Depression is a complex of psychological and physical symptoms. Low mood level or sadness is often the most prominent symptom. The common property of these symptoms is a decreased activity level in parts of the brain. THE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION-Depression may give one or more of these symptoms:-Low mood level or sadness.-Lack of joy or interest in activities that were joyful before.-Pessimism.-Feel of guilt of something without any substantial reason to feel so.-Inferiority thoughts.-Irritability.-Slowness in the thought process.-Slowness in interpreting sensorial stimuli.-Slowness of digestion or other internal physical processes, and symptoms caused by this slowness, for example inflated stomach, constipation or difficulties by urination.-Slow physical reactions.
Discouragement and adversities can surely make one feel like being in the bottom of the heap, so to speak. Take the case of a certain Mr. Miller. He was a man I met while traveling to Houston, Texas. We were seated next to each other in a bus and I could not help notice that he was teary-eyed. It was quite unusual but I felt instant concern for this old man. I boldly asked him if he was alright and asked whether I could be of any help? He looked at me and then I saw saddest pair of eyes I have ever seen in my whole life. Like water overflowing out of a dam, he poured out his life story. He told me that he was once a wealthy man but due to his gambling addiction and some bad business decisions, he eventually found himself bankrupt and saddled with debt. In short-he lost everything including his family. To make things worse, he discovered that his wife was having an affair, and that his one and only son was hooked on drugs, which explains why the boy was usually out of the house.
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES THAT PRODUCE THE SYMPTOMS:By depression there is a decreased amount of neurotransmitters in parts of the central nervous system, mainly deficiency of serotonin, but also to some extend of noradrenalin, acetylcholine, dopamine or gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA), or the nerve cells do not react properly by stimulation from neurotransmitters. A neurotransmitter is a signal substance that transmits the nerve signal through the junctions between two nerve cells.Serotonin and noradrenalin cause nerve cells to send impulses along to other nerve cells, and thus increase the activity in the brain. Deficiency of these substances causes slowness in parts of the brain, and that again causes the depressive symptoms.The role of GABA is the opposite, namely to slow down some nerve impulses, mainly those causing anxiety and panic response. Lack of GABA causes higher anxiety and easier panic response. Yet, lack of this transmitter also seems to cause depressive symptoms. This is because a too high activity in some brain processes may slow down other processes.
SAD symptoms are not only winter blues and subtle changes in eating and sleeping but also cravings for sweets and starches, fatigue,
2. Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disease) and cyclothymic disorder :In this condition there are periods with symptoms of depression - the depressive phase, alternating with periods of elevated mood level with increased mental and physical activity - the manic phase. In the manic phase, the affected person also sleeps poorly and has concentration difficulties. A mild form of this disease is called cyclothymic disorder.3. Manic disorder:This condition is characterized by abnormally elevated mood, by unrealistic optimism, by lack of sleep and by hyperactive behaviour. Many psychiatrists think that this disorder is simply the same disease as bipolar disorder where the depressive face has not yet occurred.4. Depression with mainly physical symptoms:Sometimes the physical symptoms of depression are alone or dominant, as for example: Digestive problems, constipation, difficulties with urination, slow response to sensorial stimuli or slow physical reactions.CAUSES OF DEPRESSION:Two or more factors can have an effect simultaneously to cause depression. Depression can be an independent disease, or a part of other disease. Depression is also divided into different subtypes according to cause.
Depression, like any other human illness, must be treated and given appropriate attention. To know whether you or people around you are suffering from the "blues", just try to look for these signs:
Meanwhile, the amount of serotonin, which is a brain chemical triggered by sunlight, is thought to increase with the lack of sunlight.
TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION:Serious or prolonged depression is often treated with anti-depressive medication. Medicines used against depression generally increase the level of neurotransmitters like serotonin in the central nervous system, or they mimic the neurotransmitters.The medications mostly used today increase the serotonin concentration by decreasing the removal of serotonin from the space around nerve cells. Examples of this medication type are: Fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), escitalopram (Lexapro, Celexa), sentraline (zoloft).By bipolar disorder in the manic face, heavy tranquilizers (neuroleptica) are used to stop the manic symptoms. By bipolar disorder, lithium salts are sometimes used to stabilize the condition, and prevent new outbreak of depressive or manic faces.Psychotherapy is sometimes used by depression, usually in combination with medication.
Sometimes serious depression is treated by applying electric shock through the head, electroconvulsive therapy. The shock induces epileptic eruption of nerve signals through the brain and this gives cramps throughout the body. The cramps are alleviated or stopped by applying anaesthesia before the electroshock. This form of treatment is controversial, since it can cause memory loss and is suspected of causing brain damage. The possibility of brain damage is however denied by most psychiatrists.By seasonal depression, light therapy maybe useful.Adjustment of lifestyle should always be considered by depression or depressive symptoms. Lifestyle measures can sometimes be enough to cure depressive symptoms before a serious depression develop. Lifestyle adjustments can be:
There exist several ways to treat SAD and experts think that the first approach should be light therapy. But patients with seasonal depression may respond better to treatment when the therapy is combined with medication.
Discouragement and adversities can surely make one feel like being in the bottom of the heap, so to speak. Take the case of a certain Mr. Miller. He was a man I met while traveling to Houston, Texas. We were seated next to each other in a bus and I could not help notice that he was teary-eyed. It was quite unusual but I felt instant concern for this old man. I boldly asked him if he was alright and asked whether I could be of any help? He looked at me and then I saw saddest pair of eyes I have ever seen in my whole life. Like water overflowing out of a dam, he poured out his life story. He told me that he was once a wealthy man but due to his gambling addiction and some bad business decisions, he eventually found himself bankrupt and saddled with debt. In short-he lost everything including his family. To make things worse, he discovered that his wife was having an affair, and that his one and only son was hooked on drugs, which explains why the boy was usually out of the house.
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES THAT PRODUCE THE SYMPTOMS:By depression there is a decreased amount of neurotransmitters in parts of the central nervous system, mainly deficiency of serotonin, but also to some extend of noradrenalin, acetylcholine, dopamine or gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA), or the nerve cells do not react properly by stimulation from neurotransmitters. A neurotransmitter is a signal substance that transmits the nerve signal through the junctions between two nerve cells.Serotonin and noradrenalin cause nerve cells to send impulses along to other nerve cells, and thus increase the activity in the brain. Deficiency of these substances causes slowness in parts of the brain, and that again causes the depressive symptoms.The role of GABA is the opposite, namely to slow down some nerve impulses, mainly those causing anxiety and panic response. Lack of GABA causes higher anxiety and easier panic response. Yet, lack of this transmitter also seems to cause depressive symptoms. This is because a too high activity in some brain processes may slow down other processes.
SAD symptoms are not only winter blues and subtle changes in eating and sleeping but also cravings for sweets and starches, fatigue,
2. Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disease) and cyclothymic disorder :In this condition there are periods with symptoms of depression - the depressive phase, alternating with periods of elevated mood level with increased mental and physical activity - the manic phase. In the manic phase, the affected person also sleeps poorly and has concentration difficulties. A mild form of this disease is called cyclothymic disorder.3. Manic disorder:This condition is characterized by abnormally elevated mood, by unrealistic optimism, by lack of sleep and by hyperactive behaviour. Many psychiatrists think that this disorder is simply the same disease as bipolar disorder where the depressive face has not yet occurred.4. Depression with mainly physical symptoms:Sometimes the physical symptoms of depression are alone or dominant, as for example: Digestive problems, constipation, difficulties with urination, slow response to sensorial stimuli or slow physical reactions.CAUSES OF DEPRESSION:Two or more factors can have an effect simultaneously to cause depression. Depression can be an independent disease, or a part of other disease. Depression is also divided into different subtypes according to cause.
Depression, like any other human illness, must be treated and given appropriate attention. To know whether you or people around you are suffering from the "blues", just try to look for these signs:
Meanwhile, the amount of serotonin, which is a brain chemical triggered by sunlight, is thought to increase with the lack of sunlight.
TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION:Serious or prolonged depression is often treated with anti-depressive medication. Medicines used against depression generally increase the level of neurotransmitters like serotonin in the central nervous system, or they mimic the neurotransmitters.The medications mostly used today increase the serotonin concentration by decreasing the removal of serotonin from the space around nerve cells. Examples of this medication type are: Fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), escitalopram (Lexapro, Celexa), sentraline (zoloft).By bipolar disorder in the manic face, heavy tranquilizers (neuroleptica) are used to stop the manic symptoms. By bipolar disorder, lithium salts are sometimes used to stabilize the condition, and prevent new outbreak of depressive or manic faces.Psychotherapy is sometimes used by depression, usually in combination with medication.
Sometimes serious depression is treated by applying electric shock through the head, electroconvulsive therapy. The shock induces epileptic eruption of nerve signals through the brain and this gives cramps throughout the body. The cramps are alleviated or stopped by applying anaesthesia before the electroshock. This form of treatment is controversial, since it can cause memory loss and is suspected of causing brain damage. The possibility of brain damage is however denied by most psychiatrists.By seasonal depression, light therapy maybe useful.Adjustment of lifestyle should always be considered by depression or depressive symptoms. Lifestyle measures can sometimes be enough to cure depressive symptoms before a serious depression develop. Lifestyle adjustments can be:
There exist several ways to treat SAD and experts think that the first approach should be light therapy. But patients with seasonal depression may respond better to treatment when the therapy is combined with medication.
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