husband became low-spirited and fatigued for weeks , sometimes not even leaving his bed . She turned to a trusted friend for guidance who recommended that she tell him to “ snap out of it ” and resume his responsibilities as a husband and father . But that is the issue : depression is not something people can just “ snap out of .” It is a complex mental disorder that is caused by a variety of factors . 5 So the question remains : how is it possible to overcome this mental disorder and how can we help someone suffering from depression ?
First and most importantly , we must be able to identify it . The standard diagnosis of depression is the persistent daily presence of at least 5 of the 9 following symptoms : ( 1 ) A depressed mood mostly all day ; ( 2 ) significant disinterest or decreased pleasure in all , or almost all , activities mostly all day ; ( 3 ) significant weight loss / gain or increased / decreased appetite ; ( 4 ) insomnia or excessive sleepiness ; ( 5 ) agitation or retardation ; ( 6 ) fatigue or energy loss ; ( 7 ) feelings of worthlessness or excessive / inappropriate guilt ; ( 8 ) diminished ability to think or concentrate , or indecisiveness ; ( 9 ) having recurrent thoughts of death or recurrent suicidal thoughts with or without a specific plan , even if not experienced daily , or a suicide attempt . 6
There are so many potential causes of depression that make it seem overwhelming to figure out not only its cause , but also its remedy . Dr . Neil Nedley , an internal physician specializing in mental health and lifestyle medicine created a highly successful Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program . His research condenses over one hundred causes of depression into ten main categories which are ( 1 ) Genetic , ( 2 ) Developmental , ( 3 ) Lifestyle , ( 4 ) Circadian Rhythm , ( 5 ) Addiction , ( 6 ) Nutrition , ( 7 ) Toxic , ( 8 ) Social / Complicated Grief , ( 9 ) Medical Condition , and ( 10 ) Frontal Lobe Activity . Out of the ten categories , Genetic and Developmental are the only ones that are irreversible . The majority of the remaining causes are related to lifestyle choices . For example , habits such as irregular or absent exercise , lack of fresh air , and no exposure to sunlight for at least 30 minutes a day are listed as potential causes of depression in the lifestyle category . The social category consists of social support absence
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