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Tag: depression

  • Signs of Depression in India — When to Seek Help

    Crisis support: If you or someone you know is having thoughts of self-harm, call Vandrevala Foundation Helpline at 1860-2662-345 or 9999-666-555 (24/7), or iCall at 9152-987-821. Go to the nearest emergency department immediately.

    Depression is a common, treatable medical condition — not a character flaw or a sign of weakness. The WHO estimates that over 56 million people in India live with depression, yet stigma prevents many from seeking help. Recognising the signs early makes treatment more effective and recovery faster.

    Core Symptoms of Depression

    Clinical depression — major depressive disorder — requires symptoms lasting at least two weeks and significant enough to impair daily functioning. Key signs include:

    • Persistent low mood, sadness, or emptiness most of the day
    • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
    • Significant changes in appetite or weight
    • Sleep disturbances — insomnia or sleeping excessively
    • Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
    • Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
    • Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering
    • Restlessness or slowed movements noticed by others
    • Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

    How Depression May Look Different in India

    Somatic presentation

    Many Indians describe depression through physical symptoms rather than emotional ones — persistent headaches, body aches, digestive problems, or chest tightness. Doctors sometimes investigate these physically before identifying an underlying mood disorder. If medical tests are normal but symptoms persist, consider a mental health evaluation.

    Cultural and family factors

    Depression may be masked by overwork, social withdrawal explained as “needing space,” or irritability directed at family members. Women in particular may underreport symptoms due to caregiving responsibilities. Joint family dynamics can both support recovery and, in some cases, delay recognition of the problem.

    Seasonal and environmental triggers

    Major life transitions — job loss, exam pressure, marriage stress, migration, bereavement — are common triggers in India. Postpartum depression affects an estimated 15–25% of new mothers and is frequently undiagnosed. Monsoon-related reduced sunlight may worsen mood in susceptible individuals.

    Depression vs. Normal Sadness

    Grief after loss, disappointment, or stress is normal and usually resolves with time and support. Depression differs in its duration, intensity, and impact on functioning. If low mood persists beyond two weeks, affects work or relationships, or includes hopelessness, it warrants professional assessment — not just “waiting it out.”

    What You Can Do at Home

    • Maintain a daily routine — regular wake time, meals, and short walks
    • Stay connected with one trusted person, even when isolation feels easier
    • Limit alcohol, which worsens depression despite short-term relief
    • Get morning sunlight for 15–20 minutes to support circadian rhythm
    • Practice gentle movement — walking is as effective as structured exercise for mild depression
    Important: Home strategies support mild symptoms but do not replace treatment for moderate to severe depression. Therapy and medication are both evidence-based and widely available through psychiatrists and clinical psychologists across India.

    Getting Help in India

    Consult a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist through government hospitals, private clinics, or telemedicine platforms. NIMHANS in Bengaluru and similar centres in major cities offer affordable care. The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 guarantees access to treatment — insurance coverage for mental health is expanding. Talk to your family doctor first if you are unsure where to start; they can refer you appropriately. Sharing how you feel with one trusted person is often the first step toward recovery.

    When to Seek Professional Help

    • Symptoms lasting more than two weeks without improvement
    • Difficulty functioning at work, study, or home
    • Any suicidal thoughts, plans, or self-harm urges
    • Substance use to cope with low mood
    • Postpartum mood changes beyond two weeks after delivery

    Related Guides

    This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for your specific situation. Last reviewed: February 2026. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
  • As depression cases rise, doctors try to better understand the phenomenon

    As depression cases rise, doctors try to better understand the phenomenon

     
    By Mark Huffman

    What makes someone depressed? The question becomes more urgent as the number of cases of clinical depression increases.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates depression at some point affects about 9% of U.S. adults, leaving them with feelings of hopelessness, despondency, and sometimes guilt. The agency says major depression is the leading cause of disability for Americans between the ages of 15 and 44.

    Researchers have turned out study after study trying to better understand the condition. At the University of Washington a recent study suggested stress is a major trigger.

    A recent British study found over-achievers are more at risk of depression, because they become addicted to the Internet. Companies fail to notice the depression, the researchers conclude, because the sufferers are all successful.

    Since many of the cases of depression have appeared in the wake of the financial crisis, some researchers looked for – and found – a link to long-term unemployment. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans who have been unemployed for a year or more say they currently have or are being treated for depression.

    Physical illness

    Here’s a new theory. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is actually an infectious disease and not always caused by external influences.

    Turhan Canli, a psychology professor at Stony Brook University, suggests that major depression may result from parasitic, bacterial, or viral infection. He thinks depression needs to be reclassified from a mental illness to a physical one while research continues into its causes.

    “Future research should conduct a concerted effort search of parasites, bacteria, or viruses that may play a causal role in the etiology of MDD,” he said.

    Canli offers 3 arguments why reconceptualizing MDD as an infectious disease may pay off.

    For starters, patients with MDD exhibit physical symptoms like a loss of energy. Beyond that, inflammatory biomarkers associated with depression also suggest an illness-related origin.

    Viruses can alter behavior

    Canli says there is plenty of evidence that parasites, bacteria and viruses that infect humans can alter their emotional behavior. Finally, he cites the concept of the human body as an ecosystem for microorganisms and the role of genetics.

    There’s enough there, says Canli, to justify large-scale studies with depressed patients to see if there actually is a causal relationship between infectious disease and depression. A Northwestern University study, published in September, just might provide some ammunition.

    Researchers developed a blood test that measures the levels of 9 RNA blood markers which seem to be different in patients diagnosed with clinical depression, suggesting some kind of physical link.

    Depression symptoms

    The CDC says symptoms of depression can range from a sad mood and diminished interest in activities to dramatic weight gain or loss, fatigue and excessive and unjustified feelings of guilt.

    The condition also poses a substantial burden to the sufferer and friends and family. Interpersonal relationships are particularly likely to suffer when someone is depressed and the CDC says data suggest that few families or networks of friends are likely to remain unaffected.

    When major depression goes unrecognized and untreated the results can turn tragic. Consequences can range from ruined marriages to damaged careers to suicide.

    The CDC says this disorder is still misconstrued as a sign of weakness rather than being recognized as an illness.

  • Does Depression Cause Alzheimer’s Disease? Vitamin D Helps Both!

    Does Depression Cause Alzheimer’s Disease? Vitamin D Helps Both!

    Depressed people are twice as likely as those who are not depressed to develop certain forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study in the July 6, 2010, issue of Neurology.
    A health observer said caution needs to be exercised when interpreting the observations because the study merely revealed an association between depression and dementia; no evidence suggests a causal relationship.
    For the study, researchers examined data on 949 people who were free of dementia but evaluated for depressive symptoms at baseline.  Average age of the participants was 79 when they were enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study.
    alzheimer disease
    At the beginning of the study, a total of 125 people, or 13 percent of the participants, were diagnosed with depression.  At the end of the 17-year follow-up, 164 participants had developed dementia; of those participants, 136 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
    The researchers found 22 percent of participants who had depression at the beginning of the study ended up developing dementia, compared to about 17 percent of those who were not depressed.
    The trend held true after other factors were considered, including age, sex, education, and the APOE gene that is linked with increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
    Jane Saczynski, PhD, author of the study from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA acknowledged the study could not tell whether depression causes dementia or vice versa. However,  she said that depression might impact the risk of dementia in a number of ways.
    For one thing, she said “Inflammation of brain tissue that occurs when a person is depressed might contribute to dementia. Certain proteins found in the brain that increase with depression may also increase the risk of developing dementia.”
    “Several lifestyle factors related to long-term depression, such as diet and the amount of exercise and social time a person engages in, could also affect whether they develop dementia,” she added.
    One real possibility, the health observer pointed out,  is that depression and dementia share some common cause.  He said vitamin D may be the link between the two.
    Nanri A and colleagues from the International Medical center of Japan in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan found that in November, people with  serum levels of vitamin D falling in the highest quartile were 49 percent less likely to experience depression.  The same association was also observed in winter, but not in July.
    They published their study of 527 municipal employees aged 21 to 67 in the Aug 19, 2009 issue of European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
    C. D. Shipowick  of Washington State University in Richland, Washington and colleagues conducted a small trial and found that women who took vitamin D supplements experienced a decline in the Beck Depression Inventory -II scores suggesting that vitamin D helps depression.
    They published the study in the Aug 2009 issue of Applied Nursing Research.
    Additionally, vitamin D helps prevent dementia, such as that exhibited in those with Alzheimer’s disease.
    Buell J.S. and colleagues,from Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, published a study in the Jan 5, 2010 issue of Neurology stating that elderly people with vitamin D insufficiency were twice as likely to have dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, compared to those with adequate levels of vitamin D.
    The health observer suggested that it’s no use to blame depression for dementia and that it would be a mistake to try to treat depression in an effort to prevent Alzheimer’s.
    He suggests that it is essential for us to find the causes that trigger depression and dementia and get rid of them; to do otherwise would merely treat symptoms.