Hello friends!
We all have heard of depression being increasingly common given the modern day stressed lifestyle.
But how exactly do we recognize depression? Does feeling sad and being depressed mean one and the same thing? Are feeling burnt out or stressed out the same as being depressed? Let me clarify some of these things here.
I will not be talking about technical details, medical jargon or DSM criteria here; I will only explain in simple terms how depression can manifest in many different ways and often in a disguised manner.
Classical presentation:
Pooja, 22 years old is a college student. She lost her mother to cancer 3 months ago. Pooja was very close to her mother and could not seem to overcome this loss. She was frequently reminded of her mother. She remained sad all throughout the day. She gave up her hobbies of swimming and playing badminton. Otherwise a bright student, she started missing classes and fared poorly in a periodic test at the college. She lost confidence in herself and would often feel that there was nothing left for her to live for in this world. Eventually she was brought to the emergency department of a hospital, having consumed 50 tablets of sedatives, in a bid to end her life.
This is the typical version of depression that many of us are familiar with, but very often, we still hesitate to take treatment!
Non-classical or disguised versions of depression:
icliniq.com/drsathya
We all have heard of depression being increasingly common given the modern day stressed lifestyle.
But how exactly do we recognize depression? Does feeling sad and being depressed mean one and the same thing? Are feeling burnt out or stressed out the same as being depressed? Let me clarify some of these things here.
I will not be talking about technical details, medical jargon or DSM criteria here; I will only explain in simple terms how depression can manifest in many different ways and often in a disguised manner.
Classical presentation:
Pooja, 22 years old is a college student. She lost her mother to cancer 3 months ago. Pooja was very close to her mother and could not seem to overcome this loss. She was frequently reminded of her mother. She remained sad all throughout the day. She gave up her hobbies of swimming and playing badminton. Otherwise a bright student, she started missing classes and fared poorly in a periodic test at the college. She lost confidence in herself and would often feel that there was nothing left for her to live for in this world. Eventually she was brought to the emergency department of a hospital, having consumed 50 tablets of sedatives, in a bid to end her life.
This is the typical version of depression that many of us are familiar with, but very often, we still hesitate to take treatment!
Non-classical or disguised versions of depression:
- Ram Singh, a 70 year old gentleman, has had a healthy and satisfactory life. He was in good physical health and had retired from a prestigious position few years ago. His children were all well settled and his own financial position was excellent. About an year ago, Mr. Singh started complaining of abdominal pain and headache. He was seen by a physician, a gastro-enterologist and a neurologist and extensively investigated. All lab tests and scans were normal and not indicative of any medical illness. He did NOT report of any sadness of mood. He complained of excessive fatigue and gradually began withdrawing from various activities that he was otherwise busy with. He also complained that he could not remember things as well as he used to earlier. Mr. Singh was eventually diagnosed with old age depression, treated appropriately and now doing well.
- Rahul, a 17 year old outgoing boy, has been seen to be very irritable lately. He started smoking cigarettes with friends which he would not do earlier. He started having quarrels with friends, back answering teachers and parents and stayed away from home until late in the night. He did NOT report of any sadness of mood. Rahul was eventually diagnosed with adolescent depression, treated properly and now doing great.
- Ankur, a 10 year old boy was outstanding at studies. He was always very keen to go to school and study. His teachers praised him and saw a great future for him. Off late however, Ankur does not want to go to school. He frequently complains of abdominal pain and is often forced to be brought back home from school. He occasionally began to pass urine in bed at night, something which was very unusual. Ankur too, did not report any sadness of mood. Ankur was eventually diagnosed with childhood depression. Appropriate treatment resulted in dramatic improvement in his condition, and now, he is back to his genius best.
The bottom line:
Depression is not the same as being sad. Depressed persons need not express sadness or even appear sad, in fact they may have a smiling face to show to the world. Depending upon the age and cultural background, depression may present itself in many different ways. It is important to identify depression early and institute appropriate treatment as full recovery is possible!
Hope that was a useful discussion, friends!
Please let me know if there is any specific issue that you want me to address. Write in at stayhappy.prakash@gmail.com
So until next time, STAY HAPPY!
Dr. Sathya Prakash, MD, Dip. CBT
Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist and Behavioural Sciences Expert
icliniq.com/drsathya
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