Feeling down is a symptom of Depression. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called a major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living.

More than just about the blues, depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply "snap out" of it. Depression may require long-term treatment. But don't get discouraged. Most people with depression feel better with medication, psychotherapy or both.

Depression comes in many forms and flavours. First and foremost, it is a mood disorder – meaning that it affects the way we feel. But more than being a mood problem, depression often comes with other symptoms such as physical symptoms, cognitive symptoms (e.g. poor concentration), and even behavioural symptoms (e.g. loss of interest in one’s usual hobbies).

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What is depression - what does it look, sound and feel like?

One of the most immediate tell-tale symptoms people think about or people probably have seen before is "Low Energy" or "Moodswings".

So there's a crying-kind and of course, other symptoms that go along with it will be a sense of lack of motivation.

There's a loss of passion and pleasure in things that they probably used to do or love to do before.

And also, the fluctuation in appetite, sleep, disturbance and sense of guilt as well.

So these are all the general characteristics of depression besides other more severe presentations

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What causes depression?

The cause of depression can be rooted for many reasons. So, let us introduce the Bio-Psychosocial Model, the approach depicts and also describe what exactly could be happening.

Also, this term can be described as the Multi-Faceted Approach in looking at depression.

The Bio aspect looks at a few areas. One will be a genetic predisposition, although researchers can't confirm or be too sure to indicate that there is a connection in terms of the possible predisposition in our gene.

So this could be one other factor followed by some biochemical imbalance that's where experts believe that medication prescribed is often only to manage or to help individuals to function better.

So that is the Biological aspect. For the Psychological aspect;

Psychological could be when the individual experiences certain negative thoughts. Certain emotional dysregulation happening in their mind that they find it hard to regulate and also manage.

As for the Social aspect, it could be their family support and input. The effects of their upbringing and the environment they grew up in, or the people that they interact with or perceive as.

In spectrum, the Biopsychosocial Model studies more on the multifaceted aspects contributing towards depression.

The short answer is: We don’t really know for sure! There is no single cause or explanation for depression, which can be caused by a combination of biological, psychological and social factors.

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Why should men seek help asap if they are having depression?

It’s important to seek help early because the longer one suffers through depression, the worse it gets and the harder it becomes to find one’s way out. Depression reduces our ability to function well at work or at home – we are less able to concentrate and make decisions, we are less motivated.

And the thing about men that is quite unique is that men typically look at depression as feeling down. Nothing more.

Crying is one of the most essential symptoms but men typically don't cry, not because they are unable to feel but because of the cultural norm that they are being brought up with.

That crying is not something that is a normal thing for men to do.

If they don't cry that does not mean that they are not depressed but just that, the majority of men do not exhibit this "facade" or express it through crying. Therefore the difference between men and women is both choose to express themselves differently. One of the most common ways of expressing is to express anger.

Anger is an expression many use to unburden themselves because they are feeling stressed up and sometimes this could be depression expressed in the form of anger.

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Why do men tend not to seek help for depression?

Men tend to fend off the idea of depression, but instead, believe, that they are just feeling down. In fact, men would rather deny what they truly feel because this image is not "Manly".

These feelings don't look good for men and portray them as weak. That's the stigma. Men believe when they have depression, they are lacking willpower.

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Conclusion

Getting treatment for depression is essential because, without it, you can slip into a deep, dark place that you’re unlikely to climb out of on your own. For both, men and women.

Better understanding of your emotions can help you to find the right treatment and overcome it. Or most importantly, taking action.

Tune in to our podcast as we help you understand better by talking about issues pertaining to men’s mental health and relationships. With us for this episode, Eugene Chong, the principal counselling psychologist at Seeding Minds to help us understand "Depression".

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Source: Eugene Chong, Mayo Clinic, WADT Podcast