Depression as a Serious Disorder - Research Paper Example

?Depression Introduction It is quite normal for an individual to be in low self esteem or feel down at different points in time. However, things are serious if the depression takes hold of an individual persistently and the individual can not work his/her way out of the despair and emptiness. Depression is something much more than temporary blues. An individual suffering from depression is not able to enjoy life like he/she did when otherwise. Depression saps an individual’s interest in activities, outing and hanging around with friends and rather puts the individual into social exclusion. If there was one word that could be used as an umbrella term to cover all the feelings resulting from depression that would be “hopelessness”. Depression is a serious disorder but can be treated if adequate measures are taken in time without delay. Learning about the potential causes, signs and symptoms of depression is indeed, the very first step in the way towards its resolution, treatment and prevention. What is depression? Depression is essentially an illness which affects and takes control of an individual’s mood, thoughts and the whole body. Under the influence of depression, an individual becomes pessimistic in his/her approach towards himself/herself and his/her eating and sleeping habits are particularly affected. Many people suffering from depression take eating as a means to escape depression. In their attempt to relieve their tension, they seek refuge in the taste of food. The resulting overeating makes them gain weight and many end up becoming obese. Where food intake is increased, there is a significant decrease in the amount of sleep. People suffering from depression either can not sleep or have nightmares when they sleep. They are haunted by ferocious dreams which interrupt the sleep. It is not possible for an individual that has a depressive disease to “pull himself/herself together” and start feeling better. If the treatment is not taken in time, the symptoms continue to show up until they become a necessary element of the individual’s life. Types of depression There are different types of depression each of which has its own causes, signs, symptoms, and methods of treatment. Learning the form of depression is the first step towards its treatment. There are four major kinds of depression, namely major depression, atypical depression, dysthemia, and seasonal affective disorder. They are explained below: 1. Major depression Thus type of depression is largely characterized by an individual’s lack of tendency to feel pleasure in life. The lack of enjoyment is persistent and uninterrupted. This makes the depression aggravate with the passage of time. However, even if no treatment is taken, major depression usually occupies the patient for 6 months. Most of the people experience a single episode of depression in their whole life. The disorder is generally recurring but there are medicines and treatment to minimize the recurrence. In the West, major depression is the No. 1 psychological disorder in the contemporary age (clinical-depression.co.uk, 2011) which is increasing among all communities and age groups, particularly among the youth. It is estimated that by 2020, major depression will be the second most disabling disorder in addition to the heart disease. In order to fight major depression, most patients resort to the use of antidepressants. They are undoubtedly effective in providing an individual with immediate relief, though they do little to guarantee the individual depression free life. 2. Atypical depression It is essentially a subtype of the major depression. Atypical depression is characterized by a particular symptom pattern that is inclusive of a temporal shift in mood as a result of positive events. An individual suffering from atypical depression feels good when he/she hears good news or when he/she hangs out with peers or friends. Nonetheless, the temporary emotional boost is ephemeral. The potential symptoms of atypical depression include but are not limited to increase of appetite, weight gain, excessive sleep, super-sensitivity and heaviness. Common way to treat the atypical depression is therapy along with certain medicines. 3. Dysthemia It is a low grade chronic depression which makes an individual feel mildly depressed most of the time with brief periods of pleasant mood. It symptoms are less dangerous than those of major depression, though they may take up to 2 years to recede. The long period of depression makes it difficult for the patient to enjoy life. 4. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) Limited sunlight, rain and winter makes some people sad thus providing a good reason for stereotyping these climatic conditions as gloomy and saddening in the literature and fairy tales. People feeling gloomy in such conditions are said to be suffering from SAD. This type of depression is common in young people living in the northern climates. SAD is mostly treated by the therapy of bright artificial light. Causes of depression Various kinds of biological and psychosocial reasons can cause depression. Most common causes of depression are disease, joblessness, poverty, racism, social exclusion, distorted relationships, divorce, violence and obesity. People become depressed when circumstances go beyond their control and they can do little to organize the things in their life. Unfortunately, there has been a tremendous increase in nearly all of the aforementioned reasons of depression in the past few years, which explains the spread of depression. Symptoms of depression Depression is not a kind of disorder that requires an individual to undertake proper medical tests in order to find out if he/she has the illness or not. Anyone can see if he/she is under the influence of depression if he/she notices several of the signs and symptoms mentioned below: The person can either not sleep or he/she sleeps too much. The person can not pay attention towards the work at hand, or finds an increase in the difficulty level of tasks that previously seemed easy to accomplish. The person feels helpless and hopeless most of the time. The person does not have a control over negative ideas despite the individual’s keen interest in blocking them. The person’s appetite is lost and he/she finds it difficult to stop eating once started. The person has become generally irritable in his/her mannerism and is usually in a very tense state of mind. The person does not consider living worth it and rather wants to die. All of these symptoms are necessarily evident in the mood and behavior of an individual that is a victim of depression. Depression: Facts and figures Mental disorders, particularly depression, are increasing all over the world in general and in the US in particular, According to an estimate, about 22.1 per cent of Americans, that makes 1 in every 5 Americans who is either 18 years of age or more is a victim of a diagnosable mental disorder on annual basis. The estimate produced by the 2003 US Census of residential population said such people made 46.4 million in number in that year (Depression Perception, 2010). According to clinical-depression.co.uk (2011), people’s tendency to become a victim of major depression has increased tenfolds since 1945 which clearly speaks of the fact that major depression originates in factors much different from a mere chemical imbalance in the body as human genes take a lot of time to show even the slightest of changes. The tremendous increase in people suffering from major depression jeopardizes the disorder’s status of a disease. Major depression starts to show up in the age between 25 and 29 years. According to an estimate, 25 to 40 million people living in US are at the risk of acquiring major depression at some point in their lifetime. One of the most unfortunate things about major depression is its misdiagnosis. Misdiagnosed or undiagnosed major depression accounts for up to 25 per cent of all suicides that happen in US while 80 per cent of all deaths through suicide in US are seen in the patients of major depression. The neurobiology of depression Brain functions are controlled by neurotransmitters whose reduced supply instigates impaired cognitive performance which becomes the fundamental cause of depression. “This process has been described as the "monoamine hypothesis" because it focuses upon the reduced presence of monoamine neurotransmitters in depressed persons, a state that is brought about via the degrading actions of monoamine oxidases in the synaptic cleft” (Sharpley and Bitsika, 2010). Dopamine modulates the activities in different regions inside brain that play an important role in rasining an individual’s self esteem through motivation, attention and working memory. Thus, when its availability reduces, depression is caused. A recent fMRI study by Lemogne et al (2009) notified an abnormal activation of the medial prefrontal cortex in the patients of depression. The self blame, guilt, and rumination which are the key traits of the patients of depression can be explained by the medial prefrontal region dysfunction. The researchers found that this pattern of activation sustained after 8 weeks of the start of treatment with antidepressants. This essentially speaks of the fact that some patients may develop permanent abnormalities in particular regions in the brain once the depression recedes. These abnormalities may call for a need to give cognitive behavioral therapy to the patient so that the risk of recurrence may be suppressed. As a result of this research, it is believed that it is possible for the brain imaging studies to enhance a patient’s tendency to respond to particular modalities of treatment. Also, these neurobiological markers can assist the psychiatrists in modifying the treatment with antidepressants so that it accords with the individualistic needs of a patient. “Increasing 5-HT and NE neurotransmission is likely to initiate true recovery with the restoration of neurotrophic support, glucocorticoid signalling and neuroendocrine regulation” (Maletic et al., 2007). Treatment of depression In accordance with the causes of depression, noradrenalin, serotonin, and dopamine happen to be the chief targets in the pharmacological methods of treatment designed for depression. Depression is largely an outcome of false way of living and bad habits. Most of the people suffering from depression when counseled, realize that the fundamental cause of depression lied in their wrong ways. No matter what the cause of depression, an individual’s susceptibility to it can be greatly reduced by improving his/her physical activity. Exercise is just as important for an individual’s psychology as it is for the physical fitness. Exercise maintains the right blood pressure and blood supply to all organs of the body. Adequate blood supply regulates the release of hormones that are the chief controllers of an individual’s mood and psyche. A good walk in the morning not only boosts an individual’s metabolism but also brings him/her close to nature. The chirping of birds, the swinging of fruits in the trees, and the moss over flowers, leaves and most importantly, the grass make one feel rejuvenated upon the touch. The whole ambiance is conducive for uplifting an individual’s mood and boosting the self esteem which are the essentials for the prevention of depression. The field of science which deals with the use of drugs to treat depression is termed as pharmacotherapy. Pharmaceuticals are currently the most adopted way for the treatment of depression. The immense popularity of pharmaceuticals for treating depression is because they work in 80 per cent of the cases. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were commonly employed to treat depression in the 1980s because of their effect on the neropinephrine system, though their use was replaced by Elavil (amitriptyline) as research showed TCAs to be the causal factor for constipation and dry mouth. Elavil is particularly useful for the type of depression that accompanies insomnia. Tofranil (imipramine) is prescribed to patients that suffer remain agitated because of sleeplessness. Professionals dealing depression Depression is more of a psychological problem than a disease. Therefore, it is mostly treated by professionals that provide the patients with the required counseling or therapies. Cognitive behavior therapy is commonly employed as a means to improve the depressed individual’s mood and behavior. The therapy is provided by counselors. Most of the times, therapies are accompanied with medication as prescribed by the psychiatrists. Psychiatrists tend to reach the root cause of the problem and suggest the patient to take adequate measures to solve the actual issue that is causing all trouble. Thus, professionals dealing with depressions are generally psychiatrists, counselors and therapists. References: clinical-depression.co.uk. (2011). Major Depression Facts. Retrieved from http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/dlp/depression-information/major-depression-facts/. Depression Perception. (2010). Depression: Facts and Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.depressionperception.com/depression/depression_facts_and_statistics.asp. Lemogne, C., le Bastard, G., Mayberg, H., et al. (2009). In search of the depressive self: extended medial prefrontal network during self-referential processing in major depression. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 4: 305-312. Maletic, V., Robinson, M., Oakes, T., Iyengar, S., Ball, S. G., and Russell, J. (2007). Neurobiology of depression: an integrated view of key findings. International Journal of Clinical Practice. 61(12): 2030-2040. doi:  10.1111/j.1742-1241.2007.01602.x. Sharpley, C. F., and Bitsika, V. (2010). Joining the dots: neurobiological links in a functional analysis of depression. Behavioral and Brain Functions. 6: 73.  doi:  10.1186/1744-9081-6-73. Read More