Let me start by giving a short story about John, a High School teacher, who committed suicide last year. As a child he was a jovial and highly social child, he grew up to this great socialist. He would make new friends in a niche of time. After campus those who knew him say, he had an easier ride looking for a job, because of his friendly nature. Years later, and the recession was here with us. In a bid to cut down the salary bill, his employer had to lay off some workers, using age to decide who goes and who remains.

Unfortunately John was among the leaving group. This is a career he had pursued for the last twenty years, for him life was simply over, the responsibilities became too much to handle, and he took the way out. Could they have avoided this? I believe there was a cure; the signs must have been all over that he suffered of depression. Just like most of us, I am sure John and those around him, ignored the signs.

Depression is among the top causes of suicidal deaths; this is especially because people write off the signs of this monster. To be able to effectively control depression it is important to understand what depression is and how best to deal with it.

Signs and symptoms

• Fatigue, feeling fatigued without any hard work during the day could be a sign you are straining your mind
• Lack of sleep (insomnia), or too much sleep. In most cases people will lose sleep, but for some they will find themselves sleeping more
• Constant mood swings and emotional feelings
• Loss of interest in life, sex, food, music and almost everything around you
• Feelings of self hate and worthlessness, this is one of the symptoms of advanced depression, otherwise known as clinical depression.

Causes

We now know the common symptoms, what actually causes depression? There are several possible causes of depression. Among them stress, loneliness, rejection and lose of something on likes.

Stress is a major cause of depression. This is when the stress levels are not controlled, leading to greater brain illness know as depression. When you exceed the normal stress limit, you are straining you brain, which is not good as it will lead to depression and feeling of emptiness.

Loneliness is another possible cause of this fatal monster. Those who feel lonely, feel they are not worth it. This feeling causes them to hate themselves and to withdraw from society. They end up doing too much thinking for their brains to handle, and suicidal tag along.

Social rejection has been known to cause stress to people, sometimes resulting to depression. This is especially when someone you really like, betrays you or walks away from you. The most important thing we should realize is that, there is no one person meant for you. Someone better will come along and the memories of those that leave will be just memories and that is all. It is difficult however for humans to accept, some one left. You find yourself all alone, blaming yourself and this heightens the feeling of worthlessness.

Lose of a source of income, causes many people grieve and unending stress. It is worse if you have dependants, they want you to continue providing, the pressure becomes too much, choking you to your death. Apart from suicide, depression is known to cause heart related illness, and even ulcers.

Preventions and Treatments

There are various treatments available for depression, ranging from self treatments to over the counter treatments. All you have to do is consider which level you are at.

Where you feel worthless and think of suicide as an option, it is be best to seek help from a psychiatrist or psychology. They will take you through a healing process which will work to avert the situation.

Antidepressants are common over the counter treatments that one can use. Coffee also falls into this category. They will relieve your mind the excess thought that you have accumulated. They have a relaxing effect on the brain; this to some level suppresses the stress one is experiencing.

Exercise regularly. By indulging in exercises, draw your mind away from possible stress triggers. By doing this you will avoid unnecessary stress, exercise should also help you get enough sleep, this is because the body relaxes.

Mingle with people. Find fun social activities to take part in. When you interact with others, you get rid of the of loneliness. You will also realize that you are not the only person going through hell in the world. You will also discover fascinating facts about your life; this will make you appreciate yourself more.

Lastly it is important to learn effective stress management techniques. They will help you deal with stress, and control stress levels to a manageable level. All the best in your quest to handle depression, hope this works for you.