Have you ever contemplated suicide, felt weak to the knees, or lost interest in those activities that once made you joyful? Have you screamed to the high heavens with the feeling of guilt about to consume you? Those are no signs of sadness but depression.

Through this article, we are going to understand what depression is, the factors that can lead to it, and the symptoms of depression.
Let's get down to it

In an article from Everyday Health, the term depression is medically known as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) which is sometimes misunderstood as a feeling of sadness or being sad.

According to Andrew Frank Angelino, M.D Chair of Psychiatry, Howard County Hospital, and John Hopkins expert "Depression is a disease that affects every aspect of a person s life" meaning it is not just your mood that is affected, your lifestyle, eating habits, relationship with others and so on are all affected.
When a depressed person is not helped out, there is a greater chance of the person developing other chronic medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, memory loss, diabetes, high blood pressure, back problems, arthritis, and worse outcomes he added.

Depression can be deadly, given that it can lead to suicide attempts and it does not warn you before you find yourself in it. A lot of time to make positive changes or comebacks can pass when you're depressed. It is getting sickly and scary, right? I know

Now, one doesn't just fall into depression, some factors can trigger, or lead to depression.

Factors that can lead to depression are:
1. Stressful life events such as loss of jobs, marital issues, major health challenges, and mental problems.
2. Memories from a bad childhood that may include abuse, neglect, parent fights and quarrels, poor relationship with parents, etc
3. Unrequited love, toxic relationships, heartbreaks, etc
4. Passive personality traits (when you let others talk you down, bully you and you can't fight back), getting extremely upset when stressed.
5. Body shaming, inferiority complex, rejection from friends, and loved ones.
6. History of depression that runs in the family increases your chances of being depressed.

From the factors listed above, Andrew Frank Angelino described the symptoms of depression in three categories
A. Emotional/cognitive (thinking) symptoms such as problems with decision makings, memory problems, lack of interest in activities you enjoy, irritation, etc

B. Physical symptoms which include Fatigue (tiredness), Sleeping disorders, Changes in appetite, Headache, weight loss/ gain, heart palpitations (rapid heartbeats)

C.Behavioural symptoms include crying uncontrollably, having angry outbursts, feelings of dejection, abusing alcohol, cutting or hurting one's self, and at worse attempting suicide

When you find yourself showing one of the symptoms above, you need to seek the help of a therapist before you lose yourself, your self-esteem, and hope in life.

In our next article, we would dwell on how to handle and come out of depression.
See ya