Depression

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Zia_Hayderi

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Mar 30, 2007
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DEPRESSION
[FONT=&quot]Unfortunately there is no brain scan or blood test that can be used to diagnose when a person has a depressive illness. The diagnosis can only be made from the symptoms. Generally speaking a diagnosis of depression will be made if a person has a persistently low mood that significantly influences their everyday life and has been present for two weeks or more, and there are also three or four or more other symptoms of depression.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Doctors make a diagnosis of depression after assessing the severity of the low mood, other associated symptoms and the duration of the problem.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Causes: [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We do not fully understand the causes of depression. [/FONT]

  • [FONT=&quot]Genes or early life experiences may make some people vulnerable. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Stressful life events, such as losing a job or a relationship ending, may trigger an episode of depression. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Depression can be triggered by some drugs.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]It is often impossible to identify a 'cause' in many people and this can be distressing for people who want to understand the reasons why they are ill. However depression, like any illness, can strike for no apparent reason.
    [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
    [/FONT][FONT=&quot]It is clear that there are definite changes in the way the brain works when a person is depressed: [/FONT]

  • [FONT=&quot]Modern brain scans that can look at how 'hard' the brain is working have shown that some areas of the brain (such as at the front) are not working as well as normal. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Depressed patients have higher than normal levels of stress hormones. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Various chemical systems in the brain may not be working correctly including one known as the serotonin or 5-HT system. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Symptoms of depression[/FONT][FONT=&quot]:
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Stress can lead to you to feeling 'down' and 'miserable'. What is different about a depressive illness is that these feelings last for weeks or months, rather than days. In addition to feeling low most or all of the time, many other symptoms can occur in depressive illness (though not everybody has every one).[/FONT]

  • [FONT=&quot]Being unable to gain pleasure from activities that normally would be pleasurable. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Losing interest in normal activities, hobbies and everyday life. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Feeling tired all of the time and having no energy.[/FONT]

  • [FONT=&quot]Difficulty sleeping or waking early in the morning (though some feel that they can't get out of bed and 'face the world'). [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Having a poor appetite, no interest in food and losing weight (though some people overeat and put on weight - 'comfort eating').[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Losing interest in sex.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Finding it difficult to concentrate and think straight.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Feeling restless, tense and anxious. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Being irritable.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Losing self-confidence. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Avoiding other people. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Finding it harder than usual to make decisions. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Feeling useless and inadequate - 'a waste of space'. [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Feeling guilty about who you are and what you have done.[/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Feeling hopeless - that nothing will make things better.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot].
Treatments:
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Sometimes when we are going through a 'bad patch' in our life, it is enough to talk through our problems with a friend or relative. However, this may not be enough and we may need to seek professional help. The important thing to remember about depression is that it is treatable. There are many different types of treatment. These include medication and talking therapies (psychotherapy). [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Medicine:[/FONT]

    • [FONT=&quot]Antidepressants helps to correct the 'low' mood and other symptoms experienced during depression; they are NOT 'happy pills'. [/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]Antidepressants do not change your personality. [/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]Antidepressants are NOT addictive.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
In the last few years there has been an explosion of new antidepressant medications. The main advantage of these new drugs is that they have fewer side effects than older drugs and so are more pleasant to take.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Your doctor will choose which medication to prescribe for you based on the side effects of the drugs and your particular symptoms. We do not fully understand how antidepressants work. However, they appear to act on chemicals in the brain to correct the abnormalities which cause the illness.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]When taking medication it is important to remember: [/FONT]

    • [FONT=&quot]current World Health Organisation guidelines recommend that patients continue to take their medication for six months after having recovered. This is to prevent a recurrence of the illness when the medication is stopped. [/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]antidepressants are effective for both treating episodes of depression and also for preventing further episodes of illness. Some patients who have had severe and/or many episodes of illness are therefore recommended to take medication for a long time. [/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]stopping to take medication once you feel well is a common cause of a return of the symptoms of depression. You should therefore only stop after discussion with your doctor. [/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]generally coming off antidepressants is not a problem, though usually you should gradually reduce the dose of the medication over a few weeks rather than stopping abruptly.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Classes of antidepressant medicines[/FONT]

  • [FONT=&quot]Lithium [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Monoamine oxidase inhibitors [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) [/FONT]
  • [FONT=&quot]Other antidepressants [/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]Noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors (NARIs) [/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NaSSAs)[/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]Reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase type A (RIMAs) [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Serotonin noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Classes of antidepressant[/FONT][FONT=&quot]: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors (NARIs) [/FONT]

    • [FONT=&quot]Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NaSSAs)[/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]Reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase type A (RIMAs) [/FONT]
    • [FONT=&quot]Serotonin noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors (SNRIs) [/FONT]
 
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