Depression is a disease that affects the brain. A chemical imbalance in certain areas of the brain can cause the illness. Depression is also known as major depressive disorder and also as clinical depression.
Depression is not a personality trait or a "spoiled brat".
Symptoms of depression develop over time. Symptoms are usually characterized by pessimistic moods and sleep disturbances, which can have a negative impact on a person's life over time. When a person with symptoms of depression is treated for depression by a specialist, the person changes positively within the first month.
Depression types, also known as depression types, are classified within themselves.
- Masked depression
- Smiling and atypical depression
- Depression in the elderly and postmenopausal
- Dysthymic depression
- Postpartum depression
- Depression in children and adolescents
- Postpsychotic depression
- Depression due to organic causes
Depression is not a simple condition that one has to "take care of oneself".
Depression is treatable. Depression is not a short-term feeling of low mood. To be depressed, there needs to be a long-term mood problem. Depression is treated by a specialist psychiatrist and is usually highly successful.
Depression is usually diagnosed in middle age. In general, this corresponds to the ages of 30 and 40. When the rate of men and women diagnosed with depression is considered, women are diagnosed with depression more often.
Symptoms of Depression
Major Depression, as a brain disease, is a cluster of symptoms in which impairment in emotions, thoughts, behaviors and bodily functions occur as a reflection of impaired and irregular brain functioning. Not all symptoms may be present in every patient.
The main symptoms of depression
- Pessimistic and gloomy moods
- Pessimistic thought content
- Despair
- Feelings of helplessness.
- Inability to enjoy life
- There is a loss of interest in all aspects of daily life.
- The person is depressed most of the day, especially in the morning. There is a feeling of emptiness and everything seems meaningless.
- The loss of motivation makes it difficult to set goals and focus on the future.
- Anxiety and fears may also be present. There may be feelings of inner restlessness and tension. There may be crying accompanying the sad mood and some patients complain of being unable to cry.
- Negative events from the past often come to mind and feelings of regret may intensify.
- In the present, the patient constantly feels worthless, inadequate or guilty and has difficulty trusting himself/herself and others.
- Feistiness increases.
- There may be a feeling of loneliness.
- There may be negative thoughts about the future.
- Thinking slows down, causing speech to slow down and decrease.
- Forgetfulness occurs. Attention may be impaired.
- It becomes difficult to learn new things. Energy decreases, the person gets tired quickly.
- It may be difficult to fall asleep. There may be sleep interruptions during the night or waking up in the morning tired and unable to fall asleep again. Conversely, there may be a tendency to sleep and an increase in sleep duration.
- There may be a decrease in appetite and weight loss, as well as the need to overeat.
- In severe cases, the person may make self-harm plans or harm themselves. There may be suicidal thoughts/plans/attempts.
The preliminary diagnosis of depression is made by psychiatric examination. Some physical illnesses also show symptoms similar to those of depression. These conditions should be differentiated from depression in order to plan the correct diagnosis and treatment. Psychiatrists use a number of tests to make a definitive and differential diagnosis of depression and to get information about the severity of the illness. These include blood tests, QEEG (Quantitative EEG), brain MRI and psychometric tests.
Depression Test
A depression test is a test that puts a person's current state and mood into a scoring system. The purpose of the depression test is to give the person's emotional state, thoughts and perspective on the events they experience. During the depression test, the person is first interviewed in detail and then a depression test is performed. With the depression test, clinical examination and various diagnostic methods, the person is diagnosed with depression and treatment is started.
Psychometric Tests
Psychometrics is a branch of science that measures the individual's individual characteristics and general qualities.
Psychometric tests, which are applied to people at job entry, aim to evaluate whether people are adequate for that job by looking at them mentally, as a character.
The main purpose of psychometric testing; It is used to measure the general abilities of the individual, the skills and qualities that are formed by these abilities and its purpose is to make these evaluations. The goal of psychometric testing is to evaluate the person in a position appropriate to their general abilities and qualities.
Types of Depression
Types of depression, depression is a mental disorder that differs in its symptoms according to its severity and needs to be treated.
Clinical depression (major depressive disorder)
Depression is the most severe form of depression. It is characterized by intense feelings of all negative emotions. These feelings include sadness, feeling worthless, stubbornness, hopelessness, despair, anxiety and pessimism. Patients with clinical depression are unlikely to recover without treatment. Therefore, they must be diagnosed and treated by a specialist.
Major depressive disorder with atypical features
The second type of depression is major depressive disorder with atypical features. In this type of depression, the individual presents with certain behavior patterns. Emotional states change very rapidly according to external factors. It is usually seen in young and adult individuals.
Postpartum depression
One type of depression is postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can occur during pregnancy and for about a month after the birth.
Seasonal mood disorder
Seasonal affective disorder is another type of depression. This is a condition that usually occurs and is felt in the winter and fall months as the sun decreases and clouds form. Since it is seasonal, it is not a condition that is felt continuously. Seasonal mood disorder is usually seen in young girls and women. Individuals with seasonal mood disorder are seen to be very different in winter and fall than they are in spring and summer. In winter they are sad, sad, withdrawn, quiet and calm, while in summer they are happy, excited, energetic, talkative, talkative, active, affectionate and cheerful.
Major depression with melancholic features
Another type of depression is major depression with melancholic features. In this type of depression, individuals lose their sense of pleasure and avoid doing things that they used to enjoy doing very much. In this type of depression, individuals often suffer from insomnia. Their constant feelings are sadness, unhappiness, anxiety and low energy.
Major depressive disorder with psychotic features
In this depression, which is one of the types of depression, the individual begins to experience hallucinations and delusions. They hear voices from out of nowhere. They say that these voices say negative things to them. It is a type of depression that must be examined, diagnosed and treated by a specialist.
Major depressive disorder with catatonic features
Major depressive disorder with catatonic features is one of the types of depression. Individuals with this depression have significant impairments in their psychomotor movements. These impairments may include not speaking at all, repeating other people's voices and behaviors, and unnecessary muscle movements.
Dysmitic disorder
Dysmitic disorder, a form of depression, is a chronic disorder. Symptoms of dysmitic disorder persist for several years. Since the symptoms last for years, they affect the individual's life more than other types of depression. Individuals with dysmitic disorder experience symptoms such as hopelessness, despair, lack of joy and lack of interest.
Depression Treatment
Depression treatment is a treatment plan that aims to eliminate the negative effects on a person's mood and emotional state. Psychotherapy, medication and brain stimulation techniques are used to treat depression. With effective treatment, partial improvement can be achieved within weeks and full recovery within 2-4 months.
In mild depression, psychotherapy alone may be sufficient once the major stressor is removed. In outpatients with moderate depression, psychotherapy may be accompanied by medication or, in seasonal depression, phototherapy. If the desired improvement is not achieved, Magnetic Stimulation Therapy (MST), a powerful "brain stimulation technique", may be used in the second stage.
In severe cases, patients at risk of suicide are hospitalized and receive intensive individual psychotherapy and, if necessary, partner/family therapy as well as biological therapies. In addition to medication and brain stimulation techniques (TMU, Electroconvulsive Therapy-ECT), other treatment methods such as intravenous administration of certain medications can also be used.
Treatment is continued for at least six months for first-time depressive patients, after which a termination plan can be made depending on the individual's condition. In patients with several episodes of depression, it is recommended to continue treatment for many years for preventive purposes.
In patients with depression who do not respond to standard treatments, Ketamine Infusion therapy is mainly used.
Most people today feel sad or depressed from time to time. This is a normal state of affairs in the midst of intense life struggles.
However, if you are extremely unhappy, hopeless, feeling worthless in intense sadness, and these feelings last for days, this is a medical condition and the person should receive treatment for depression. Depression (clinical depression or major depressive disorder) is a common and serious mood disorder. If a person is diagnosed with depression, a specialist should plan a treatment plan for depression.
Depression can affect daily life, leading to decreased productivity, deterioration of relationships and often even poor health. If depression is not treated, it can lead to the progression of conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity.
Depression treatment is personalized. Because depression does not affect people in the same way. Treatment that works for one person may not work for another. The best way to treat depression is to familiarize yourself with the treatment options and tailor them to meet your needs.
Depression is also considered a mental illness. However, it can be treated. About 85 percent of people with depression respond positively to treatment. Almost all patients experience a reduction in symptoms and an improved quality of life after treatment.
Before a diagnosis or treatment, a specialist should be consulted and a thorough diagnostic process, including a physical examination, should be carried out. A blood test should also be performed to make sure that the depression is not caused by a medical condition, such as a thyroid problem. It is important to identify specific symptoms, family medical history and environmental factors to assess the condition, make a diagnosis and determine a plan of action.
In the treatment of depression, there may be some improvement in the first few weeks of antidepressant use, but the real benefit begins to be seen after two to three months. Depending on whether the patient feels improvement after a few weeks or not, the specialist can increase or decrease the dosage of the medication, as well as change the medication. Doctors generally recommend continuing medication for six or more months, even if symptoms have improved.
Psychotherapy is often used to treat depression. Antidepressant medication is used to treat moderate to severe depression. Depending on the severity of the depression, psychotherapy can take several weeks or longer. Significant improvements are achieved after an average of 10 to 15 sessions.
In the treatment of depression, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment method used in cases of severe major depression or bipolar disorder where the patient has not responded to other treatments. In this treatment, short electrical currents are applied to the brain of the patient under anesthesia. It is administered by a team of trained medical professionals, including a specialist psychiatrist, an anesthesiologist and a nurse.
Phototherapy
Phototherapy, also known as bright light therapy, is a treatment method used to treat a person's diagnosis of depression.
Phototherapy aims to treat the person with the positive effects of daylight.
Phototherapy helps to regulate the emotional state and to get rid of depressive mood. It has been observed in clinical studies that phototherapy helps regulate mood in patients with depression, supports more positive mood and overall sleep quality.
Magnetic Stimulation Therapy (TMT)
Magnetic stimulation therapy is a treatment method used especially in the treatment of resistant depression. The decision to use this treatment method is made with the approval of a doctor. With magnetic stimulation therapy, magnetic waves are applied to a specific area in the brain in a completely harmless and painless way and the aim is to treat the disease. It is a treatment method that is frequently used in the world and has proven success.
Medication and Brain Stimulation Techniques (TMU, Electroconvulsive Therapy-ECT)
Medication and brain stimulation techniques are among the treatment modalities used in resistant depression.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy
Ketamine infusion therapy (KIT) is a method used especially in the treatment of depression. Antidepressants have an important role in the treatment, but in some cases the medication may be insufficient. In this case, ketamine infusion therapy can be applied with the approval of the physician.
Depression Recovery Symptoms
Symptoms of improvement in depression can be mentioned, such as improvement of emotional states in the person, positive change in the perspective on life.
- Sleep patterns are restored
- They are more likely to do what they are happy with and what they love
- Increased motivation
- The person wants to socialize more
- Pay more attention to a healthy diet
- The outlook is much more positive than before.
