General Nursing©

DEPRESSION

Moderate depression

• Sleep disturbances.
• Loss of appetite and weight.
• Loss of interest of pleasurable or social activities and sex.
• Loss of concentration, memory.
• Tiredness, lethargy and or the opposite, extreme agitation and anxiety.

Severe depression

• Deep sadness or loneliness, particularly at night.
• Feelings of guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, or worthlessness.
• Recurrent thoughts of suicide and death.
• Hallucinations and delusions.
• Becoming withdrawn (spending the time alone, usually in bed).

Complications:

• Suicide

Common Causes:

One or a combination of the following may trigger it:

• Severe upheaval, prolonged stress (e.g., death of love one, bankruptcy, chronic illness).
• Certain physical illness (e.g., psoriasis, shingles, stroke, viral infections).
• Hormonal imbalance (e.g., during a woman's premenstrual, postnatal, and menopausal periods).
• Certain medicines (e.g., sleeping medicines, oral contraceptives).
• Weak, unstable, or absent relationships (e.g., poor parent-child relationship).
• Biochemical imbalance in the brain.

What you can do:

• Take a break. Go on vacation.
• Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise causes the body to release mood-lifting chemicals.
• Avoid alcohol.

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