DOWN But Not OUT

You are a young, rich and successful Chief Executive Officer in one of the highly thriving companies in the Metro. No doubt about it, you can have everything that you need and want – the things that ordinary people can only dream to own. Yes, you’re very lucky.

Upon arriving at the office, you receive news that will change the way you live and the way you look at life… at least temporarily. The company that you are working for was sold to a rival company and unfortunately, it is owned by your previous fling whom you have not spoken with in ages. Right then and there, you knew that it will be the start of the downward spiral.

The cycle goes on for months and the moment you wake up in the morning, you don’t resist the urge to go back to sleep again, but then who wouldn’t? You were out all night drinking yourself stale at the bar because you just couldn’t accept that the perfect life that you were once living has been shattered into a million pieces with that news that you received several months ago. You are going through depression.

“Very often, the patient feels depressed, frustrated, and has lost interest in work and other activities, but this can be because he has experienced one failure after another or has gone from one job to the next,” Scott Shapiro M.D.

Source: cnn.com

How common is it and what are its manifestations?

Approximately 50% of adults with ADHD consult their clinicians with the feeling of inability to sleep, poor appetite, and sluggish or slow movement. Some manifest the extremes such as volatile behavior and irritability. This leads to a comorbid diagnosis of depression.

Oftentimes, the patient comes in with their family member or a friend who recounts their observations on the person who has experienced some rather negative symptoms such as withdrawing from conversations with family and friends. Sometimes, they just stare into blank space devoid of any emotions like grief, joy, and pleasure. These individuals are sometimes caught in the act of performing suicidal acts.

“Adults with ADHD were up to nearly five times as likely to die over a 10 year period, primarily due to accidental injuries and to a lesser extent, suicide,” writes Mark Bertin M.D.

Source: cnn.com

Overeating and forcing themselves to vomit afterward can be seen as an eating disorder which is relatively common among those who suffer from depression. These people tend to eat everything in their reach and sight in one sitting, get bloated on the next and then throw up everything that they have taken in later.

There is a certain percentage of individuals who fall into the category of severe depression. It is the state wherein they just totally forget how to take care of themselves and cannot even bring themselves to take a bath and groom themselves well. They totally miss out on everything that is going on in their home and even the world.

How it Happens

Crazy as it may sound, it doesn’t happen overnight. You may have your reasons for falling into that endless pit of emotions that seem to drown you every night of your life. Yet, the human emotions have a so-called coping mechanism, in which your brain revs up those stored endorphins in order for your body to fight that tide that seems to pull you down. It helps you try to find some ways to make your thoughts busy with some other things so as not to focus on the downside of the incident that has happened in your life.

Heredity Plays a Role

Traveling down memory lane, you remembered that somewhere in your childhood while visiting some of your relatives, you noticed a strange man who was sitting in the corner of your aunt’s house. He is your eldest cousin. You remember trying to talk to him and introducing yourself to him, knowing that free-spirited child in you. Yet you get no response from him and all he did was stare out the lawn, not moving a single inch. Genetics has a major contribution on how ADHD and depression develop. If one of your family members is suffering from these conditions, the probability of having one or both is very high.

“Writing in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, a team of researchers found that, ‘If one person in a family is diagnosed with ADHD there is a 25%–35% probability that another family member also has ADHD, compared to a 4%–6% probability for someone in the general population,’” writes Samoon Ahmad M.D.

Source: health.com

Be Kind to Yourself

After identifying and convincing yourself that you are indeed in deep trouble, be kind to yourself and seek professional help. You can consult a psychiatrist who will devise a plan that is suited for you or for your loved one.

Also, pick up that phone and reach out to that single person whom you know you can trust your life with. He or she is just waiting for that phone call from you and will surely come to your aid if you need one.

Next, challenge yourself to do better in life. Sulking, partying all night and depriving yourself by staying in your room, and feeding those negative thoughts won’t be of help to you. Instead, be brave and go out into the world. There are a zillion other opportunities for you that you are missing out at this very moment.