Severe Crippling Depression (+Understanding what it is)

This article will discuss the concept of Severe Crippling Depression, it explains that this is a popular name for what is clinically known as major depression. It will show how people that have it might feel, and what factors cause it. 

Aside from that, the article will discuss how it differs from mild depression and what are the signs of other types of depression, and what are ways to treat and cope with them.

What is Severe Crippling Depression?

Severe Crippling Depression is the name used, although it is not a clinical term, to describe the severe depression that impacts a person’s ability to do even basic activities such as getting out of bed or going to work.

It is something that can happen quite often to people that have major depressive episodes, but people find it extremely hard to deal with it. For some people, it can last for a couple of weeks, or months, for others, it can be a long struggle, going on for years.

What causes Severe Crippling Depression?

Like other depressive disorders, major depression can be caused by multiple factors. Genetics, environmental, psychological, and biological. Although research has found that major depression can come from a greater impact on genetic history.  Major depression can also be caused because of a prolonged time with depression.

But as with other depressive episodes, life traumas, like going through a divorce or losing a loved one; brain chemicals, or the person’s psychological history such as being through a previous depressive episode are all factors that can increase a person’s chance to develop major depression.

It can also be caused by the constant exposure to stress, being through abuse or neglect in childhood, and physical illness such as heart condition or cancer.

Since it is not a clinical term, it is possible to say that some forms of depression can lead to Severe Crippling Depression. They can be:

  • Persistent Depressive Disorder

A depressive episode that goes on for longer than two years.

  • Bipolar Disorder

In bipolar disorder, the person lives through extreme highs and lows, and in its lows, people usually have difficulty doing their basic tasks.

  • Psychotic depression

A type of depression that causes the person to develop psychosis symptoms, such as hallucinations.

  • Postpartum depression

A type of depression a woman has after she has a baby that prevents her from bonding with the baby.

What are the symptoms of Severe Crippling Depression?

Severe Crippling Depression seems to have a bigger impact on a person’s life than other depressive episodes. Let’s check what are the main symptoms:

  • The permanent sense of sadness
  • Feeling of Emptiness
  • Fatigue
  • Feeling unworthy and hopeless
  • More irritable
  • Not feeling pleasure in activities
  • Less ability to focus
  • Low energy
  • Change in appetite pattern
  • Pains
  • Thoughts of death and suicide

Although all these symptoms can be seen in a person with other episodes of depression, what defines a major depression is its intensity. Being that when a person has a Severe Crippling Depression they tend to be more intense.

The diagnosis of Severe Crippling Depression tends to be made by a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist. And can be done after the person intensely presents those symptoms for longer than two weeks.

How can I treat and cope with Severe Crippling Depression?

There are many ways one can treat Severe Crippling Depression. It is important to find one that suits you best.

Some people might benefit from medication treatment. Through it, your brain can reach, once again, its chemical balance through the use of antidepressants. But while someone starts a medication treatment, it is important to remember that not everyone will react the same way to one medication. You and your doctor will discuss and look for the best medication that suits you.

Aside from that, psychotherapy is another important way to deal with Severe Crippling Depression. In that, the person will create, with their therapist, a safe, comfortable and supportive space to understand what could have been the cause of the depression and create strategies to deal with it.

If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can also be a way to treat major depression. In it, a doctor will electrically stimulate your brain, as you are under anesthesia to change the chemicals in your brain and find balance in it again.

Another way that can help you cope with Severe Crippling Depression is through some self-care strategies. They might help improve your mood even if only a little. Those strategies are:

  • Exercising

Through exercise, even if it is a small walk, one can manage to go outside, focus on what they are doing instead of the sadness, and also benefit from the endorphins that might run through your body after you exercise.

  • Meditation

Meditation can help you train your focus on your body and in your breathing. Aside from that, meditation can help you feel calmer.

  • Social support

Although when people are depressed they tend to isolate themselves, being close to people you love, be it friends or family, can help you feel more connected, supported, and less alone.

  • Try to remember it won’t always feel like this

Even though sometimes it might be hard to keep that in mind, it is important to keep in perspective that you will not be depressed forever. This doesn’t define you, it is something you are going through. But through treatment, it will get better soon.

  • Focus on small steps

When going through a major depressive episode doing the bare minimum might seem impossible. In this context, it is important to not overdo it. Plan small steps, and establish a simple routine, this way you can stop feeling like a failure, and also praise yourself for the things you accomplish. 

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ): What is Severe Crippling Depression?

What is Crippling Anxiety?

There are many types of anxiety, but Crippling Anxiety is a name given, as to Crippling Depression, to the form of anxiety that affects the person’s possibility to execute things in their life that they could do normally before.

Its main symptoms consisted of the feeling of panic or unsettlement, as well as feeling on the edge. It is also common for people to feel more irritable, and dizzy, with tight breathing, sweating, and increased heartbeat. People may also experience faster lines of thoughts, nausea, or other stomach problems.

People can treat Crippling Anxiety through therapy, and medication, with a psychiatrist. With this combined treatment, it will be possible to decrease the intensity of your symptoms, as well as discover what triggers you to become anxious.

Not only through that, one can cope with their Crippling Anxiety by exercising, meditation, and breathing exercises and not taking stimulants. It is important to hear your mind and body and learn what works for you.

Is Major Depression a disability?

Major depression can be considered a disability depending on the understanding of each country. But since Major Depression tends to impact how a person can do their everyday activities, in some countries, like the United States, it can be considered a form of disability.

It is usually through a medical consultation if, because of your major depression, you will not go back to work. They will attest that you have been having trouble doing basic life tasks, and because of that, you won’t be able to go back to work, as it might be a possibility of harm to you.

What are the main causes of teen depression?

Like all other types of depression, teenage depression is a mental illness that causes them to feel intense sadness, as it impacts how they feel and behave. But differently from adult depression, the depression in teen years can be highly impacted by their need for social approval and expectations in their study life.

In teenagers with depression, there will be behavioral changes, problems at home and school, and their social activity usually changes, they can start hanging out with other groups of friends, for example. Aside from the symptoms of depression that are normal as well to adults, teenagers can also experience conflict in their family life, self-criticism, and extreme sensitivity to rejection.

They might also start having a poor performance in school and less attention to their hygiene and self-image, as well as self-harming behavior. Teenagers can turn to cutting as a sign of depression.

The cause of teenage depression can be similar to adults, brain chemistry,  genetic history. But it can also be caused by abusive relationships during childhood, or because they learned a negative pattern of thinking, as well as because of the hormonal changes teenagers go through.

Can depression affect my memory?

Yes, it is believed that depression can affect a person’s memory, especially short-term memory. This happens because when a person is depressed they have a harder time concentrating and paying attention to things, this can impact how your brain saves the information, keeping you from memorizing things as well as you would before.

Why is it hard for people to look for mental health treatment?

There are different cultural reasons why people find it hard to look for mental health treatment, but it seems that one thing might be common to many cultures and that is the stigma that mental illness still has in our world.

People still tend to think of psychiatrists as a doctor for crazy people, or even that they might be committed to a hospital if they get diagnosed with a mental illness. So they try and avoid as much as they can looking for that type of support. 

Another reason might be that people don’t see mental health the same way they see the health in the rest of the body. We tend to do physical checkups yearly, but, although it’s becoming more frequent, it is hard to find people that are taking care of their mental health in a preventive way as a part of their life.

And finally, it might be from a lack of perception of the need for mental health treatment. Men especially tend to be more careless with their health, and their mental health is no different. They might consider that they are okay, or the problems will solve with time or by themselves.

Conclusion

This article discussed the concept of Severe Crippling Depression, also known as major depression. It showed how it differs from mild depression, and other types of the disorder. 

The article also discussed what are the causes of the Severe Crippling Depression, and its symptoms. It also showed what ways people can treat and cope with it.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to write in the space below.

References

Bains N, Abdijadid S. Major depressive disorder.[Updated 2021 Apr 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.

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