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Depression
Depression
is a feeling of intense sadness that persists for a long period of time
(more than a month). After anxiety, depression is the most common
psychiatric disorder. Women are twice as likely to experience
depression than men although the reasons are not clear.
Depression
can be caused by emotionally upsetting events, especially those involving
a loss. It also tends to run in a family (heredity). Certain
drugs and medical conditions can cause depression directly by affecting
hormone levels or indirectly by having a negative impact on the quality of
life.
There are
two major classifications of depression, the unipolar and bipolar
depression. Unipolar depression is depressive disorders recurring in
a person's lifetime. Bipolar depression is also called maniac depression
with alternate symptoms of maniac and depression. A very common type
of depression is called dysthymia. It is a low-grade depression
recurring over a long time. The depressive symptoms may not be
disabling but can affect a person's enjoyment of life and social activity.
Seasonal affective depression (SAD) is also a common type of depression.
Some people become more depressed in the winter when the days are shorter
and darker.
The levels
of neurotransmitters in the brain are extremely important in controlling
depression. These substances carry impulses between nerve cells.
Low levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin can lead to depression
and anxiety. Other substances such as norepinephrine and dopamine
are also involved.
The symptoms
of depressions include: feeling of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt;
recurrent thoughts of suicide; poor appetite or increased appetite;
insomnia or hypersomnia, poor sleeping quality; being hyperactive or
inactive; loss of interest in usual activities; decrease in sex drive;
loss of energy and feeling of fatigue, inability to think and concentrate.
Depression
is often treated with drugs, such as selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase
inhibitors (MAO inhibitors), sedatives, etc. They all have mild to
severe side effects including agitation, anxiety, insomnia, tremors,
headaches, nausea, sexual dysfunction, dry mouth, drowsiness, weight gain,
low blood pressure. Depression can also be treated with
psychotherapy with or without drugs. Cognitive therapy can help
change a person's hopeless and negative thinking. Both group or individual
therapy can help a person gradually resume normal activity.
Physical
activity, consumption of high protein and complex carbohydrates help to
increase the levels of certain hormones and neurotransmitters, and
therefore, may help to relieve depressive symptoms. A person should
seek medical diagnosis immediately if there are recurrent thoughts of
suicide and the feelings of intense sadness last for several weeks or
more.
Herbal and
dietary supplements for depression:
St. John's Wort
5-HTP (5-hydroxy L-tryptophan)
SAMe
(S-denosylmethionine)
Lavender
Vervain
Ginkgo biloba
Multivitamin and mineral
complex
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