Depression is an emotional crippler. There is no disease in the world that can do to a person what depression can do. A person suffering from Depression can be physically fit, have no physical problems, not even a runny nose and yet still be unable to get out of bed in the morning. Yes, depression is that devastating. Unlike a physical disease, like MS or Cancer, there are no outward physical symptoms of depression. It isn't something we can diagnose with an MRI or an x-ray. Depression is in the mind and modern medical science knows so relatively little about the human brain that it is very difficult to diagnose someone with severe depression. But it is a crippler just the same. Every case of depression is different. Severe depression, however, is usually very easy to spot. For starters, the person who is severely depressed will want to spend most of the day in bed sleeping. There are two reasons for this. One is that depression takes a terrible toll on one's body. Every minute of depression is like an eternity. This makes getting through the day very difficult. As a result, the person gets very tired and needs as much rest as possible. The second reason for this is that a person who is severely depressed feels that sleep is the only escape from the terrible feeling that hangs over them day and night. The problem is, people who are severely depressed have a difficult time sleeping, so there is really no escape from this illness. Another symptom of someone who is severely depressed is that the person seems to walk around in a fog all day. They can't concentrate on the things they have to do and if they have a job it is almost impossible to do that job. Many people who become severely depressed end up quitting their jobs because they just can't cope with life in general and working a demanding job is the last thing they're able to handle. Many people who are seriously depressed look for any little thing to pull themselves out of it. The chance to go to a bar or maybe down to the beach is looked at as a vacation. These people usually manage to get themselves very emotionally high for a brief time where it looks like they have conquered their depression. But soon after the high has worn off, they fall back into their pit of despair. These people are called manic depressants because they have severe highs and lows. Because depression does take a toll on a person's body, other symptoms are lack of appetite, changes in bathroom habits, loss of weight and other things. The sad thing is, the mind can literally do harm to the rest of the body if the mind is not healthy. Depression is indeed an emotional crippler. The problem is, most people who are severely depressed won't seek help because they can't admit they are depressed as it is a sign of weakness. So the first thing to do, if you know somebody who you suspect is severely depressed is to urge them to get help. By doing just that much, they are one step closer to dealing with this terrible problem. |
