In the wise words of Dan Millman, “You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.”

Every October that passes reminds us of a mental health condition; henceforth, the month is also called Depression Awareness Month. Having Depression has been seen to be like an emotion or feeling, but it’s a lot deeper than that. Tons of people suffer from this condition without even seeking help. Being aware of people who suffer from it, you can save many lives, both mentally and physically. This month should help us have more open conversations and be each other’s support person. Understanding depression is an important factor to help us in life, as the population grows more the rate of depression may have a greater possibility to increase, so creating an educated environment can help a person regain their strength.

 Let’s say that you tested positive for influenza, you will most definitely try everything in your power to recover from it. Whether it’s going to see the doctor or taking supplements, you will do everything in your power to get back into your normal, healthy routine.  For our physical health, we are well-educated to know the severity of being with the flu and how it is important to quickly get better. As for our mental health, many don’t understand how it can damage us from the inside and sometimes the outside. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression.

A good multitude of people associate  depression as another word for ‘sadness’, although the two are kind of the same, they are very different. Depression or also known as major depressive disorder (MDD), is a medical illness that negatively affects a person’s behavior, cognitive, and physical aspects of their life continuously. It’s a medical condition that requires treatment and understanding. Having depression disrupts your brain’s chemistry and changes your physical/mental behaviors. Your brain is equipped with many neurons to communicate throughout your body. The chemical messengers are called neurotransmitters, and there are a lot of different variations of neurotransmitters that are important to your mental health. Neurotransmitters go between nerve cells, which helps your mood, energy, and motivation level, but once there is a disruption in the signals, your brain slows down the communications between neurons.

One example of a neurotransmitter is Serotonin, which helps your mood, energy, sleep, etc. So once you have a low level of serotonin, all the factors of serotonin that used to  help you will decrease. With the help of Healthline.com, to get diagnosed with clinical depression, you need to have five or more of these symptoms: feeling sad, insomnia, memory trouble, suicidal thoughts, pain sensitivity, fatigue, a weak immune system, no interest in sex, over- or under-eating, or constricted blood vessels.

Now that we understand what and how depression acts in our bodies, let’s treat it.  Depression is treatable, but the recovery process is hard, depending on the person. The most important part of the recovery time is making it a lifetime priority. Approaching from different angles can slow down its decrease and should benefit you.  Some treatment options are therapy (Psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral), medication, practicing self-care, and communication. Although medications may seem very effective, they also have some severe side effects that should be considered. Anti-depressants numb the pain, which feels good temporarily, but can be addictive. If prescribed opioids, like morphine, hydrocodone, etc, these drugs are powerful pain relivers that have high addiction rates, which can lead to tolerance and disrupt your neurotransmitters. Taking opioids is harder to treat, and overdosing on them can destroy your life physically.

Having any kind of therapy is related to communication, too. Communicating your feelings and being open/honest about them relieves emotional pressure and reassures you that you are not alone and that there are people who care about you. Speaking up reveals courage and is a strong sign of recovery.  Lastly, practicing self-care is the hardest thing because there is just never enough time in the day for ourselves. Basic self-care, like healthy eating, exercise, regular sleep, etc, is beneficial because it regains routine.

  In summary, depression is affecting millions of people around the world, and daily living has been hard. Depression shouldn’t define anyone, but it should be a stepping stone into achieving anything that comes your way. Treatment is always there to help you and is important, just like any other supplements for any other illness. Depression Awareness Month is here to remind us that mental health is an essential factor of life and should be taken care of more. Reach out to everyone and be their support friend.