Causes of Depression
Scientists are at the vortex of relentless studies aimed at determining the clouded areas of what are causing depression. Today’s technological breakthroughs play pivotal role in identifying the culprits. Experts are making significant headway in nailing down factors that fuel this complex illness, beyond theorizing.
Our vulnerability to biological factors, environmental and social stressors and other contributing factors predisposes us to the illness. The interplay between these key factors adversely subjects a person to experience depression.
Myriad health and medical organizations around the globe offer a common string of real causes that inevitably befall on humans at some particular life phase. Time and the natural course of life bring irreversible changes that are often unbearable resulting to depression.
Below are the potential causes of depression and high risk factors every person has to reckon with at one phase of life:
Genetic Make-up
Despite the absence of categorical explanation exploring this link, studies show stunning theories that depression running in family history may unfavorably raise the risk.
Research suggests that depression is in fact partly inherited and passed on from generation to generation. However, genetic factor does not always present itself as the culprit in all depression cases. From one way to the other, this genetic predisposition is aggravated by environmental factors.
Biological Factors
Biological factors such as the occurrence of physical changes in brains are closely linked to depression. Among brain chemicals, Neurotransmitters are directly accounted for mood swings adding up to depression.
Precisely true for women, depression is attributed to imbalances in hormones, caused by thyroid problems, aging, premenstrual syndrome, menopausal stage and childbirth. These hormonal shifts make women more prone to depression than men.
Environmental and Social Factors
Below are only a few of the most common stressors that make most people vulnerable to depression:
- Physical, sexual, and emotional abuses and traumatic experiences sustained dating back to early childhood may catch up with a person in later life in the form of depression.
- Personal conflicts with family or friends may bring about serious consequences like depression.
- Demise of a beloved person or separation from a loved one may inflict devastating grief and depression.
- Major changes that impose extremely stressful adjustments including shifting jobs or losing one, marrying or divorcing, moving to a new neighborhood or school, and financial strains can take its toll and overwhelm a person.
- Personal crises much to handle may inadvertently push a person to the brink of depression. Among these are isolation, being introduced to new ideas, pressure, sexual identity, and striking a balance to the multiple facets of life.
- Psychological frame – how one perceives himself has important bearing on predisposition to depression. Studies show that people with low self-esteem and evident inferiority complex are easy target to yield to depression.
Medical Condition
Depression may at times be parallel with an existing health problem, either as a cause or the person’s response to such condition. This takes place frequently in elderly phase where a person deals with deteriorating health. Medications used to treat an illness, on the other hand can potentially trigger depression. Substance abuse can possibly be the root, or stem from poor health that warrants depression.
Nutrition
Deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals can result to the manifestation of depression symptoms. Diets low in omega-3 fatty acids often account for nutritional factors that heighten a person’s risk to depression. Incorporating into the diet Omega -3 rich sources like mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines, anchovies, as well as walnuts and flax seeds will supplement the nutritional requirements. On the contrary, excessive consumption of sugars, processed and oily food is proven to trigger depression.
TYPES OF DEPRESSION
Depression may come in varying forms that differ in the intensity and persistence of manifestation. This article attempts to summarize the most common types of depression massively studied by experts.
Major Depressive Disorder
A person going through Major Depressive Disorder, also referred as clinical depression, exhibits acute symptoms comprising one or more of the following: unstable emotions, distorted thoughts and perceptions, reckless and unpredictable behaviors, concentration struggle and a persistent sense of hopelessness and helplessness.
The constant feeling of worthlessness gravely disrupts the performance of work, enjoyment and social pursuit. The patient may complain profound physical signs like fatigue, feeling drained and being slowed down, insomnia or hypersomnia (oversleeping) and staggering weight loss or gain.
Dysthymic Disorder
Moderate depression affecting a patient for longer than two years is identified as Dysthymia. This is milder or less intense type of depression, occurring for an extended period of time. Although this type is less severe, the chronic symptoms prevent one from feeling good and functioning at optimal level.
During the course of Dysthymic Disorder, another major depression episode may develop, known as “double depression”. Among the types of depression, this is resistant to treatment.
Bipolar Disorder
Also called manic-depressive illness, this type of depression is characterized by mood switches, alternating with periods of extreme lows (depression) and periods of extreme highs (mania). Mood swings may be gradual or sometimes drastic, with normal mood in between.
During the manic cycle, the person is noticeably hyper, overly talkative, necessitating very little sleep and increased activity. This state of elation risks being misunderstood by others as it affects mental performance, obscures judgment, imperils social behaviour thereby inviting serious consequences. Mania, if untreated, may escalate to a psychotic state.
Atypical Depression
Contrary to the term “atypical”, this type of depression is in truth typical. As with most types of depression, Atypical depression shares a commonality of persistent sadness that disables a patient from living a happy and productive life.
The presence of a certain pattern and sequence of signs is noted in this type: Hunger that leads to over-eating; over-sleeping that results to leg and arm discomfort. Atypical depression patients manifest compromised relationship and a pronounced fear of rejection.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
As the name suggests, Seasonal Affective Disorder has striking parallelism with season. Symptoms and signs consistently commence at similar time of the year and the duration is identical. Professionals in the field have elaborately explained that less daylight at the onset of winter time normally induces disruption in the production of hormones associated with regulation of body clock. Seasonal Affective Disorder conspicuously demonstrates majority of symptoms common to most types. Interestingly, this type underscores the fact that winter season casts an inclination to both animals and humans to “hibernate”.
Postpartum Depression
The chapter of woman’s life after childbirth is a journey with life-changing challenges, unfolding page after page. The glorious mysteries of motherhood are embroiled with new exacting roles that may overwhelm a novice mother at one point.
These drastic circumstances and biological changes mark new moms susceptible to Postpartum Depression. This is way severe than anticipated “baby blues” and the fleeting medley of emotions following childbirth — mood swings, crying fits, fear and anxiety that subsides briefly. Postpartum depression is persisting and yields more acute effects. In remote cases, untreated postpartum disorder poses the danger of advancing into a more extreme form called postpartum psychosis.
Knowing the problem spells half the solution
Distinct causes, symptoms, and effects constitute these main types of depression. It bears emphasizing, understanding the type of depression one is dealing with is key in managing symptoms and getting corresponding treatment.
Can you fight depression yourself?
Millions and millions of people around the world struggle with depression. For some, depression is mild whereas for others it is severe to the point of being debilitating. Regardless of the type or seriousness of this mental disorder, depression should never be taken lightly. Even for mild cases, seeking medical attention would be highly recommended so a firm diagnosis could be made and appropriate treatment options discussed.
To the person living with depression, seeing a way out can be difficult. However, it is important to understand that with the right information on how to fight depression, this is something that can be brought under control and prevented from reoccurring. It is also important to know that depression comes in many different forms. Some of these could be treated at home effectively while others would need a more aggressive approach.
Types of Depression
Before addressing how to fight depression and win, we wanted to provide a brief description regarding the different types of this mental condition. While all involve feeling down and out, symptoms, manifestations, and even treatments vary significantly.
Bipolar Disorder – This is yet another type of depression that comes with emotional ups and downs. Usually, this cycling of moods is dramatic, with a person being calm and nice one minute and explosive the next. Because the lows and highs are so extreme and the transition so quick, Bipolar Disorder is not only hard for the person suffering from it but being around this person is quite challenging for family and friends.
Dysthymic Disorder – Also referred to as Dysthymia, this form of depression is confirmed if a person has symptoms for more than two years. While symptoms are not bad enough to prevent someone from functioning normally in life, it is common for periods of major depression to be experienced.
Major Depression – At this point, depression would be so severe that a person would have trouble with normal daily activities. In addition, working, attending school, sleeping, and even socializing would be near impossible. In most cases, an individual would experience several bouts of major depression through life but in rare instances, this level of depression would be an everyday occurrence, again for life.
Minor Depression – For someone to have a mild case of depression symptoms would need to have lasted for at least two weeks. Although experiencing depression even on a mild level is difficult, if treated early risk of the condition evolving into a more serious type of depression could be prevented. Typically, mild depression includes symptoms of feeling blue, crying more often, constantly worrying, having a few nights of disrupted sleep, and overall feeling as if in funk.
Postpartum – Approximately 15% of all women who have given birth will go through a period of postpartum depression. For years, this was referred to as the “baby blues” but today, experts understand the seriousness associated with this particular type of depression. Caused by a hormonal imbalance and physical changes, if not quickly identified and treated early, responsibilities of being a new mother would be difficult if not impossible to handle.
Psychotic – The person who suffers from this mental condition has severe depression but also one form of psychosis or another. For example, this person might have delusional thinking, experience incorrect beliefs, or even go through periods of hallucinations during which time things that do not exist are heard and seen.
Seasonal Affective Disorder – Also called SAD, this is a unique type of depression brought on by cloudy days of winter. However, people living in the state of Alaska where it remains dark for much of the year are greatly affected by this type of depression. While SAD might not seem like that big a deal, the truth is this has been the cause of many suicides so proper treatment is imperative.
Getting the Right Treatment
As shown above, there are many different types of depression, as well as levels of severity. Therefore, how to fight depression has to be unique to the situation and person. Although there are a number of possibilities, we wanted to offer insight into some of the more effective and safe treatment options currently being provided to people striving to regain control over life.
Even though some people prefer taking a homeopathic or holistic approach to illness, with depression, prescription medication is often the best treatment. Thanks to medical advances, people now have a wide array of specially formulated medications and other treatments used to treat the different types and intensities of depression. Listed below are some of the more commonly used approaches for getting and keeping this mental disorder under control.
Antidepressants
As far as how to fight depression and win, it is common for antidepressants to be used. Most antidepressants balance two chemicals in the brain known as norepinephrine and serotonin although there are others that focus solely on a different chemical called dopamine. A person’s mood is regulated by these chemicals so when out of whack, depression sets in. The good news is that aid of antidepressants chemicals are brought back into balance.
Today a number of innovative antidepressants have been developed to include Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa, and Paxil, all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. Along with this, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or SNRIs are used. Although similar to SSRIs, there are differences. The brands of medication that most doctors prefer to use include Cymbalta and Effexor although others exist. The primary benefit of modern day antidepressants is fewer side effects.
St. John’s Wort
There are alternatives to conventional medication although a person using them should still be under the supervision of a doctor. One of the most popular natural remedies is called St. John’s Wort. Interestingly, this herbal extract has been used for hundreds of years for a variety of health issues to include mental illness.
In the United States, St. John’s Wort is considered a viable solution from a natural standpoint but in European countries, it is often the primary source regarding how to treat depression with prescription medication being the alternative. While considered save overall, it is important to know that interaction with other medication is possible so again, St. John’s Wort should only be used for treating depression if approved by a qualified doctor.
Psychotherapy
Moving into another arena, psychotherapy is another method that helps a person overcome depression. In looking at how to fight depression, for some individuals the opportunity to talk through things can make a huge difference. Just as there are many different options pertaining to medication, psychotherapy can be provided in several ways with two of the more commonly used outlined below.
Interpersonal Therapy – Also called IPT, this type of psychotherapy has been very effective for getting people through challenges on the job or even issues in a marriage or serious relationship
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy – The acronym for this is CBT, which is typically used for someone with depression to overcome negative thoughts but also help this person recognize triggers leading to depression so appropriate behavioral changes could be made.
Electroconvulsive Therapy
The only time electroconvulsive therapy or any other brain stimulation therapy would be used is when medication and/or psychotherapy had been tried but without success. Many years ago, this type of treatment was called shock therapy, something with a negative connotation but because of improved processes and equipment, this has actually become an effective and safe way of treating stubborn cases of depression.
Electroconvulsive therapy is a more drastic approach to treating depression, which is why doctors will try a number of other things first. As part of this process, the individual would be sedated briefly and administered a muscle relaxant. Because the person would be under anesthesia, nothing about the treatment would be remembered. In fact, approximately an hour after this type of therapy has been performed, the person is wide awake and highly alert.
As far as how to treat depression with this therapy, it depends on the type of depression, level of severity, and the way in which the person responds. For instance, there are some people with depression that only need a few ECT treatments coupled with medication but other people who need weeks of therapy followed by “maintenance” ECT.
Summary
The most important thing that a person with depression needs to know is that there are many viable solutions for bringing this mental condition under control and then proceeding through life feeling happy and content. We also want to point out that suicidal thoughts can be a part of depression so if an individual were ever to think about doing self-harm or even harm to others, immediate medical intervention would be mandatory.
