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Are You Stressed Or Depressed? Let’s Dive Deeper
Stress is often mistaken as depression and depression is often thought to be stress. In today’s fast-paced world, more and more people are getting diagnosed with stress and depression.
As per psychiatrists practising in best hospitals in Kolkata, depression is a loss of interest in things and a feeling of constant sadness. Stress can either be emotional or mental and can be triggered by multiple factors. For instance, students becoming stressed out before their final exams and being cheery once the exams get over is a perfect example of stress.
Depression is another concept that requires our undivided attention. Chronic stress can become depression. There are many people with signs of clinical depression but unfortunately, they do not get the help they need due to various reasons. There’s a stigma attached to depression which we must remove from our society. It’s because of this stigma many patients do not seek therapy or get professional help in spite of showing signs of depression.
So how do signs of stress and depression differ?
Signs of stress
- Problems in concentration
- Poor memory
- Overeating
- Anxiety Anger issues
- Difficulty doing daily activities.
Signs of depression
- Constant feeling of sadness and hopelessness
- Lack of motivation in doing anything
- Undereating or overeating
- Sleeping more or less than normal
- Memory problem
- Frustration and anger
- Demotivation
- Disinterest in everything
- Suicidal thoughts.
If you are stressed out, take a break and try to relax a bit. In the case of depression, seek professional help. Visit a good psychiatrist and get medical therapy. Depression is not something to be taken lightly or ignored. Your mental health is equally important as your physical health. Yes, life is possible after depression. ILS Hospitals in Kolkata and Agartala will help you in every way possible when you’re on the journey to overcome depression.
Home Quarantine Taking A Toll On Your Mental Health? Learn Ways To Cope
People are told to be home-quarantined for various reasons. Sometimes it might be to avoid the transmission of an epidemic or pandemic or sometimes due to any surgery, illness or injury. Being home-quarantined for several days can take a massive toll on your mental health as well.
Your mental health is as important as your physical well-being. So, ILS Hospitals will tell you some ways through which you can protect your mental health during the distressing time.
Let’s learn about them now.
Practice your hobby:
We all have hobbies that we cannot do many times because of our hectic daily schedules. Now’s the perfect time to indulge yourself in activities that you love the most. Read, write, cook, sing, paint, sew, knit, dance, play or do whatever you cherish the most indoor because doing what you enjoy and it has amazing effects on your brain.
Take good care of yourself:
If you’re healthy from inside, it will show on outside. Eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and get a good night sleep to take good care of your body and mind.
Organize your home:
An empty mind is the devil’s workshop. Do household chores and organize your home and garden to keep yourself occupied.
Learn something new:
The internal structure of our brain changes when it learns something new. You can watch informative documentaries online or on TV and can even learn a new art or craft by taking online lessons at home.
Communicate with people:
Humans are social beings so not being able to socially interact with others can hamper your mental health. If for some reasons, you are prohibited to go outside, make use of digital communication to connect with your loved ones.
Spend time with your family:
We often forget to spend quality time with our own family. To improve your mental well-being, talk to your family members about your concerns and be a good listener when they are doing the same.
Spend time with your pets:
Your pets are like your family members. They too deserve your love and affection. Pets are going to be your real stress-busters. Play with your pets and let them know how much they mean to you.
For any medical treatment, visit ILS Hospitals in hospitals In Kolkata and hospitals in Agartala.
Risks Of Untreated Clinical Depression And Why You Should Seek Help In Time
We all have experienced depression from time to time and thankfully, we often are able to come out of it with our will and little help from friends and family. But the term clinical depression is something can that needs extensive medical treatment from an expert psychiatrist. Let’s check out the risks of the same if it is left untreated.
1. Suicide
The most feared risk of untreated depression is suicide. It includes having suicidal thought as well. Many individuals start looking for ways to end their life, or might also picture them carrying it out too. Though being involved in violence is somewhat rare, severely depressed individuals can cause harm to others as well, if they are provoked or evoked.
2. Self Injury
Several individuals engage in self-injury in order to cope with their depression. It includes hitting head on the walls or hard surfaces, burning, clawing, skinning, cutting or ingesting some toxic substance. In such cases, even when some individual is not actually considering suicide, these harmful activities can result in severe injury or even death, accidentally.
3. Addiction
It is not uncommon to find people drink or smoke or even take drugs to cope up with their depression. For clinical depression, this addiction becomes even worse. Such individuals try to subdue their consciousness with substance abuse. This, in turn, can bring many medical threats to them. In many cases, its overuse has been found to lead towards death and deterioration of health.
4. Poor Performance
As depression makes people drenched out of energy, make them unable to focus or even perform the capability, it is almost inevitable to find its result in everyday life. Let it be academic or workplace performance, the results often are too poor as compared to normal.
5. Reckless Behavior
Depression might make people let their guards down, as they are not certain they want a better tomorrow. These individuals might engage in action without considering their consequences. It includes reckless driving, doing dangerous recreational activities, etc.
6. Relationship Issues
Depression deteriorates personal relations the most. It causes rifts, fights, hopelessness in a relationship and affects their family’s mental health as well. For married people, it can lead to even separation or divorce. When such individuals also have children, it dis-balance their growth and emotional health drastically.
7. Poor Health
Depression leads to many health complications, some directly and some indirectly. For instance, insomnia and fatigue directly result from depression and long term depression can give rise to weight gain, high cholesterol and other complications.
Can Depression Be Cured With Timely Treatment
Thankfully, yes! Treatment for depression includes sessions with expert psychiatrists, group session, medicines and shock treatment in severe cases.
On behalf of ILS Hospitals, we would like every individual to evaluate their mental health once in a while, just like they do for their physical health. Remember, the depression is just a phase that can be overcome with help, modern medicines are more than capable of resolving it for good if it is availed at the right time.
Signs To Tell If Someone Is Thinking About Suicide
Is there someone you know exhibiting strange behavior recently? Is your hunch telling you something might go wrong? Don’t ignore these warning signs as these could be warning symptoms of suicide. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death all over the world. Thankfully, suicide is not an illness, and it is preventable with timely measures. Here we present a few tips suggested by psychiatrists to spot if someone is considering suicide.
Unpredictable mood – Periods of long-term sadness, severe mood swings, unexplainable rage or happiness is a very common symptom of severe mental depression and confusion, sometimes are closely associated with suicide. In such cases, the family should offer their support and encourage communication.
Change In Sleep Pattern – Due to a disturbed mind, it is often inevitable to have a disruptive sleeping pattern. It includes sleeping too much, or too little, sleeping multiple times in a day, and feeling lethargic even after adequate sleep.
Giving Away their possessions Or Money – Passing on their favorite possessions, or money that they still use or might need in the future is an alarming sign of suicidal tendency. The one receiving them or witnessing this, must consult and support the person immediately.
Bidding Goodbyes – Biding goodbyes either in person or through some nonverbal medium, in a way that appears they will never meet again is yet another alarming sign of suicidal tendency. The people involved in these farewells must make sure to keep an eye on them.
Withdrawing From Peers – If someone is suddenly withdrawing from their peers, who otherwise love to stay among people is a sign of severe depression. It should be noted by close friends and offer encouragement for a positive approach.
Dangerous Or Self-Harming Actions – Reckless driving, engaging in dangerous recreational activities like bungee jumping and other activities that demonstrate the person no longer value their life should raise red flags immediately. The person should be confronted soon and helped to seek counseling from a psychiatrist.
Experiencing a recent trauma such as loss of a loved one due to divorce, diagnosis of an illness, and several other factors such as unemployment, financial crisis etc. are often the triggering factor for suicide. Almost 9 out of 10 people who eventually kill themselves gives a verbal or behavioral warning beforehand. By recognizing these symptoms and taking actions, the same can be prevented.
Since 2003, every 10th September has been observed as the World Suicide Prevention Day. It aims to encourage people with suicidal tendencies to seek help from their families, and friends. One should recognize these warning signs and address the society with this issue as a whole. In case you find these symptoms in any friends, family, neighbors, friend, or colleague, don’t hesitate to ask about their thoughts and recommend counseling and help.