Question

1) How depression was discovered or how it has evolved over the years.

2) what are symptoms of depression throughout the life span across gender ?

3) What cause depression in different gender and different ages?

4) What is treatment of depression in different gender and different ages?

Answer 1

1) How depression was discovered or how it has evolved over the years.

Depression has been around for a long time and has been recorded in history - not as depression but as demonic possessions, ever since second millennium B.C, in Mesopotamia. Later on, there have been philosophers from across the world like Hippocrates and Cicero and have been termed 'Melancholia' that was characterized by loneliness and fear. Either dietary changes or lifestyle changes were advocated. In severe cases, people were admitted to 'mental asylums' were they were beaten or even tortured. Around the 19th century came an understanding of the illness and it was associated with the brain. Water immersion and other such techniques became popular. As recent as the 20th century, psychoanalysis came into being with the entry of people like Freud. Over the years and in the recent past, psychoanalysis has given rise to cognitive and behavioral therapies that are targetted to treating and understanding mental health issues, including depression.

2) What are symptoms of depression throughout the life span across gender?

The symptoms of depression are common across all ages and gender with a common feeling of "sadness and lack of pleasure in any or activities". The symptoms include:

1. Physical pains that are unresponsive to treatment
2. Anger and irritability
3. Continuous feelings of sadness
4. Loss of hope
5. Withdrawal from social activities
6. Low energy and enthusiasm
7. Guilt
8. Crying and feelings of worthlessness
9. Suicidal intentions and fantasizing death
10. Appetite increase or decrease
11. Excessive or total lack of sleep

Symptoms vary between children, teens, adults, and even gender based on their environmental setting and times. Children lose interest in school, teens get into drugs and alcohol. Girls are more likely to attempt suicide multiple times whereas boys tend to kill themselves at their attempt when they do one.

3) What causes depression in different gender and different ages?

Any history of violence and abuse leads to a higher probability of children developing depression. Physical health, social factors, genetic predisposition, and a biochemical imbalance are also causes of teens developing depression, in addition to abuse. Women are prone to depression due to childbirth or even menopause. Change in medication or the occurrence of a life-altering event can trigger depression.

4) What is the treatment of depression in different gender and different ages?

Medication, psychotherapy, and interpersonal therapies are most commonly prescribed and are effective in helping people cope with depression. Proper exercise, a balanced diet with good nutrition, getting adequate sleep, reducing stress, etc., are positive changes in people of all ages. Depression in children usually requires medical intervention followed by proper care. In teens, it is more focussed towards the development of identity and acceptance of the self. In adults, it is more about coping with life's problems and learning how to manage anxiety. Depending upon the individual, therapies are decided. There are individual and group therapies that help people handle depression. Women are more oriented towards developing a support system whereas men require treatments that target solving and coping with their life's problems.