subject: Treat Your Depression [print this page] Depression is a disorder of psychological and physical symptoms. Low mood level and sadness are often the most prominent symptoms. The common cause of these symptoms is a decreased activity level in parts of the brain.
The Symptoms of depression
Depression may have one or more of these signs and symptoms:
Low mood level or sadness.
Lack of joy or interest in activities that was joyful before.
Pessimism.
Feel of guilt of something without any substantial reason to feel so.
Inferiority thoughts.
Irritability.
Slowness in the thought process.
Slowness in interpreting sensorial stimuli.
Slowness of digestion or other internal physical processes
Slow physical reactions.
Depression can be a mild problem that only causes some minors irritations in the daily life. But the situation can get serious and make the person totally unable to work and socially inactive. Severe depression also increases the risk of suicide. Depression can occur in all ages.
Causes of depression
Depression may be caused by two or more factors simultaneously. It can be an independent disease or can be part of other disease. According to the cause it is divided into different subtypes.These are:
Reactive depression
Endogenous depression
Depression by physical disease
Depressive symptoms as a consequence of unsound lifestyle
Postnatal depression
Seasonal affective disorder
Treatment of depression
Severe depression is often treated by anti-depressive medication. Medicines used against depression increase the level of neurotransmitters like serotonin in the central nervous system, or they mimic the neurotransmitters.
The medications mostly used today increase the serotonin concentration by decreasing the removal of serotonin from the space around nerve cells. Drugs may include Fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), escitalopram (Lexapro, Celexa), sentraline (zoloft).
Psychotherapy is often combined with medication to treat depression sometimes.
Sometimes serious depression is treated by giving electric shock through the head which is called electroconvulsive therapy. The shock induces epileptic eruption of nerve signals through the brain and this gives cramps throughout the body. The treatment is controversial, as it can cause memory loss and is suspected of causing brain damage, though the possibility of brain damage is however denied by most psychiatrists.
Light therapy maybe useful for seasonal depression.
Changes in lifestyle should always be considered by depression or depressive symptoms. Sometimes lifestyle measures are enough to cure depressive symptoms before a serious depression develops.
Lifestyle modifications can be:
To slow down a stressful life with too much work or activities.
Enough rest and sleep.
A good diet with enough of necessary nutrients.
Some physical exercises:
Meditation.
Supplement of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, lecithin, amino acids and essential fatty acids.
Stimulants like coffee or tea may help against depressive feelings in moderate amount. However,if you are a heavy user of these stimulants, you should cut down on your consumption.
