Due to prolonged depression can be dangerous, let's seek treatment now!

According to the records of the National Institute of Health in the United States, some 80% of people who experience depression can recover within a few weeks and months after undergoing treatment. Unfortunately, in Indonesia, there is very little awareness of recognizing depressive symptoms and going to a psychiatric specialist or psychologist. As a result, many people simply ignore depression without seeking treatment or consulting a professional. In fact, if depression is not treated, its effects can be life threatening. Consider the following five consequences of untreated depression.

5 due to untreated depression

1. Heart disease

A number of recent studies have shown that the result of prolonged and untreated depression is a trigger for various types of heart disease. Starting from stroke, coronary heart disease, to heart attack.

Depression makes a person more susceptible to heart disease because of a hormonal imbalance in the blood. When depressed, the brain is constantly receiving threat signals.

Thus, the brain releases stress hormones, namely adrenaline and cortisol, into the blood. High levels of these two hormones increase blood pressure, make your heart beat irregularly, and over time damage blood vessels.

Research published by Oxford University in 2014 also revealed that people with depression are more likely to die from heart disease. Especially a few months after having a heart attack.

2. Addiction

If depression is not treated properly, you are at high risk for addiction. Whether it's addiction to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or gambling.

This is because some people mistakenly think that being addictive can help them deal with depressive symptoms. For example, feelings of hopelessness can disappear for a while because of drug use.

In fact, drugs actually cause more damage to brain circuits and body systems. As a result, the mood that is actually regulated by the brain becomes even more chaotic and difficult to control. After the effects wear off, the despair abounds.

3. Brain damage

There has been a lot of research looking at the effects of untreated depression on the brain. According to dr. David Hellerstein, a psychiatric specialist from the New York State Psychiatric Institute, depression causes abnormalities in brain structures in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate.

This can result in decreased cognitive function of the brain, namely thinking, communicating, making decisions, and remembering everything. In some cases, untreated chronic depression can also lead to mental disorders such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder.

4. Difficulty in building relationships with other people

In addition to the various consequences of depression that is allowed to affect health, your relationship with the people closest to you will also be disturbed. The human social spirit is regulated by the hormone serotonin.

Meanwhile, depression makes you deficient in serotonin. As a result, it becomes more difficult for you to socialize and build good relationships with the people closest to you, such as your spouse, children, and friends. You may prefer to be alone and away from family.

5. Suicide

Reporting from the health site WebMD, approximately 90% of people who commit suicide show symptoms of depression. So, depression that is left untouched can gradually increase your risk of dying from suicide. In fact, suicide is very likely to be prevented if you or someone closest to you asks for help from a health worker.

In people with depression, suicide is not a way to seek attention or a form of revenge on the person who hurt him, but more because of biological factors.

That is, they experience serious mental disorders that make the brain lose its cognitive ability to think clearly and weigh options. The chemical imbalance in the brain also triggers a feeling of despair, as if there is no point in continuing with life.

If you feel the urge to end your life, immediately ask for help from those closest to you and experts. You are also advised to consult directly with a psychologist or psychiatric specialist.

So, don't underestimate the symptoms of depression

These bad effects happen quite often because many people don't really care about this mental illness. Most think that depression is not a disease and will heal on its own. In fact, depression is a dangerous mental illness if not treated immediately.

So, let's start now to be more concerned with this mental condition. You can show concern and support campaigns about depression and mental illness by joining events Ribbon Run.