mental health

 Hey guys!! In this section, I'll talk about mental health. Nowadays, there are lots of people, including teenagers, that suffer from anxiety, depression, stress... Well, I know this is a sensitive topic, but I think it's very important that we talk about it. Feel free to leave any question, personal experience or advice in the comments section.

Let's start with the basics.

DEPRESSION

• WHAT IS IT? - Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home.

• IS THERE A WAY TO AVOID IT? - Yes, fortunately, depression is treatable. 

• WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SADNESS AND DEPRESSION? - 

Sadness is a normal reaction to a loss, disappointment, problems, or other difficult situations. Feeling sad from time to time is just another part of being human. In these cases, feelings of sadness go away quickly and you can go about your daily life.

  

Other ways to talk about sadness might be ‘feeling low,’ ‘feeling down,’ or ‘feeling blue.’ A person may say they are feeling ‘depressed,’ but if it goes away on its own and doesn’t impact life in a big way, it probably isn’t the illness of depression.

  

Depression is a mental illness that affects your mood, the way you understand yourself, and the way you understand and relate to things around you. It can also go by different names, such as clinical depression, major depressive disorder, or major depression. Depression can come up for no reason, and it lasts for a long time. It’s much more than sadness or low mood. People who experience depression may feel worthless or hopeless. They may feel unreasonable guilty. Some people may experience depression as anger or irritability. It may be hard to concentrate or make decisions. Most people lose interest in things that they used to enjoy and may isolate themselves from others. There are also physical signs of depression, such as problems with sleep, appetite and energy and unexplainable aches or pains. 

• HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE DEPRESSED?- Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:

• Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
• Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Loss of energy or increased fatigue
• Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or slowed movements or speech (these actions must be severe enough to be observable by others)
• Feeling worthless or guilty
• Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Symptoms must last at least two weeks and must represent a change in your previous level of functioning for a diagnosis of depression.

ANXIETY 

• WHAT IS IT? - Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous.

If your feelings of anxiety are extreme, last for longer than six months, and are interfering with your life, you may have an anxiety disorder. In the case of an anxiety disorder, the feeling of fear may be with you all the time. It is intense and sometimes debilitating. This type of anxiety may cause you to stop doing things you enjoy. If left untreated, the anxiety will keep getting worse. Anxiety disorders are the most common form of emotional disorder and can affect anyone at any age. According to the American Psychiatric Association, women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

• TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDER

• Panic disorder: experiencing recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder may live in fear of the next panic attack.
• Phobia: excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity
• Social anxiety disorder: extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder: recurring irrational thoughts that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviors
• Separation anxiety disorder: fear of being away from home or loved ones
• Illness anxiety disorder: anxiety about your health (formerly called hypochondria)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): anxiety following a traumatic event

• SYMPTOMS 

Symptoms of general anxiety include:

• Increased heart rate
• Rapid breathing
• Restlessness
• Trouble concentrating
• Difficulty falling asleep

Your anxiety symptoms might be different from someone else's though.

• ANXIETY ATTACKS

• What are they? - An anxiety attack is a feeling of overwhelming apprehension, worry, distress, or fear. For many people, an anxiety attack builds slowly. It may worsen as a stressful event approaches.

• Symptoms 

• Feeling faint or dizzy
• Shortness of breath
• Dry mouth
• Sweating
• Chills or hot flashes
• Apprehension and worry
• Restlessness
• Distress
• Fear
• Numbness or tingling