The Blues vs. Depression: Can Depression Be Cured?

Many people view depression as a state of mind controlled by the individual experiencing it instead of a real condition. It has been referred to as whining, complaining, or feeling sorry for oneself. Negative comments and teasing may have been thrown around by ignorant people.

Depression is a mental illness. It is not just a state of mind that can be wished away. Chemical changes might occur in the brain altering emotions and moods. That fact alone changes the disorder from a controllable figment of imagination to a medical condition.

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are diagnosed with this disorder each year. Speculation from professionals on the subject believes there are many more cases not reported. Men are not as prone to telling someone their feelings or lack thereof regularly. People fear they will be viewed as freaks or insane if they come forth and admit they have disturbing abnormal thoughts.

Some individuals do not have the money to seek ongoing treatment. There are many reasons people avoid action to get help, even when they know there is something seriously out of place.

Depression is a very normal reaction to traumatic events, current situations, or when something disappointing happens. Some people may not even know they are depressed to the point of being dangerous because it is such a recognizable reaction. There are points where it becomes an unhealthy and debilitating disorder. It changes from emotion to what seems to be a never-ending thought process and emotional state.

Can Depression Be Cured?

Once someone realizes the gravity of the disorder they ask, can depression be cured? As of now, there's no cure for depression, but it can be managed in most cases. This does not include the normal range of depression. Depressive emotions are completely normal and by no means classified as a disorder.

The type of mental disorder referred to as depression will last long periods of at least two or more weeks. The symptoms of depression will continue to persist. Continual sadness, weight changes, extreme alterations in sleep patterns, crying, isolation, and thoughts of suicide are common in people who have formed an actual illness that needs treatment.

The Blues vs. Depression

Some may believe depression is completely normal. Everyone knows what it is like to feel depressed at one time or the other. However, others will say depression is a disorder in any form and that people having the blues are normal. To most, it is the same thing. The symptoms may manifest the same way when having the blues and when feeling depressed. The difference is that the signs of the blues are not supposed to last more than a couple of weeks.

Symptoms of the Blues

• Sadness accompanied by crying
• Isolating yourself
• Loss or gain in appetite
• Lack of enthusiasm
• Tiredness
• Pessimism
• Negative comments
• Restlessness
• Oversleeping or insomnia

Symptoms of Depression

• Extended sadness
• Isolation from public events, family, and friends
• Over- or under-eating outside the normal range
• Fatigue
• Negative thoughts
• Restlessness
• An extreme change in sleeping habits.

Comparing the two side by side look exactly alike, don’t they? The difference is, that more symptoms come with depression and the time frame can be distinguished between normal feelings and a mental disorder.

Depression is defined as having the characteristics of losing the ability to function normally for long periods. Being sad shouldn’t stop someone from functioning in society.

People with depression become so caught up in their disorder that they often entertain thoughts of suicide, hurting others, and shutting other people out. It seems ironic that people who feel alone would further push others away, but it is a common reaction to serious depression.

The negative side to being diagnosed with this particular illness, regardless of the type is there is no cure available as of yet. The positive side is it is quite treatable and manageable in most cases.

People have a vast amount of choices in medications to choose from with the help of a doctor after a positive diagnosis is given. Only a doctor can determine the level of depression, even if we are self-aware enough to suspect what might be our problem.

Self-medicating has led to so many cases of death because of depression when a safer alternative is out there. The use of street drugs and alcohol worsens the effects of depression. After all, alcohol is a depressant. Consuming beverages while in this state is the equivalent of a diabetic ingesting half a candy store.

Only a physician can know the right dosage and type of medication needed for your specific needs if this is an alternative you wish to pursue. Health problems in people with depression are often already present. As with any non-natural substance, there are risks with each one. The liver is in danger of shutting down and side effects may become an issue when taking antidepressants.

Antidepressants are meant to regulate the amounts of chemicals the brain produces to cause normal emotions and mood. Persons who are afflicted with depression usually have a chemical imbalance that needs to be corrected as a first step to clearing the mind.

Irrational behavior and mood swings are very common in the depressed. Even trying to make a clear rational decision can be painfully difficult for someone in this state. The medications will allow normal levels to return which allows the mind to focus. Disorientation is also a symptom for people who have a type of mental illness.

Once these are implemented, it may seem like a huge step for some people to regain control of their emotions and thoughts again. They may think they have found a way to cure depression through a pill. This could not be farther from the truth. Just because a person can focus again and see situations clearly while no longer feeling the need to cry, break down, or become anxious, it doesn’t mean the battle is won.

Therapy, most of the time, must be a part of the healing process. Habits that led to destructive behaviors must change. Relationships must be mended or built again. Learning to be happy sounds ridiculous, but for people with severe depression, they may have been unhappy so long, they forgot how to feel joy.

Many people agree that unlearning a behavior is much harder than learning one. Retraining the brain to think positively can be quite difficult. Medication will only be a Band-Aid on top of the real wound. For people who regain their physical health during the healing process, it tends to be much harder to heal emotionally.

Talking to a professional regularly is not only encouraged, but needed. Developing a support group of positive influences can do wonders for the rehabilitation of the mind. These doctors will not tell you one day that you are cured. They will not tell you it is safe to go back to your old lifestyle. They will however tell you at some point you are emotionally ready to be on your own more.

Trust is something that is lost when someone is in a complete state of depression and realizes they have a problem. Trusting others can be hard to do, but the goal is to be able to be healthy enough to trust your own decisions.

A cure for depression may not be available, but tons of information and ways to cope and help are everywhere given someone learns the avenues to look. Find here a detailed article → How to Deal With the Depression: Basics and Beyond.

Ask yourself if you have the blues with the symptoms listed above. Then ask yourself if you have the symptoms that define the blues from depression. If you can honestly answer these, you are on the right track to a healthy mental state and future.

Ways to Manage Depression

Although doctors have yet to find a cure, managing the condition has had very positive results.

Antidepressants can be used to regulate the chemical imbalance. This method is used to decrease or increase the amounts of neurotransmitters in the brain and body. It gives us the ability to be able to have normal emotions again. It is almost impossible to try and process a rational thought when our emotions are out of control.

Making decisions becomes increasingly difficult. If someone were intoxicated they wouldn’t be able to make a clear decision as they normally could. This is because their thought process has been altered in some way. It can be compared to the same type of situation when depression has altered our ability to think clearly. People may take chances on things they normally would not, knowing the damage it may cause.

Changing what is on the menu has also had positive effects on the battle against depression. When our body starts to feel better, a sense of well-being can be more readily accepted by our brain. Learn more here on → Foods for Fighting depression.

Exercising has done wonders for managing depression. It is a well-known fact that endorphins are released when working out. The delivery system of endorphins gives us a sense of happiness. The bonus of time spent reflecting while doing something healthy can also boost our spirits. Find here → 11 Great Physical and Mental Exercises for Depression with Benefits.

Taking medications and changing our physical is only part of the process of managing depression. Actively taking a role in counseling and therapy has to be enforced.

Medicine does allow our views to become clearer. Our thoughts seem more rational and our mood improves. Do not be fooled by this. As great as this may seem, it is not meant to be the ultimate cure. The implementation of our physical method of treatment is a stepping stone. The only way to fight depression until a cure is found is to follow through with all the necessary steps to treat it.

By the time we realize professional help and medication is called for, the damage is usually present already. Things we have done to ourselves and others will have emotional effects that need to be dealt with.

Depression is caused by our inability to cope emotionally as well as our inability to regulate our emotions. Coping with our past and future decisions has to be met with determination and action. In most cases, people will lapse back into negative behaviors which causes the condition to worsen. Learning to forgive other people and ourselves for things we have done is very important in recognizing we have an ongoing problem.

A cure may not come from a pill or injection. The only hope for curing the disorder is with long-term treatment enforced by our initiative to beat the disorder. When we start to feel better, do not make the mistake of thinking the problem is gone. It is still there. Stopping the medication before a professional can recommend it will only cause you to start all over. Ending therapy before someone can emotionally stabilize can lead to a relapse. This may prove to be more dangerous than before treatment was sought.

    Read more: How to Prevent Relapse and Recurrence of Depression

It is very discouraging to fail at anything. Fighting for happiness is one of the best causes to continue, even when we think we have found a cure.