No doubt it’s our sixth sense and the ability to feel emotions that give us an advantage over other creatures that inhabit our world, but it’s also this very attribute that causes negative feelings like sadness and anger, both of which tend to destabilize us if they get out of control. When grief goes beyond the normal kind of sadness you feel when you lose a loved one, have to cope with a dead-end or abusive relationship, or have to deal with the loss of a job or something dear to you, it’s termed clinical depression. And if you’ve never been a victim, you probably wouldn’t understand this kind of depression.
While medical professionals attribute depression to the decrease of the chemical serotonin (the feel-good chemical) in our brains, there’s no real evidence to show that this is the only reason people feel intensely sad and suffer abrupt and extreme mood swings. In general, depression is a combination of a mixture of factors, both physiological and psychological. Most depressed people are not satisfied with their lives, they don’t like their jobs or are unemployed, they are lonely, overweight or obsessed and dissatisfied with the way they look, they have few or no friends at all, they are not close to family, and they have a grouse with someone or some people they interact with on a regular basis. These environmental factors contribute to changes in their brain which in turn make them suffer much more than normal, healthy people would. And if they don’t make the effort to pull themselves out of this rut, they get stuck in the vicious whirlpool that is depression.
Most people resort to antidepressants as the “best” way to cure depression. When they seek professional help, their physicians get them started on these drugs. But what they need to understand is that these drugs are not a panacea that will cure them. Rather, antidepressants must be used initially to relieve the worst of the depression, after which the patient is in a suitably uplifted mood to agree to therapy, regular exercise, and other social activities that go a long way in restoring the balance of chemicals in the human brain.
Besides, antidepressants are both addictive and come with major side-effects – they cause insomnia, nausea, weight gain, lethargy, and other life-altering differences to your health. So the sooner you get off them, the better. However, you must never stop cold-turkey because that could come with its own detrimental effects. Consult your doctor and with their guidance, slowly wean yourself off these drugs and start getting your life back in order. I’ve found that the best antidote to depression is to find a job that you love, surround yourself with loved ones, and make it a point to exercise regularly. When you’re at peace with yourself, it’s easy to banish depression forever.
By-line:
This article is contributed by Susan White, who regularly writes on the subject of
Radiology Technician Schools . She invites your questions, comments at her email address: susan.white33@gmail.com.
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