When they hear the word ‘depression’, many people think of sad or hopeless individuals who can’t cope with a life event, who are living withdrawn and are often crying their existence.
But in fact this is only rarely the case. In a U.S. study published in 1996, for example, only a third of the patients suffering from depression could name a stressful or dramatic experience that took place before the disease kicked in. And it is by no means only negative events that can trigger depression in some people, but also such as the birth of a child or winning a business contract. That not all people who experience dramatic events develop depression also suggests that other factors such as stress or genetic factors may be involved. For patients themselves or their environment is therefore usually not even possible to identify a potential reason for a probable depression – which usually leads to long delays in search for the correct diagnosis for the malaise they feel in.
Physical symptoms are another, often misinterpreted facet of depressive disorders. Headaches, insomnia, reduced memory and concentration, but also other kinds of physical pain, digestive problems or a general lack of energy are typical physical symptoms of depression.
The lack of perspective that is typical for depression, quite often also leads to self harm. Most people who commit suicide previously suffered from an (often unrecognized or untreated) depression. But it doesn’t need to be suicide: other self-defeating forms of behavior, such as alcohol and drug abuse, self-destructive eating habits or risky driving are, as studies illustrate, linked to depression in about 60% of the cases.
Particularly in older men, depression often manifests on aggression, particularly of the verbal kind, like ranting, looking down or lashing out on others or constant cynicism. Again, these persons are only rarely aware that they actually suffer from depression, but explain their inner discontent and anger with external circumstances over which they usually can’t complain too loudly and often.
About 20-25% of women and 7-12% of men suffers with depression at least once in their life time. However, the real figures are probably higher due to the frequent misdiagnoses and years of suffering without a proper diagnosis and adequate treatment.
(This short article is part of a weekly series dealing with psychological expat problems and general mental health issues and was published in various newspapers and magazines in Thailand, 2011)
