This Saturday is the World Suicide Prevention Daywhich is the first cause of external death in our country, that is, the one that occurs unnaturally and that would be avoidable if there were more prevention, emotional education and resources for mental health.
Below suicide, there are some precipitating or risk factorsthe first of these being depression, a disease that must be treated as soon as possible to prevent it from getting worse.
What is dysthymia: main symptoms
One of the most difficult types of depression to diagnose is dysthymia, a long-term, ongoing and persistent depressive disorder that can begin in childhood or adolescence. According to the BBC, it affects around 6% of the world’s population, according to the WHO.
What are the symptoms of dysthymia? According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms typically come and go over the years, and their intensity can change over time. However, they usually do not go away for more than two months and episodes of major depression may occur before or during persistent depressive disorder, sometimes called “double depression”. Among the main symptoms are:
- Lack of interest in daily activities.
- Sadness, a sense of emptiness, depression.
- hopeless
- Tiredness and lack of energy.
- Low self-esteem, self-criticism, or feeling helpless or worthless.
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions.
- Excessive irritability or anger.
- Decreased activity, efficiency and productivity.
- Avoid social activities, isolation.
- Feelings of guilt and worries about the past.
- Lack of appetite or overeating.
- Difficulty sleeping.
In childrensymptoms of persistent depressive disorder can include depressed mood and irritability.
Causes and when to seek help
The Mayo Clinic states this the exact cause of this disorder is unknown, as it can include more than one cause. For instance:
- Biological differences: physical changes in the brain.
- Brain chemistry: a condition of neurotransmitters, natural chemicals in the brain that likely play an important role in depression.
- Hereditary traits: according to some studies, it may be more common in people whose blood relatives also have the disorder.
- Life events: traumatic events, such as the loss of a loved one, financial problems, or high stress for any reason.
It is important to know that there is no way to ensure that you avoid suffering from this depressive disorder, but it is essential that if you feel that something is not going well or you have any of the above symptoms, ask for help as soon as possible.
024, the phone against suicide
Of the 46,000 calls received since 024, the Ministry of Health’s phone against suicidea third was played by people under the age of 30, and a chat service will soon be integrated to “join young people”.
More news about the company
The latest data available are for 2020, the first year of the pandemic, in which 3,941 people committed suicide. In practice, these figures are considerably higher because many of the suicides have been recorded as other types of death: in the statistics only hangings remove any doubt that death was sought.
