Depression: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the most common disease worldwide and is the leading cause of disability. The organization estimates that some 350 million people are suffering from depression worldwide.
Quick facts about depression:
Depression appears to be more common in women than in men. Symptoms include a lack of pleasure and lack of interest in things that would bring happiness to the person.
Some life shocks such as bereavement, cause changes in mood that can usually be distinguished from symptoms of depression.
The causes of depression are not fully understood, but are likely to be a complex combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychosocial factors.
Checks:
Diagnosis begins with consultation with the psychiatrist.
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by constant mood loss, sad feeling and loss of pleasure. It is an ongoing problem, not a transient one, lasting for an average of 6 to 8 months.
Causes Of Depression Symptoms Of Depression Causes And Symptoms Diagnosis And Treatment Antidepressants Psychotherapy A genetic disease Psychiatrist
Depression begins with consultation with your doctor or mental health professional. It is important to seek help from your doctor to rule out the various causes of depression, ensure that the diagnosis is accurate and ensure safe and effective treatment.
For most doctor visits, there may be a clinical examination to check for physical causes and accompanying diseases. Questions will also be asked - taking the medical history - to determine the symptoms and time of their appearance and so on.
Some questionnaires help doctors assess the severity of depression. For example, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale contains 21 questions, which combine the resulting scores to determine the severity of the condition. The Hamilton Scale is one of the most widely used assessment tools in the world when physicians determine the severity of depression.
What is not classified as depression?
Depression differs from mood swings experienced by people as part of normal life. Temporary emotional responses to the challenges of daily life are not depressed.
Similarly, even the sense of sadness resulting from the death of a close person is not in itself depressed unless this feeling persists. However, depression can be associated with depression when depression appears after the loss of a loved one; psychologists call it "complex".
Signs and symptoms of depression:
Depression symptoms can include:
A depressed mood.
Decreased interest or pleasure in activities that previously pleased the person and loss of libido.
Unintended weight loss (without dieting) or decreased appetite.
Insomnia (difficulty sleeping) or hyper (increase) sleep.
My body's physical agitation, for example, restlessness, and uneasiness.
Delayed kinetics, for example, slow movement and speech.
Feel tired or lose energy.
Nothing was wrong or guilt.
Weak ability to think, focus or make decisions.
Frequent thoughts about death, suicide, or attempted suicide.
the reasons:
The causes of depression are not fully understood and may not return to one reason. Depression may be the result of a complex set of factors including:
Genetic factors.
Biological changes in neurotransmitter levels.
Environmental factors.
Psychological and social factors.
Some people are more likely to have depression; risk factors include:
Life problems: such as bereavement, divorce, labor issues, relationships with friends and family, financial problems, medical concerns or acute stress.
Personality: Those who have less successful coping strategies, or who have been traumatized in their past lives are more likely to develop depression.
Genetic factors: The presence of first-degree relatives with depression increases the risk of infection.
I was a psychopath in childhood.
Some prescribed drugs may cause depression: These include corticosteroids, some beta blockers, interferon, and other prescribed drugs.
Recreational drug abuse: The abuse of alcohol, amphetamines and other drugs is strongly associated with depression.
Old head injury.
Exposure to one episode of severe depression: increases the risk of another bout later.
Chronic pain syndromes: These and other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease increase the likelihood of depression.
Treatment of depression:
Counseling or therapy may help to treat the symptoms of depression. Depression is a psychiatric illness that can be cured. There are three components to manage (treat) depression:
Support, from discussing practical solutions and contributing to stress relief, to educating family members.
Psychotherapy, also known as speech therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Drug treatments, specifically antidepressants.
Psychotherapy:
Psychotherapy or speech therapies include depression; cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), personal psychotherapy, and problem-solving therapy. Psychotherapy is the first choice in mild cases of depression. In mild and severe cases, it can be used in conjunction with other treatments.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and personal therapy are the two main types of psychotherapy used in depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be in individual sessions with a therapist, face to face, in groups, or over the phone. Some recent studies suggest that cognitive behavioral therapy can be performed effectively through a computer.
Personal therapy helps patients identify emotional problems that affect their relationships and interactions, and how they affect mood and how to change them.
Antidepressants:
Antidepressants are prescription medications given by a doctor. Medicines are used to treat mild to severe depression, but not recommended for children, and must be carefully described for adolescents.
There are a number of drug classes available to treat depression:
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA)
Antidepressants atypical antidepressants
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI)
Each class of antidepressants works on a different neurotransmitter and you should continue to take your medications as prescribed by your doctor, even after symptoms improve, to prevent relapse.
Causes Of Depression Symptoms Of Depression Causes And Symptoms Diagnosis And Treatment Antidepressants Psychotherapy A genetic disease Psychiatrist
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that antidepressants may increase the thoughts or suicidal actions of some children, adolescents and young people during the first few months of treatment.
Always tell your doctor any thoughts, including any intention to stop taking antidepressants.
Exercise and other treatments may help treat mild depression because it raises the levels of endorphins and stimulates the secretion of neurotransmitters linked to mood.
Brain stimulation therapies, including electrical shock therapy, are also used to treat depression. Repeated magnetic stimulation across the skull sends magnetic pulses to the brain and may be effective in major depressive disorder.
Electroconvulsive therapy ECT Electroconvulsive therapy
Acute depression that has not responded to drug therapy may benefit from ECT; this therapy is particularly effective for psychotic depression.
Types of depression:
Unipolar and bipolar depression.
If the predominant symptom is depressed mood, it is called unipolar depression. However, if the symptoms are characterized by episodes of obsessive-compulsive disorder, separated by normal moods, they are referred to as bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression).
Unipolar depression can include anxiety and other symptoms, but without manic episodes. However, research shows that about 40 percent of individuals with bipolar disorder suffer from depression, making it difficult to distinguish between these two conditions.
Major depressive disorder with psychotic symptoms.
This condition is characterized by depression associated with psychosis. Psychosis can involve illusions; false beliefs, separation from reality, or hallucinations; feelings of things that do not exist.
Postpartum Depression Postpartum Depression
Women often suffer from postpartum sadness, but postpartum depression is more severe.
Major depressive disorder Seasonal pattern Major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern
This condition was previously called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It is related to mild daylight in winter. Depression occurs during this season, but it disappears with the rest of the year and responds to phototherapy. Countries with long or severe winters seem to be more affected by this situation.
Aucun commentaire