Depression What Is Depression?
An emotional and mental state of extreme sadness, disappointment and frustration that disturbs normal patterns of behavior. It has a range of severity and ia a very common disorder that affects more women than men. Types Of Depression:
 Doctors generally distinguish between two types:
1. Reactive Depression: (Also called exogenous) starts as a natural reaction to a stressful situation or event. Reasons include death of a family member, isolation because of unemployment, a marriage problem or financial worries.
2. Endogenous depression: With no obvious cause, endogenous depression, can be caused by changing hormone levels or can develop after an illness, such as glandular fever or infectious hepatitis. How Depression Occurs And Why?
Depression can include both emotional and physical symptoms - both types are controlled by chemicals called neurotransmitters. Although emotional symptoms have traditionally been used to detect depression, research shows that physical symptoms are also very common and should not be overlooked. The body has nerve pathways that determine how it handles pain sensations and emotions. The spinal cord is the central 'street' along which messages go back and forth to organs, nerves and cells. These messages are relayed by neurotransmitters in the brain, and regulate emotions and sensitivity to pain. However, when these neurotransmitters go out of balance, a person can become depressed and is more likely to feel pain or other physical symptoms. Symptoms Of Depression:
 Anyone may feel depressed at some time in life, but depression becomes an illness only when the symptoms are long-lasting or severe enough to interfere with normal functioning over a period of months or years. Symptoms of depression include weepiness, inability to feel pleasure, forgetfulness, low self-esteem, changes in appetite, weight gain or loss, sleep disturbances and insomnia and headaches. Also, indigestion, restlessness, loss of interest in work, lethargy, feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, anxiety, mood shifts, fatigue, stooped posture, sad facial expression and inability to think or concentrate. Thoughts of death and suicide can occur in the severely depressed. Depression does have other symptoms which we don't usually associate with emotional distress - such as unexplained aches and pains, or digestive problems.
Checklist Of Symptoms:
- Depressed or irritable mood much of the time
- Loss of interest or pleasure in life
- Constant feeling of excessive guilt
- Reduced level of concentration; indecisiveness.
- Significant weight gain or weight loss when not actually dieting.
- Unexplained lack of sleep, excessive sleepiness and fatigue.
- Psychomotor agitation or retardation occurs nearly everyday, manifesting as excessive restlessness or complete listlessness.
- Recurrent thoughts of suicide
- Difficulty in managing diabetes or other chronic illnesses.
- Aches or pains that don't improve.
- Digestive problems, headaches, backaches, chest pain or occasional dizziness.
- Family history of depression.
Treatments / Solutions Of Depression:
 If you manifest five or more of the above, you should consult a doctor. Depression is a biological illness which needs as much attention as any other illness. Patients need support and patience from friends and family members, while counseling and medications can be treatment options. But medication should only be taken as directed by a doctor, and may have to be continues for weeks or months to prevent recurrences. Treatment depends on the set of symptoms and on the individual involved. Depression can be helped by some antidepressant drugs, which are particularly beneficial in severe cases but should be taken only for short period under medical supervision. Hormone therapy, sleeping pills, psychotherapy and electro-convulsive therapy may also be used. Many people believe that depression in some women results from unrealistically high expectations of combing a successful career with family life. Married women often have worse mental health and higher rates of depressive illness than single women and married men. ********************************************* Index Of Medical Terms |
