Are you a freshman? What do you think about your new school life? Surely, your university life shows some difference from middle and high school in your adolescence. As you are starting as new life in university, it is common to feel a sense of detachment. Recently, there was a report that the number of university students showing completely maladaptation is increasing.
Maladaptation is the inability to adapt or change, and is often connected to depression. There are many causes of depression in university life. It is normal to feel dissatisfied with university right now, to have difficulty studying major subject classes, and to have some quarreling with lover. However, people who are suffering from depression feel just self‐denial, not joyfulness and sadness. As bad or severe incidents occur and the stress builds up in mind ―individual variation exists, of course― the anger will be locked inside voiceless patients.
Blue Cho
In this point of view, Cho Sueung-hui may have been a victim of some forms of depression. You may remember the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history which occured recently. The Virginia Tech campus was envoloped in a shooting rampage, tragically taking 32 students and few professors' lives. Cho Seung-hui, the 23-year-ole gunman, was identified as a loner suffering from psychological problems. The police investigation revealed that Cho was evidently on medication for depression. Although there was not clear evident that he was clinically depressed during his shootings, he clearly suffered from depression and other metal disease. Even though external wound does not exist, he was certainly wounded mentally.
Depression ≠ just Sadness, Delusion, Laziness
Mostly, common people confuse two concepts, just sadness and depression. There are some symptoms of depression that are different from temporary feelings of sadness. Emptiness and an unreasonable persistence of sadness explain the concept of depression well. Thoughts of suicide, self‐denial and the loss of a desire to do anything are major characteristics, which are different from temporary sadness. Above all, it is important to recognize that self‐denial, a specific symptom of depression, is not the same delusion of mental disease.
Patients under depression’s delusion consider themselves problematic. On the other hand, a maniac suffering major delusions of mental disorder put a basic problem on the world against himself. Likewise, the loss of a will to do anything can be differentiated from simple laziness. In the case of unwillingness to do something caused by depression, there are troubles inside the person.
However, in the case of simple laziness, people often overlook their work without severely suffering. In addition, insomnia and a change of appetite are some symptoms of depression. Actually, in this part, there are some exceptions. In the case of atypical depression, the patient just sleep and sleep, or the person is able to experience improvement of appetite. The increase of an amount of eating is not the result caused by good health, but some types of behavior in which a person tries to stuff his or her own incessant emptiness.
Two Kinds of Depression
Actually, there are many kinds of depression. Most people consider depression major depression, one type of depression. People with major depression may experience persistent sadness, loss of interest in pleasurable activies, changes in body weight and sleeping patterns, loss of energy, and suicidal thoughts. If major depression is left untreated, symptoms may become more frequent and severe over time. Second, bipolar disorder, or manic depressive disorder, involves extreme mood swings and affects about 1 percent of the population.
As the word 'bipolar' implies, bipolar disorder is composed of two main phases: the manic phase and the depressive phase. The manic phase is characterized by high self-esteem, increased energy, a flow of ideas, extreme talkativeness, as well as behaviors that often bring disaster, such as increased risk taking, promiscuity, and reckless spending. In its milder forms, this phase is sometimes associated with great creativity, and some well-known figures have had periods of intense output during their manic phases. The depressive phase is marked by sleep disturbances, feelings of worthlessness, and decreased ability to experience interest and pleasure, like major depression.
Cure for the Blues
Several treatments for depression are available. Many depressed people have an imbalance of neurotransmitter, particularly the biogenic amine serotonin. Some medications are intended to correct such imbalances. The most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant drugs are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). As the name implies, these medications increase the amount of time that serotonin is available to stimulate certain neurons in the brain.
In 1987, Fluoxetin (commonly known as Prozac) became the first SSRI approved to treat depression. Many patients complained of suffering side effects, such as throwing up, at the early stage of dose. In addition, it is difficult for SSRI to combine with other medicine, though SSRI just works only at serotonin. As a result, the value of SSRI is often underestimated. Furthermore, stopping the dose of SSRI suddenly may cause more discomfort, temporarily. Over about two months, reducing the amount of the dose is desirable. Serotonin Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI) is another antidepressant drug. The way of regulating secretion of both Serotonin and Noradrenaline is able to show more influence as it is not limited to one hormone.
Actually, doctors and psychoanalyst say that non‐medication therapy by the help of friends or family is better than medication‐using method. Surely, the activities such as listening to music, drawing, or dancing also have meaning, but they always emphasize that the best cure is concern and love. If you're suffering from depression, keep in mind that the most important factor in regulating your mood and health is only you.
