Depression Due To Confinement: Factors That Facilitate Its Appearance
Mood disorders are a very common form of discomfort, and of these, depression is one of the most common types. This is due, among other things, to the fact that there is a wide variety of experiences that make us more and more vulnerable to this psychopathology.
The set of situations that increase our chances of developing depression acts as a kind of psychological funnel: many different experiences, added to certain personal predispositions, can lead to similar results.
However, through years of research on this topic, the science of Psychology has provided evidence that there are situations with greater risk than others when it comes to promoting the onset of depression. And unfortunately, it seems that the experience of confinement due to a pandemic, like that of the coronavirus, is associated with several of them. Here I will talk about this phenomenon, confinement depression.
The first thing to be clear about this issue is that There is still no large, very conclusive research on the impact of COVID-19 confinement on mental health. of the Spanish or the general population; All of this is still relatively recent and is at the same time a complex phenomenon, the study of which requires many combined efforts. However, that does not mean that we know absolutely nothing about what it usually means for the human mind to undergo experiences of this type for weeks or months; There are similar precedents, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic of 2002-2004, among others.
On the other hand, although we know that radical measures to avoid contagion applied over large territorial areas tend to wear down the mental health of many people, that does not mean that confinement produces depression. Technically, the correct thing to do is to consider that confinement usually goes hand in hand with associated factors, which are what increase the chances of suffering from this psychological disorder.
And as always in these cases, it is necessary to put emphasis on the word “probabilities”: In psychology we almost always adopt a probabilistic approach when analyzing the implications that a social phenomenon has on the mental health of the population. No one is guaranteed to suffer or not suffer from depression because this psychopathology is statistically associated with what they are going through.
Finally, The term “confinement depression” does not mean that there is a psychological disorder that officially has this name. : The way this mood alteration is known is major depressive disorder, according to the most used diagnostic manuals in psychiatry and clinical psychology. Thus, confinement depression is simply depression whose causes include the importance of factors linked to confinement and everything that surrounds it: a certain social isolation, less movement, etc.
Confinement depression: factors that promote this disorder
These are the most important aspects that characterize confinement depression
1. Reduced social interaction
Social interactions are experiences that, in many cases, are mentally stimulating and are capable of providing us with incentives. With confinement, exposure to this type of stimuli, sources of small daily motivations, is reduced, and it is known that a lifestyle devoid of too many exciting or fun experiences is associated with the appearance of depression.
A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of developing depression. It is believed that this has to do with the fact that the state of health worsens (through lack of movement and proper nutrition), and depression is “fueled” by inflammatory processes in the body that can affect the nervous system.
3. Too much exposure to anxiety
In a context of pandemic confinement, it is much easier to suffer anxiety problems: many people feel helpless for not being able to go out whenever they want, for not being able to see loved ones normally, for what could happen with their work or your projects, etc. Related to this, sIt is known that suffering from anxiety is also associated with a greater likelihood of presenting depressive symptoms or even developing other psychopathologies such as addictions (which, in turn, also contribute to the emergence of major depressive disorder).
4. Lack of sleep
Such a radical change in habits as the move to remain in a situation of confinement, frequently, produces imbalances in sleep schedule. This disorganization often leads to problems sleeping well, or getting the necessary hours. And yes: little sleep also goes hand in hand with a greater risk of suffering from depression.
Are you interested in having professional psychological assistance?
If you are going through a confinement situation that is difficult for you and you notice that it is significantly damaging your emotional well-being, Get in touch with me. I am a psychologist specialized in the cognitive-behavioral model, one of the most effective and adaptable, and I have been working for years helping people to better manage the cognitive and emotional processes that arise when faced with the problems that life poses.
