What Researchers say about.......

Depression.

What is Depression?
Depression is a disorder that affects your thoughts, moods, feelings, behavior and even your physical health. People used to think it was "all in your head" and that if you really tried, you could "snap out of it" or just "get over it." But researchers now know that depression is not a weakness, and it's not something you can treat on your own.
It's more then just feeling sad. Depression is a medical disorder with a biological and chemical basis.

Types of depression.
The main types of depression include:

Major depression. This type of mood disturbance lasts more than two weeks. Symptoms may include overwhelming feelings of sadness and grief, loss of interest or pleasure in activities you usually enjoy, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt. This type of depression may result in poor sleep, a change in appetite, severe fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Severe depression may increase the risk of suicide.

Dysthymia. Dysthymia (dis-THI-me-uh) is a less severe but more chronic form of depression. Signs and symptoms usually aren't disabling, and periods of dysthymia can alternate with short periods of feeling normal. Having dysthymia places you at an increased risk of major depression.

Adjustment disorders. If a loved one dies, you lose your job or you receive a diagnosis of cancer, it's perfectly normal to feel tense, sad, overwhelmed or angry. Eventually, most people come to terms with the lasting consequences of life stresses, but some don't. This is what's known as an adjustment disorder — when your response to a stressful event or situation causes signs and symptoms of depression. Some people develop an adjustment disorder in response to a single event. In others, it stems from a combination of stressors. Adjustment disorders can be acute (lasting less than six months) or chronic (lasting longer). Doctors classify adjustment disorders based on the primary signs and symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Bipolar disorder. Having recurrent episodes of depression and elation (mania) is characteristic of bipolar disorder. Because this condition involves emotions at both extremes (poles), it's called bipolar disorder or manic-depressive disorder. Mania affects your judgment, causing you to make unwise decisions. Some people have bursts of increased creativity and productivity during the manic phase. The number of episodes at either extreme may not be equal. Some people may have several episodes of depression before having another manic phase, or vice versa.

Seasonal affective disorder. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a pattern of depression related to changes in seasons and a lack of exposure to sunlight. It may cause headaches, irritability and a low energy level.

How common is Depression?
It's as common as the Common Cold.
According to the World Health Organization, it's the Third Most Common Illness in the World after Infectious diseases & Heart disease.
It's the 4th to the 10th most frequent diagnosis made by the family doctor.

Who is at risk to get Depression?
All of us are!
An alive human being (with fair intelligence) is the greatest risk!!
As confirmed by scientific data ¼ to 1/3 of us are going to have it once in lifetime. Every 3rd female and every 5th male will have it at least once.

What are the causes of Depression?
· Biological
· Psychological
· Social

Biological causes:
I. Chemicals / Neurotransmitters:
Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers, which are critical in the transmission of nerve impulses in our brain and nerves. The level of certain neurotransmitters, NORADRENALINE & SEROTONIN are decreased in the brain. Most of the medications used for treating depression (Anti depressants) help in elevating the levels of these chemicals in the brain.

II. Genetic:
For every possible physical and mental feature there is a gene in our cells. So is a gene for Depression. The parents of a depressed person are at a higher risk for depression. If a sibling has depressive illness then there is a 15% chance, that it will be there in another sibling .If the onset of depression is after the age of 40 yr. then chance of it being genetically transmitted is less.

III. Hormonal imbalance:
Though the exact mechanisms are not understood but imbalance of female sex hormones can lead to depression. Depressions in the postmenopausal and post partum (after delivery) period are the examples.

Psychological causes:
I. Personality/ Attitudes:
Following types of personality traits predispose to depressive illness.
· Very ambitious
· Anxious
· Obsessive/perfectionist
· Setting very high standards for self

Persons having above traits/attitudes are more likely to experience depressive episodes in their lives as compared to people who don't have such type of personality.

II. Coping strategies with life events:
How we deal with stressful events like separation/divorce/death, etc. determines how predisposed we are to depression.
People who are
· Impulsive
· Aggressive
· Self centered
Are more likely to have depression.

Social causes and social supports:
A lot of stressful life events like death/divorce/disease predispose to depression.

Interpersonal relationships matter a lot - good relations with the friends / spouse / siblings have a positive effect in preventing depression.

Single people are more prone to depression than couples.

Similarly, studies have found divorced persons to be more prone to depression.

What are the features of depression?
Most of the people who feel low and depressed are given a lot of advice by friends and relatives. It is automatically assumed that these feelings of low energy / low mood are just a matter of time and would get better if the individual made a little effort to feel good and happy.Persistence of such feelings of lethargy / low energy / low mood despite all this indicates that the person may be suffering from clinical depression. Following are the features that a depressed individual experiences.


Signs and symptoms

Two hallmarks of depression — symptoms key to establishing a diagnosis — are:

· Loss of interest in normal daily activities. You lose interest in or pleasure from activities that you used to enjoy.

· Depressed mood. You feel sad, helpless or hopeless, and may have crying spells.

In addition, for a doctor or other health professional to diagnose depression, most of the following signs and symptoms also must be present for at least two weeks.

· Sleep disturbances. Sleeping too much or having problems sleeping can be a sign you're depressed. Waking in the middle of the night or early in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep are typical. Decreased sleep--- the person gets up very early in the morning say, at 3 am & can't sleep again. Frequent awakenings. Poor quality of sleep.

· Reversed diurnal variation - everybody feels better in the morning but a depressed patient feels worst in morning & slightly better in noon to evening

· Impaired thinking or concentration. You may have trouble concentrating or making decisions and have problems with memory.

· Changes in weight. An increased or reduced appetite and unexplained weight gain or loss may indicate depression.

· Dryness of mouth

· Constipation

· Generalized body ache - lot of poorly localized pains and aches like headaches, abdominal pains. Restless, agitated, irritable and easily annoyed.

· Panic features like palpitations and sweating

· Fatigue or slowing of body movements. You feel weariness and lack of energy nearly every day. You may feel as tired in the morning as you did when you went to bed the night before. You may feel like you're doing everything in slow motion, or you may speak in a slow, monotonous tone.

· Low self-esteem. You feel worthless and have excessive guilt.

· Less interest in sex. If you were sexually active before developing depression, you may notice a dramatic decrease in your level of interest in having sexual relations.

· Thoughts of death. You have a persistent negative view of yourself, your situation and the future. You may have thoughts of death, dying or suicide.

BAD NEWS IS THAT THIS CONDITION CAN BE FATAL.
40% OF ALL SUICIDES REPORTED ARE IN PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION.
GOOD NEWS IS, IT IS EASILY DIAGNOSABLE & EASILY TREATABLE.