Depression

Depression

Depression is a disease that affects the brain Chemical imbalance in specific areas of the brain may be the cause of the disease.

Depression is not a personality feature or “pampering”

Depression is not a simple condition that a person needs to take care of

Symptoms Of Depression

As a brain disease, major depression is a set of symptoms that occur when feelings thoughts behaviors, and bodily functions are disrupted as a reflection of disturbances and irregularities in the brain's functions    Not all symptoms may be combined in each patient.

The main symptoms of depression include pessimistic and sad mood, pessimistic thought content, hopelessness, hopelessness, inability to enjoy life, loss of interest in almost every aspect. Most of the day, especially in the morning, the person is depressed   There is a sense of emptiness and everything can be meaningless.

Because of the loss of motivation, it becomes difficult to determine the target for the future and focus on the target

Anxiety and fears can also be found there may be inner unrest and feelings of tension   The sad feeling may be accompanied by crying or some patients complain of crying.

Negative events in the past often begin to come to mind may intensify the feeling of regret     At the moment the patient is constantly feeling worthless inadequate or guilty and has difficulty trusting himself or surroundings      Increases susceptibility      Loneliness can be felt  There may be negative thoughts about the future.

The thought slows down and causes the speech to slow down and decrease forgetfulness Attention can be disturbed   It's hard to learn something new   The energy falls the person gets tired quickly.

It's hard to fall asleep   During the night you can sleep asleep or waking up in the morning tiredly and can not dive again   Conversely there may be tendency to sleep and prolongation of sleep time.

There may be a decrease in appetite and weight loss, as well as a need for more food.

In severe situations, a person may be able to make self-harm plans or cause harm. It may be suicidal ideation / plan / attempt

Diagnosis Of Depression

Depression is diagnosed with psychiatric examination     Some physical disorders also exhibit symptoms similar to depression   Patterns should be differentiated from depression so that they can be planned for correct diagnosis and treatment.The psychiatrist uses some tests to make a definitive diagnosis of depression and to learn about the severity of the illness   These include blood tests qEEG (quantitative EEG) brain MRI  and psychometric tests

The Treatment  of Depression

Psychotherapy drugs and brain stimulation techniques are used to treat depression   With effective treatment partial recovery can be achieved within weeks and complete recovery within 2-4 months.

In mild depression, psychotherapy may be sufficient alone, with the removal of major stressors.  If a patient with moderate severity it can be followed by the foot, drug therapy with psychotherapy or seasonal depression phototherapy is applied      If desired recovery is not achieved Magnetic Stimulation Therapy (TMU) which is a powerful brain stimulation technique, can be used in the second stage.

In severe cases, hospitalization is carried out in patients at risk of suicide and intensive individual psychotherapy, co-family therapy, and biological therapies are applied as well    In addition to drug and brain stimulation techniques (TMU electroconvulsive therapy-ECT)  different treatment methods such as intravenous administration of certain drugs can also be used.

Treatment for the first time depression sufferers at least six months are maintained, then the person's condition can be done according to the plan of termination    It is recommended that treatment should be continued for longer periods of time in patients who have had depression several times

In patients with depression where we cannot respond to standard treatments  ketamine infusions are mainly administered                                                                 

Causes Of Depression

There is no single reason for depression. Depression develops as a result of the interaction or combination of biological psychological and social factors.

Biological causes of depression

Serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and similar chemicals are substances responsible for communication between nerve cells in the brain It is thought that the imbalance in these substances in the area called the synaptic cleft where the two nerve cells are connected with each other causes depression symptoms especially the decrease in serotonin.

Brain imaging studies show that people with depression have different parts of the brain that are related to mood thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior than people without depression. However, these images do not necessarily indicate whether changes in the brain are the cause or result of depression.

Who can be a subject of depression

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders    According to the World Health Organization (WHO) data  350 million people worldwide (5% of the world's population) are suffering from depression shortly out of six persons one suffers from depression at some point in his life.

It usually occurs at a young age   but is seen in all age groups from childhood to old age    The incidence of depression in women is twice as high as in men     Menstrual cycle pregnancy  birth  postpartum period and hormonal changes due to menopause are partly effective in women in the rate of depression    Other important reasons of highly rate depression in   Women's  are social status in the community, family role distribution  care of the elderly  the excess of responsibilities   

Depression in men is more irritated, anger eruption, showing himself in the form of away from the family and the lack of psychiatric help of men as women can cause depression in this group seems to be less    Depressed men have a low likelihood  even asking for help or talking about their experiences

Depression also leads to drug and alcohol addiction in men    It can result in violent behavior both at home and outside.

Can we avoid depression?

Once a major depression patient is at a bit more risk than someone who has never had a major depressive disorder    The best way to avoid another episode of depression is to be aware of the triggers or major depression causes     It is very important to know the disease well and talk to the doctor as soon as symptoms occur.

Diseases that associated with depression

Anxiety disorders depression obsessive-compulsive disorder schizophrenia eating disorders are among the psychiatric disorders that are frequently associated with depression   Alcohol and substance abuse can also be associated with depression        Sometimes it may turn to a substance to reduce the symptoms of depression   In addition medical diseases such as heart disease cancer stroke diabetes and Parkinson's disease can be associated with depression    Treatment of depression also affects the healing process of these diseases.

Physical complaints in depression

Some chemicals such as serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain have an effect in regulating both the mood and pain and therefore people with depression have physical complaints        These symptoms include joint pain back pain problems with the stomach-intestine system sleep disturbances and changes in appetite, In fact, some patients go to the doctor to solve their physical problems but they can't find a cure.

Is depression genetic?

In some families, there are multiple individuals who suffer from depression. However, people who have no history of depression in their family may also become depressed      There is not a single gene known to cause depression    Researchers are investigating genes that make people susceptible to depression.

The results of genetic research show that the genetic structure accelerates the emergence of depression by interacting with the Environment and other factors (trauma, loss of a loved person, and a difficult childhood).