New Depression

New Depression - This the Season to be Unhappy

Welcome to the holidays, a sure-fire recipe for angst, familial discord and credit card debt. Add those ingredients together, fold in days of dark skies with no hope of sunlight, sprinkle with a smattering of work stress, simmer until ready to boil and you have a tried and true recipe for depression.

Depression runs rampant during this time of year and the reasons, though different for each person, bring a person to the same dark and lonely place. A person suffering from depression say it’s like they’re in a deep and dark pit with no hope and their despair is complete.

Symptoms of depression include:

• Feeling tired or listless
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling hopeless
• Irritability
• Self-hatred
• Physical aches and pain
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Loss of interest in daily activities

Clinical depression is a condition that lasts longer than two weeks and can be treated.

Situational Depression is different from Clinical Depression, in that its duration is short lived. We all have things that bring us down and cause us to feel bad about things. Whether it’s because we’re having trouble at work or dealing with interpersonal issues with our significant others—these ‘down’ times come and then they gradually improve. We can’t all be happy all of the time and it’s in our nature to have ups and downs. These low moods generally improve with time as we learn from our experiences and move on. Much like the holidays come and go.

Clinical depression does not come and go. It comes and it stays. Loss of appetite, lethargy, irritability and hopelessness and even thoughts of suicide in the more severe episodes are cause for serious alarm.

However, suicide rates are generally down during the holidays for several reasons: there is a safety net of extended family and friends around, there is more support, and Christmas celebrations bring positive memories to the surface for most people and are cause for celebration.

Stress is a fact of life, and perhaps more so during the holiday season. But despite the holiday’s reputation for being a depressive’s worst nightmare, it also has the potential to bring you out your depression. Read more...

Causes Depression

Causes Depression - Seasonal Affective Disorder

Mary lives in Seattle, where the fall and winters are not known for being full of sunshine and blue skies—rather they are dark, overcast and quite dreary. Mary dreaded the advent fall; even the changing colors on the trees did little to lighten her mood. As fall would move into winter her mood would darken along with the skies. She hated how she felt but never fully understood just why she became so depressed every fall and winter.

Mary went to her doctor and told him about her symptoms. Mary discovered she was suffering from SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a kind of depression, with symptoms beginning as the days become shorter and darker and worsen as time goes on. Symptoms include :

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Hopelessness
• Weight gain
• Craving carbohydrates
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sleeping too much
• Not wanting to go out or engage in any activities

If these symptoms are cyclic in nature and begin in the fall and worsen as winter approaches, you may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

The exact cause of SAD is not known, but it is assumed that as with most mental health disorders, that genetics, age and your own physical makeup may all play a part in this disorder.

Some research seems to show that a lack of serotonin, a chemical in the brain that affects mood, might play a role. When sunlight is reduced it causes a drop in serotonin levels which might cause depression.

Another theory is that your circadian rhythms are disrupted during the fall and winter for some people. Your circadian rhythm is like your internal clock, regulating when you sleep and when you wake up. If your natural clock is disrupted it can lead to depression.

Melatonin is a sleep-related hormone and during long winter nights its production is increased. Melatonin has been linked to depression and is therefore considered to be a culprit in those who develop Seasonal Affective Disorder.

You’re more likely to develop SAD if you live in the northern regions where sunlight is at a premium during winter months. You’re unlikely to have SAD below the age of 20 and you’re more at risk for it if you’re a woman rather than a man. While a genetic factor has not been found, you’re also more likely to suffer from it if you have a family member who also has it.

Treatments for SAD include light therapy, anti-depressants and psychotherapy. Only your doctor can determine if you’re suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Just like its close cousin depression, symptoms of SAD can be pronounced and severe. If left untreated it can interfere with everyday activities and in some drastic cases lead to thoughts of suicide. See help if you believe you’re suffering from SAD. Read more...

Depression Help

Depression Help - Chemical Depression

You’re feeling kind of down. You’re not exactly certain why you don’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning and after all, that’s a fairly common feeling isn’t it? The desire to ignore the alarm clock when it goes off and pull the covers over your head and sleep the day away is something everyone experiences at some point in their life. It doesn’t mean you’re depressed or that there’s something wrong in your head, does it?

If the feeling of sadness, inability to engage in your usual activities, desire to sleep more than usual or not sleep at all, loss of appetite or increased desire to eat and these symptoms last more than two weeks, then yes—you may be suffering a major depressive episode.

Depression can be triggered by many things; by situations, by hormonal imbalances and yes depression can also be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. The exact chemical imbalances and their relationship to depression are not fully understood, but great strides have been made in the past few years.

People who are suffering from anxiety and depression all seem to have the same chemical imbalances in common. These include the following :

• Low levels of some neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, norepineprhine, GABA and acetylcholine.
• An increase of toxic neurochemicals like homosysteine.
• Low levels of serum magnesium, zinc or potassium.
• Some have extremely low levels of essential vitamins like B6, B9, B12 and vitamin C.
• Deficiency of some key cofactors such as amino acids that aid in transporting neurotransmitter precursors into the blood-brain barrier.
• Stress hormone levels (cortisol) are off the charts.

Despite extensive clinical research, little is known of the relationship between chemical imbalances in the brain and major depressive episodes. We simply do not know why or how it occurs. Most medical professionals will tell you that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain but they cannot give you a definitive explanation beyond that simple fact. Most doctors prescribe SSRI’s of MAOI’s which are similar in that they are chemical balancers that treat the chemical imbalance in the brain.

Depression, whether caused by situations in life or by a chemical imbalance in the brain, are deeply disturbing episodes that can have a debilitating effect on a person. Always seek the help of a professional if you feel down and the feeling persist for longer than two weeks.
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