A small, white, egg-shaped creation crawls across an animated room to sit solemnly upon an illustrated khaki couch. Turn the channel and the narrator asks viewers if they are “ready to experience life.” And in the next commercial break, another omniscient voice tells the audience “life is waiting.”
All are different television advertisements for antidepressant medications, explaining the symptoms of the disease and listing the side effects of the prescriptions.
Yet, what is depression — really?
James Kalat, a psychology professor, said depression and its causes are not fully understood.
“The strongest known influence is a combination of stressful events and a genetic predisposition,” he said in an e-mail. “A gene has been identified that modifies people’s reaction to highly stressful events such as divorce, death of a close loved one or losing a job.”
In addition, Kalat said sleep patterns, diet and exercise are factors that may contribute to mood depression. Episodic depression, he said, does occur.
And though there’s just one overarching word for it, depression comes in varying forms. Clinical depression is a “Yellow Wallpaper” condition that lasts more than two weeks and impairs one’s ability to function; mood depression can be triggered by a dramatic cause or event.
“People with one form of the gene have a moderate chance of depression, which increases only slightly with stressful events,” he said. “People with the other form of the gene are about equal to the first group if no stressful events, but their probability of depression increases sharply with each additional stressful experience.”
Clinical depression is diagnosed more often now than it was in the past, Kalat said, and accordingly the diagnosis of depression has increased in all ages.
As for treatment, Kalat said multiple options exist.
“Cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy is one option,” Kalat said.
In this form of treatment, Kalat said one focuses on changing the way people understand their circumstances.
Antidepressant drugs are another treatment option, he said. There are even some techniques that require no professional help.
“Get about half an hour of aerobic exercise daily,” he said. “Get enough sleep, and keep your hours of sleep as regular and consistent as possible. Eat a pound of seafood [rich in omega 3] per week.”
Exposure to bright lights for two hours can help some suffering from depression, he said.
Those enduring severe depression — and do not respond to any other type of treatment –may also undergo a procedure once touted for its dangerous and often painful techniques.
“If all these procedures fail, and the depression is severe, the fall-back option is electroconvulsive shock,” Kalat said. “The procedures today are much improved from those that gave shock treatment a bad reputation in the past, and it help about 90 percent of people who fail to respond to other treatments. It’s also quicker than other procedures, giving benefits in about a week, on average.”
People living with someone suffering from depression can also aid that person’s recovery.
“Do your best to get the person out of the room. Encourage the person to get enough sleep on a regular schedule. Discourage alcohol and other drugs,” he said. “Many people try to self-medicate, but the results aren’t good. If the condition persists, encourage the person to talk to a professional — a psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor or social worker.”
A chemical imbalance
Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada for people age 15 to 44.
Depression is not something you can just “snap out of.” It’s thought to be caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, along with other factors. Like any serious medical condition, depression needs to be treated.
A normal functioning brain is a giant messaging system that controls everything from your heartbeat, to walking, to your emotions. The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells called neurons. These neurons send and receive messages from the rest of your body, using brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
These brain chemicals — in varying amounts — are responsible for our emotional state. Depression happens when these chemical messages aren’t delivered correctly between brain cells, disrupting communication.
source: drugs.org, depression.com
Symptoms of depression
No interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy Feeling sad or empty Crying easily or crying for no reason Feeling slowed down or feeling restless and unable to sit still Feeling worthless or guilty Weight gain or loss Thoughts about death or suicide Trouble thinking, recalling things or focusing on what you’re doing Trouble making everyday decisions Problems sleeping, especially in the early morning, or wanting to sleep all of the time Feeling tired all of the time Feeling numb emotionally, perhaps even to the point of not being able to cry
source: familydoctor.org
About antidepressants
Antidepressants are grouped based on which chemicals in the brain are affected.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) tend to have fewer side effects than most other antidepressants.
Tricyclics have such common side effects as dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, difficulty urinating, worsening of glaucoma, impaired thinking and tiredness.
Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) can cause nausea and loss of appetite, anxiety, nervousness, headache, insomnia and tiredness.
Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs) can cause agitation, nausea, headache, loss of appetite and insomnia.
Combined reuptake inhibitors and receptor blockers warn of common side effects such as drowsiness, dry mouth, nausea and dizziness.
Monamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are used less commonly than other antidepressants because they can have serious side effects including weakness, dizziness, headaches and trembling.
source: familydoctor.org
