Depression is treatable! In fact, 85 to 90 percent of patients with depression can return to what they were feeling before the start of the illness. They can go back to the level of functioning that they had prior to their illness. Recovery depends on several factors including when treatment starts. We know that the sooner treatment begins the better the chances for the patient to recover fully. Before starting treatment, it is essential for a full psychological and physical examination. >This often includes interviews with the sufferer his or her family family or loved ones, blood, urine and radiological examinations. Sometimes rating scales such as the Beck’s Depression Inventory is used to assess the severity of the depression.

For Severe Depression

In severe cases of depression especially when associated with suicidal thoughts, refusal to eat or psychosis, admission may be necessary. These patients respond well to a form of treatment called Electro-convulsive therapy or ECT. This treatment is given under anaesthesia in a specialized setting.

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Elderly people are at higher risk of developing depression. There are many factors for this such as increased loneliness (empty nest syndrome – when the children leave home), death of spouse or peers, decreased activity, increase in physical illnesses and side effects of their treatment.

Often in the elderly, tiredness, anxiety, giving up on life and irritability are more common than low mood and sadness. Depression in the elderly causes poor attention and concentration leading to poor memory that can sometimes be mistaken for dementia. This is often termed, pseudo-dementia. Treating the depression improves the pseudo-dementia as well.

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I had always been an active, outgoing and sporting person but all this took a turn for the worse after the birth of my first child. My problem started during my pregnancy. I started feeling increasingly moody during this period. One moment I would feel totally miserable. My husband noticed these emotional drawbacks but we took it as a normal behavior during that time.

Soon, the baby arrived. Instead of feeling happy, I felt very burdened by the birth of my child. This gave me an intense feeling of hurts but I did not know why I could not accept the baby with joy and happiness. My relationship with my husband became increasingly tense. We were constantly in argument and never met eye to eye. I had extremely high expectations and this was usually very hard to fulfill. However, I was adamant that he should do things the way I wanted. At work, I was suffering with the workload and found it hard to juggle between home, work and the baby. (I was pretty much alone and had very little assistance). I rarely got to sleep well and my blood pressure was low.

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