How to Survive Depression By Rico Kurniawan

Depression is a very common but serious disorder that affects people of every color, race, economic status or age. Being depressed means to be deeply sad, hopeless, unmotivated for a long period of time. There is not a clear cause of depression. It happens because of a combination of factors such as genes, brain chemistry and structure, environmental and psychological factors. In most cases depression starts between the ages of 15 and 30 and much more common in women then in men. It is resulted from the birth of a baby, loss of a loved one, stress and hormonal changes, or it can be simply a seasonal affective disorder.

The signs and symptoms can be different in men, woman, young children and older adults, but the most typical symptoms include:
- Depressed mood or sadness
- Lack of energy
- Irritability, anger or anxiety
- Significant weight loss or gain
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
- Low self-esteem
- Loss of interest or pleasure

Depression interferes with daily life and routine, making it unbearable. It makes pain for the person who suffers from the disorder and for those who care about him or her. That's why it is very important to recognize the early signs and get rid of depression to prevent its coming back. Depression cannot go away on its own, it should be treated. Even in severe cases, depression can be cured by means of talk therapy, medication or a combination of both. Here are some useful tips on how to win your war against this illness.

1. Set small and realistic goals to achieve
2. Find time for hobbies
3. Don't make quick decisions
4. Refuse from alcohol
5. Do sport
6. Think positive

As it was mentioned above, there are a number of methods to treat depression. Usually people chose for medication or psychotherapy. Antidepressants are the most common medicines which help to stabilize your mood, but at the same time they might cause some side-effects such as headache, insomnia, sexual problems. Therefore in case of mild of moderate depression, it is better to use psychotherapy . When both medication or psychotherapy doesn't help, electroconvulsive therapy can be taken as an alternative, however it also may cause short-term side effects.
One more way to copy with depression is to join a support group and get help of people, who also suffer from the disorder. But anyway, the first step to getting appropriate treatment is to visit a doctor, who can make a diagnosis and find the right method of treatment.