Depression is a psychological and physical symptoms. Low mood or sadness is often the most prominent symptom. A common feature of these symptoms is a reduced level of activity in parts of the brain.
SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION
Depression can cause one or more of these symptoms:
-Low mood or sadness.
-Lack of joy or interest in activities that were previously enjoyable.-Pessimism.
-Feeling guilty about something without any substantial reason to feel that way.
- Thoughts of inferiority.- Irritability.
- Slowness in thought process.
- Slowness in the interpretation of sensory stimuli.
-Slowed digestion or other internal physical processes and symptoms caused by this slowing, such as a bloated stomach, constipation or difficulty urinating.
-Slow physical reactions.
Depression can be a mild illness that only causes some discomfort in everyday life, but it can also be very serious and make a person completely unable to work and participate in social life. There is also a greater risk of suicide with depression of some severity.
Depression can occur at any age. In teenagers, lack of interest in school work, social withdrawal and low mood can be symptoms of depression.
PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES THAT CAUSE SYMPTOMS
In depression, there is a decrease in the amount of neurotransmitters in parts of the central nervous system, mainly a deficit of serotonin, but also to a certain extent noradrenaline, acetylcholine, dopamine or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), or nerve cells do not respond properly to stimulation from neurotransmitters. A neurotransmitter is a signaling substance that transmits a nerve signal across a junction between two nerve cells.
Serotonin and norepinephrine cause nerve cells to send impulses along with other nerve cells, increasing activity in the brain. The lack of these substances causes some parts of the brain to slow down and this in turn causes depressive symptoms.
The role of GABA is the opposite, namely to slow down certain nerve impulses, especially those that cause anxiety and a panic reaction. A lack of GABA causes higher anxiety and an easier panic reaction. However, deficiency of this transporter also appears to cause symptoms of depression. Too high activity of some brain processes can slow down other processes.
There are many causes and subtypes of depression with different physiological mechanisms involved.
TYPES OF DEPRESSION
Depression is often divided into subtypes based on the symptoms presented.
(1) Monopolar depression and dysthymic disorder
In monopolar depression, there are pure depressive symptoms. Mild cases of monopolar disorder that do not affect a person's ability to work and participate in social activities are often called dysthymic disorder.
(2) Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) and cyclothymic disorder
In this state, periods with symptoms of depression appear - the depressive phase, alternating with periods of elevated mood with increased mental and physical activity - the manic phase. In the manic phase, the sufferer also sleeps poorly and has difficulty concentrating. A mild form of this disease is called cyclothymic disorder.
(3) Manic disorder
This condition is characterized by abnormally elevated mood, unrealistic optimism, lack of sleep, and hyperactive behavior. Many psychiatrists think that this disorder is simply the same illness as bipolar disorder, where the depressed face has not yet appeared.
(4) Depression with predominantly physical symptoms
Sometimes the physical symptoms of depression are solitary or dominant, such as: indigestion, constipation, difficulty urinating, slow response to sensory stimuli, or slow physical reactions.
CAUSES OF DEPRESSION
Two or more factors can work together to cause depression. Depression can be a separate illness or part of another illness. Depression is also divided into different subtypes based on the cause.
(1) Reactive depression
This disease is simply the result of mental stress, physical struggle or mental strain without proper rest or sleep for a long time. Stress simply wears out the nervous system or depletes the body of nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
(2) Endogenous depression
If there has been no period of stress, tension, or lack of rest to explain the condition, the condition is often called endogenous depression. Heredity is considered part of the cause.
(3) Depression due to physical illness
Depression or depressive symptoms can be a symptom of a physical illness. This is perhaps the most common cause of depression. There are generally three categories of illnesses that cause depression:
Diseases often associated with depression are: heart disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, hypertension or Cushing's syndrome.
Mononucleosis or the flu can cause depression that persists even after the infection clears.
The lack of thyroid hormones, hypothyroidism, slows down metabolism in the entire body, including the production of neurotransmitters in the brain. Therefore, depression is an important symptom of hypothyroidism.
(4) Symptoms of depression as a result of a bad lifestyle
A general poor lifestyle with too little exercise, too many stimulants such as alcohol, coffee or tea, too few essential nutrients and too much sugar and fat can cause depressive symptoms as well as physical problems.
(5) Postnatal depression
Women will often have periods of depression after pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnancy and childbirth is physically and mentally exhausting and can drain the body of nutrients. This in turn can cause depressive symptoms
.
(6) Seasonal affective disorder
Depression can occur in cold and dark times of the year and subside in warm and light times. Light stimulates brain activity and lack of light is a causative factor.
TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION
Severe or long-lasting depression is often treated with antidepressants. Drugs used for depression generally increase the level of neurotransmitters such as serotonin in the central nervous system or mimic neurotransmitters.
The most commonly used drugs today increase the concentration of serotonin by reducing the removal of serotonin from the space around the nerve cells. Examples of this type of medication are: Fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Lexapro, Celera), the Sentra line (Zoloft).
In bipolar disorder in the manic face, strong tranquilizers (neuroleptics) are used to stop manic symptoms. In bipolar disorder, lithium salts are sometimes used to stabilize the condition and prevent new outbreaks of depressed or manic episodes.
Psychotherapy is sometimes used for depression, usually in combination with medication.
Sometimes severe depression is treated by applying an electric shock over the head, electroconvulsive therapy.
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