The nervous breakdown

These days depression has become one of the major health issues and that is because we live under stress all the time, meet deadlines, run somewhere and neglect the basic needs that we have. However, some individuals seem to cope with this modern lifestyle just fine, while others have difficulties. These difficulties can escalate to a depression and disable a person to function normally.

We all have moments when we do not enjoy in life and when we feel unhappy. This emotional state is normal when a person has experienced trauma or a great loss. However, this can be diagnosed as a disorder if a person cannot perform everyday tasks and if he or she is in this emotional state for some period of time. About 17% of the population experience a nervous breakdown at some point of their lives. Depression is a disorder that causes these breakdowns and it is known that there are more women than men suffering for it. Nervous breakdown is considered to be a mood disorder, but it affects our thoughts and motivation, not only feelings. Emotions that the sufferers feel can vary, but they are negative and related to sorrow. Sometimes the sufferers can feel so unhappy that they think that they cannot bear it any more. They often complain that they cannot enjoy in any kind of activity, even in those that were previously joyful. They also do not enjoy in social interactions as before. These emotions are accompanied by cognitive signs recognized as negative thoughts. Negative thoughts can be different, but they are usually thoughts about lack of self-worth, guilt and even about suicide. These individuals have low motivation and that is seen through their inactivity and their tendency to find it very hard to do some simple task. On a physical basis, they can experience sleeping problems, lack of energy, tiredness, and appetite changes.

There were numerous studies about depression and its causes and they revealed the connection between this disorder and malfunctions in serotonin receptors found in hypothalamus. In depressive patients, these receptors are not as sensible as they should be.

Cognitive theory claims that depression is a result of negative thoughts that can be related to the person itself, to the events that are occurring in the presence and to those events that will happen in the future. This theory also says that depressive people tend to blame themselves more than others, and anticipate that something negative will happen. Depression and nervous breakdown are something that can be treated with the help of medications and psychotherapy.