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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