I'm Still Human: Understanding Depression With Kindness (Expanded Edition - 2021)

Due to the physical symptoms, people who are depressed often go
‘doctor shopping’ - consulting various medical specialists for
investigation. This is usually followed by the typical explanation,
“There’s nothing wrong with you physically,” or “Mmmhhh…this
could be due to psychological factors,” before referring you for
depression treatment.
Depression is a ‘systemic disease’ – it affects the brain and various
organs in the body. It’s associated with neurotransmitter (brain
chemical), neuro-hormonal (blood chemical) and neuroimmunological
(immune system chemical) changes. That’s how it
affects physical health and leads to ‘doctor shopping.’
Though the basic symptoms of depression are the same, it has
unique features in different populations (Table 1):
Table 1: Unique features of depression in different populations
Population
Special features of depression
• Tend to perceive it as a sign of weakness.
Men
• Less likely than women to acknowledge and
express the feelings of sadness or
hopelessness.
• They tend to complain about fatigue,
irritability, sleep problems, and loss of
interest in work and hobbies.
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