No, OITNB’s Sam Healy, Depression Isn’t ‘All In Your Head’

Clinical depression can most commonly be caused by genetics (it runs in your family), your environment (experiencing a ‘trauma’ e.g. a death of someone important to you), activity in your brain (an imbalance of chemicals in your brain), or a combination of the above. However, all of the different types of depression (‘manic depression’ or bipolar, seasonal affective disorder or ‘seasonal depression’, major depression etc.) have something in common – they do actually have physical symptoms, and, once you have been diagnosed in some way, side effects.

When Brook Soso, an Orange is the New Black character, confronted a prison councillor/officer about how she thought she might be suffering from depression, the worker brushed it off and attempted to assure her by claiming that depression is ‘all in your head’. This is actually quite incorrect.

The physical symptoms/side effects of depression can vary according to the type of depression, so the only ones listed here will be of the most kind of depression: major depression.

Major depression, on webmd.com’s ‘major depression guide’, is characterised by a constant feeling of sadness and/or apathy. This also includes a loss of interest in activities or relationships you previously felt passion or enthusiasm towards.

If you suffer from major depression, the following physical effects might affect your life (bear in mind that people with major depression can experience little side effects, all of the side effects below or a combination of them):

• A significant gain or loss of appetite.
• Significant weight loss or weight gain (see previous side effect) – a change of over 5% of your body weight in a month.
• Insomnia (insufficient sleeping) or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping), both of which can make a person feel tired constantly.
• A general feeling of lethargy or chronic fatigue, which is constant fatigue; so fatigue that is almost every day (sometimes, people with mood disorders are also diagnosed with ‘chronic fatigue’ separately, but most times, it is an effect of having a mood disorder).
• Restlessness or ‘feeling slowed down’.
• Lack of ability to concentrate and/or indecisiveness.
• For biological females, irregular periods.

Emotional side effects of major depression include:

• Frequent feelings of worthlessness, or guilt (for example, some people who are being treated or looked after for major depression might feel like a burden to the people who have to take care of them)
• Frequent thoughts and even considerations of death and/or suicide (if you are having these feelings at any time, even if they are uncharacteristic of your behaviour, you must tell a professional, a hotline or a family member/friend as soon as possible).
• As mentioned before, vastly decreased interest and/or pleasure in the majority of activities.

While these may not sound like they would hinder a person’s life too much separately, most people who suffer from major depression suffer from at least half of the side effects above. Life is difficult, as an understatement, when you have a disorder that majorly affects your mood, but with these physical side effects, too, life and basic tasks can be even more difficult and taxing for a person.

If you, yourself have major depression or any other kind of mood disorder, research the side effects which you could experience, and look out for them in yourself. From there, you can lead a safer and more comfortable life by being aware of exactly what you are dealing with and planning to work around it and still live your life to the fullest that you can. If you’re in any way responsible for someone with major depression or any other kind of mood disorder (from spending time with them as a friend to being their spouse) and you have knowledge of it, research which side effects they could have, and ask them what they have if they feel it is acceptable to do so. That way, you, too, can contribute to making their lives easier and more comfortable, by looking out for those things and ensuring that your activities and life in general cater to their potential needs.

Catering to your own/a friend’s major depression needs could include:

• Being aware of their/your energy limits – e.g. being prepared to leave an event early, or planning an event to last only as long as the person will have enough energy for.
• Ensuring they/you stick to a regular sleeping pattern – if you think the person sleeps too much or not enough, try to ensure that they go to bed and wake up at a time that will encourage them to sleep for a healthier period of time.
• If you are studying/working with them/yourself, introducing short breaks frequently or longer breaks less frequently – this person might have trouble concentrating, so introducing incentives to be productive or breaks to keep them enthusiastic and absorbing information or getting things done can really help them along. A general example of ‘An incentive’ to be productive could be ‘work for a certain amount of time and do an activity/interact with someone you want to’.
• Ensuring that someone eats a healthy amount – this person may have trouble eating or eat too much. If they eat too much, try and encourage them to only eat when they’re hungry (snacking is okay if you’re hungry). Perhaps also establish limits to certain foods they eat too often that could be bad for them. If they don’t eat enough, that’s a more difficult situation because you can’t force someone to eat. Despite this, there are methods you can try, like giving the person smaller portions and easing them into larger ones, or encouraging them to eat a little quite frequently, instead of having one massive meal every few hours.

These are merely a few examples. Be aware that the person at hand could have different, more or less side effects, and it could be for a different mood disorder entirely. Plan accordingly.

Thus far, depression has no known cure – but there are ways in which you can make someone with depression’s life easier. Be equipped, and know how to.

Disclaimer – I am not a professional psychiatrist or doctor of any kind. If you need help beyond this, do not hesitate to go to someone who is more equipped to deal with it. I can answer some questions on depression and anxiety, but again, I’m no expert.