Depression

A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better.

Clinical depression (also called major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression when compared to bipolar disorder) is a state of intense sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individual's social functioning and/or activities of daily living. Although a low mood or state of dejection that does not affect functioning is often colloquially referred to as depression, clinical depression is a clinical diagnosis and may be different from the everyday meaning of "being depressed." Many people identify the feeling of being clinically depressed as "feeling sad for no reason", or "having no motivation to do anything." A person suffering from depression may feel tired, sad, irritable, lazy, unmotivated, and apathetic. Clinical depression is generally acknowledged to be more serious than normal depressed feelings. It often leads to constant negative thinking and sometimes substance abuse. Extreme depression can culminate in its sufferers attempting or committing suicide.

Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression.

Clinical depression affects about 7%-18% of the population on at least one occasion in their lives, before the age of 40.

Depressive disorders come in different forms, just as is the case with other illnesses such as heart disease. Within these types there are variations in the number of symptoms, their severity, and persistence. Not everyone who is depressed or manic experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few symptoms, some many. Severity of symptoms varies with individuals and also varies over time.

DEPRESSION

Types

Major Depression (or,Major Depressive Disorder-MDD)	It is characterized by a severely depressed mood that persists for at least two weeks. Major Depressive Disorder is specified as either "a single episode" or "recurrent"; periods of depression may occur as discrete events or recur over the lifespan. Episodes of major or clinical depression may be further divided into mild, major or severe: Depression with Melancholic Features: Melancholia is characterized by a loss of pleasure (anhedonia) in most or all activities, a failure of reactivity to pleasurable stimuli, a quality of depressed mood more pronounced than that of grief or loss, a worsening of symptoms in the morning hours, early morning waking, psychomotor retardation, anorexia (excessive weight loss, not to be confused with Anorexia Nervosa), or excessive guilt. Depression with Atypical Features: Atypical Depression is characterized by mood reactivity (paradoxical anhedonia) and positivity, significant weight gain or increased appetite, excessive sleep or somnolence (hypersomnia), leaden paralysis, or significant social impairment as a consequence of hypersensitivity to perceived interpersonal rejection. Contrary to its name, atypical depression is the most common form of depression. Depression with Psychotic Features: Some people with Major Depressive or Manic episode may experience psychotic features. They may be presented with hallucinations or delusions that are either mood-congruent (content coincident with depressive themes) or non-mood-congruent (content not coincident with depressive themes). It is clinically more common to encounter a delusional system as an adjunct to depression than to encounter hallucinations, whether visual or auditory.
Dysthymia	long-term depresion (it lasts for a minimum of 2 years) that often begins in adolescence and crosses the lifespan
Bipolar I Disorder	episodic illness moods may cycle between mania and depression
Postpartum Depression or Post-Natal Depression	clinical depression that occurs within two years of childbirth. owing to physical, mental and emotional exhaustion combined with sleep-deprivation, motherhood can "set women up", so to speak, for clinical depression
Premenstrual Dysphoria	pattern of recurrent depressive symptoms tied to the menstrual cycle the premenstrual decline in brain serotonin function is strongly correlated with the concomitant worsening of self-rated cardinal mood symptoms
Recurrent brief depressive disorder (or recurrent brief depression)	It is described as meeting the criteria for a mild, moderate or severe depressive episode

Symptoms

Depression

Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down" Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts Restlessness, irritability Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain

Mania

Abnormal or excessive elation Unusual irritability Decreased need for sleep Grandiose notions Increased talking Racing thoughts Increased sexual desire Markedly increased energy Poor judgment Inappropriate social behavior

Causes

Physiological Causes

Genetic Predisposition Neurological Medical conditions (such as cardiovascular disease,hepatitis, mononucleosis, hypothyroidism, and organic brain damage caused by degenerative conditions such as Parkinson disease, Multiple Sclerosis or by traumatic blunt force injury) Dietary (The increase in depression in industrialised societies has been linked to diet, particularly to reduced levels of omega-3 fatty acids in intensively farmed food and processed foods.) Alcohol and other drugs Sleep quality (Poor sleep quality co-occurs with major depression) Seasonal affective disorder ( type of depressive disorder that occurs in the winter when daylight hours are short; It is believed that the body's production of melatonin, which is produced at higher levels in the dark, plays a major part in the onset of SAD) Postpartum depression

Sociopsychological Causes

Psychological factors (Low self-esteem and self-defeating or distorted thinking are connected with depression) Early experiences ( Post-traumatic stress disorder) Life experiences (Long-term stress at home, work, or school can also be involved)

Treatment of depression varies broadly among individuals and the levels, types, and methods of intervention around the globe varies dramatically. In traditional medicine, there are two primary modes of treatment, typically used in conjunction: medication and psychotherapy. A third treatment, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), may be used when chemical treatment fails.
Approximately 30% of patients have remission of depression with medications.

Alternative remedies call for:

• Dietary Supplementations with nutrients and herbs: Biotin, brazilian peppertree, cannabis, cat's claw, damiana, ginkgo biloba, graviola, magnesium, muira puama, mulungu, omega-3 fatty acids, passionflower, tayuya, vitamin B-12, yerba mate, zinc
• Light: Bright light (both sunlight and artificial light) is shown to be effective in seasonal affective disorder, and sometimes may be effective in other types of depression, especially atypical depression or depression with "seasonal phenotype" (overeating, oversleeping, weight gain, apathy).
• Physical activity and exercise: It is widely believed that physical activity and exercise help depressed patients and promote quicker and better relief from depression. A workout need not be strenuous; many find walking, for example, to be of great help. Exercise produces higher levels of chemicals in the brain, notably dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. In general this leads to improvements in mood, which is effective in countering depression.
• Meditation: Although the effects on the mind are complex, they are often quite positive, encouraging a calm, reflective, and rational state of mind that can be of great help against depression.

                            Articles from National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Wikipedia







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