 Hey, Psych2Goers and welcome to another video. Psych2Go would like to thank you immensely for all of the love and support that you've given us. Today, we explore yet another perspective on a disorder rampant world over. So, let's begin. Depression is the most commonly diagnosed mental health condition. Yet it comes with a ton of stigma. Have you often seen depression being brushed off as sadness or people being judged as lazy, unmotivated or moody because of their depression? With a condition that is heavily stigmatized and overlooked, it's important to know that depression is a real disorder. It often affects every area of someone's life and is much more than simply feeling sad. It affects you in every area of your life and is something that needs to be treated, just like any other condition, physical or mental. Before we begin, we ask you to not use this video as a medium for self-diagnosis. We aim to help you learn more and to better understand depression through our videos and calcating compassion and being better able to help those suffering. If you resonate with any of the signs mentioned, seeking a professional opinion is the way to go. With that said, let's take a look at five things you should know about depression. 1. Depression doesn't need a reason. Can you pinpoint just one trigger for your depression? Does it only occur at a certain age? Depression can come on for any number of reasons and happen at any time, from childhood through old age and it can develop for a plethora of reasons, known or unknown. For some, it develops through life events such as death or other traumatic events. In other cases, it can be caused by stress from work, home or school life. While those reasons may be easier to spot, there are others that are hidden. Genetics play a huge role in everyone's life and deeply affect a person's behavior. Did you know depression can be inherited in the same way physical ailments or personality traits can? Other factors contributing to depression can be attributed to weather, hormonal imbalances, brain chemical imbalances, and all of these can certainly overlap with each other as there's usually more than just one cause. 2. Depression is not just feeling sad. Do you feel sad from time to time? Well, that's perfectly normal to feel down sometimes. But here's the thing, just feeling sad is nowhere near having depression. Some people with depression may not even feel sad at all. Yeah, really. So sadness is not synonymous with depression. Depression shows itself in many forms, from lacking motivation, feeling apathetic, an increase in irritability, and so on. Depression is a condition that tends to last far longer than a simple bad day. While sadness certainly may be a part of depression, it comes with an array of other symptoms, both mental and physical. It renders daily activities a struggle. You feel excessively tired, have unexplained aches and pains and lose interest in your favorite activities. Other issues can include difficulties with making decisions, brain fog, forgetfulness, along with sleeping and eating issues. 3. Depression is a health issue. Did you know depression even affects brain chemistry? People with depression often have significant differences in brain structure and chemistry. Imbalances in levels of brain chemicals, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine are increasingly observed. It's often comorbid with other conditions and can, in some cases, lead to other issues, like a substance use disorder. If left untreated, it can worsen, making a person's life a living nightmare. Cases where someone has self-harming thoughts, urges or actions are classified as a medical emergency and require immediate help. 4. Depression affects your life. Does keeping up with important tasks related to either work or home feel more like a challenge as of late? Is it inexplicably tiring for you to go out with friends or to engage in your favorite activities? People with depression often feel that they're struggling in virtually every area of their life. It often affects every aspect of a person's life. For some, they may develop unhealthy coping strategies, like addictions, that only make their life harder. A lot of the mental effects are one thing, having issues regarding sleep, unexplained aches and pains, and lack of energy is the whole other part. For some, it feels like life's too overwhelming to keep moving forward, and so they resort to self-harm. Depression is a health issue and should be treated as such. 5. Depression is treatable. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to just live with it. Depression is highly treatable. Yeah, you heard that right. According to the American Psychiatric Association, over 80-90% of those with depression respond well to treatment and learn to manage their symptoms over time. But here's the catch. Are all of your fingers the same size? Doesn't everyone have a different set of fingerprints? Then why should the same treatment work for all? Depression can be treated through a variety of different methods, and it's different for each person. For many, attending regular therapy sessions with a licensed therapist significantly improves their quality of life. For others, they may need to take medication. In other cases, and often in tandem with medication and psychotherapy, involves lifestyle changes, like making significant changes in diet, exercise, hobbies, or meditation. They can often lead to improvements. Working with a mental health professional helps to find out what the best treatment option is for you. It's not something that simply goes away and can be significantly improved with proper treatment. Depression is very real and can get overwhelming, but you shouldn't have to fight it all on your own. Don't be afraid to ask for help, nor let the stigmas attached deter you. No matter how bad it gets, there's always hope that things will get better. Reaching out to a psychologist or a counselor and getting the help you need not only improves your life, but also encourages others to break away from the stigmas and seek help. We hope we were able to give you further insight into depression. Do any other aspects come to mind? What are some more things you wish you knew before about depression? How has it affected you? Let us know in the comments below. If you find this video helpful, be sure to hit the like button and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Subscribe and hit the notification bell icon to get notified whenever Psych2Go posts a new video. Thanks so much for watching and we'll see you real soon. And as always, take care.