Depression, and Dysthymia.
Manic Depression is described as changing – and oftentimes, rapid – mood changes. These cycles of mood changes can be from a ‘normal’ mood with a sudden shift to a depressive mood or episode.
In Atypical Depression, they can experience a sense of elation. Indications or symptoms of this type include oversleeping and over-eating, fatigue, and weight gain.
Major Depression is considered to be the most common since those who suffer from it believe they have the weight of the world on their shoulders – they are in a continuous state of hopelessness.
Psychotic Depression is easiest to determine since they are those who starts to see or hear things around them. Hallucination is one of the most common symptoms for this type. And there are cases when some people simply walk around feeling blue – this is Dysthymia. They feel unimportant, unsatisfied, and feel no pleasure in life – they simply try to live their life one day at a time.
More often than not, the pursuit of happiness is not presented along a red carpet. For many, it is a constant struggle that most people often willingly take. But there are always those who are led astray, and sometimes, the only thing we can offer them is motivation.
