Depression and Anxiety

How to identify depression ?

Are you sad almost every day? 

Can’t find the reason of your sadness? 

Not interested in things you used to enjoy? 

Then it might be depression. If so, there’s help. 

Women are more likely than men to get mood disorders, but anyone can get it. Your genes, brain chemicals, personality and living conditions may play roles. 

Depressed individuals feel anxious or hopeless. They believe in negative things easily. They are easily frustrated, irritable and angry. 

Thousands of useless thoughts flood in their minds and make them fatigue and have less energy to do even the basic necessities like personal hygiene. 

Lose interest in everything they once enjoyed, including sex. 

They have troubled sleep. Either wake up all night restless or sleepy all day. 

Suffer from unexplained aches and pains that won’t go away. 

Digestive problems including bloating and gas that never goes away. 

Slow speech and movements. Will not be able to finish work on time. 

Feel dull and empty. Try to fill the emptiness inside, by eating whatever they get. Sometimes they lose appetite and starve. 

Self-mortification and guilt lead to the conclusion that they are unworthy to live in this world. 

Lose pleasure in life. Suicidal thoughts start coming. 

Depression phases alternate with anxiety distress also, like high energy, talking too much and high self-esteem. Worry unreasonably about lot of things that might happen and gets out of control. 

Causes of depression

Depression results from a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors.  Exact causes of depression are still unknown. But the most probable causes are one or more combinations of the reasons given below 

Life events. 

Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can make you more vulnerable to depression later in life. Childhood experiences. 

In some people, even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving from a place, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring. 

However, the syndrome of clinical depression is never just a “normal” response to stressful life events. 

Sadness or grief after the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can increase the risk of depression. 

Age.  

People who are elderly are at higher risk of depression. That can be made worse by other factors, such as living alone and having a lack of social support. 

Certain medications. 

 Some drugs, such as isotretinoin (used to treat acne), the antiviral drug interferon-alpha, and corticosteroids, can increase your risk of depression. 

Attitude problems 

Thinking methods can lead to frequent conflicts in life. Depression in someone who has the biological vulnerability to it may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends. 

Gender (hormones) 

Women are about twice as likely as men to become depressed. No one’s sure why. The hormonal changes that women go through at different times of their lives due to various physiological changes happening in their body like pregnancy, postpartum issues, thyroid problems, menopause and other changes can also set off depression. 

But in Kerala, the 2018 study shows that men are more affected than women.  

Genes 

 A family history of depression may increase the risk. It’s thought that depression is a complex trait, meaning there are probably many different genes that each exert small effects, rather than a single gene that contributes to disease risk. 

The genetics of depression, like most psychiatric disorders, are not as simple or straightforward as in purely genetic diseases such as Huntington’s chorea or cystic fibrosis. 

Substance abuse.  

Recreational drugs and alcohol also cause major clinical depression in 30% of people. Although drugs or alcohol temporarily make you feel better, they ultimately will aggravate depression. 

Biology of Depression 

Researchers have noted differences in the brains of people who have clinical depression compared with those who do not. For instance, the hippocampus, a small part of the brain that is vital to the storage of memories, appears to be smaller in some people with a history of depression than in those who’ve never been depressed.  

A smaller hippocampus has fewer serotonin receptors. Serotonin is one of many brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters that allow communication across circuits that connect the brain regions involved in processing emotions. During depression, these chemicals may not be working the way it should. 

Some researchers have found that the stress hormone cortisol is produced in excess in depressed people. These investigators believe that cortisol has a “shrinking” effect on the development of the hippocampus.  

There are many other brain regions, and pathways between specific regions, thought to be involved with depression, and likely, no single brain structure or pathway fully accounts for clinical depression.

How is Depression remission possible?  

Remission is possible with care and treatment. 

Anti-psychotic drugs cannot cure mental disease, but can alleviate the signs and symptoms, for a while. Continued use of neuroleptics and other drugs may cause cardiovascular disease and vegetable life in due course of time. 

With Acupressure/ acupuncture treatment, people with clinical depression experience positive changes over 4-6 weeks. Cognitive behavioural therapy along with acupuncture relieves majority of the symptoms expressed by the patient. 

Regular physical activity including various forms of exercises like aerobic, anti-gravity, endurance exercises will help to release endorphins and regulate neurotransmitter receptors and maintain the emotional equilibrium of the individual. 

Diet also plays a prominent role in depression. Excessive use of stimulants like caffeine, alcohol, tobacco may create an imbalance in the hormone-chemical axis. 

Simple but nutritious diet gives more energy that heavy food. Eat only when you are hungry. Drink little quantities of pure water frequently or as needed. Try to live according to the circadian rhythm. Never eat cooked food at night. Include greens and sprouts in your daily diet. Watch your calorie intake and expense. 

Mindful living, acceptance and gratitude in life, assertiveness, balancing professional, personal, social and family life, acceptance of past and present, contentment and minimalized living are the key tools in dealing with depression and anxiety disorders. 

The guidance of a trained professional is absolutely necessary for the complete remission of mental disorders. 

Enrolling into a one year reversal program can help complete depression remission. The program includes acupressure, diet management, cognitive behavioural therapy, lifestyle training and exercise training suitable for the individual. 

We are providing the reliable and effective reversal programs in Trivandrum. Diabetes reversal is one of the key areas of focus. Dr. Arun Vasudevan has helped numerous people in Trivandrum reverse the disease entirely using a combination of alternative medicine techniques, including acupuncture treatment. 

Dr Arun Vasudevan 

BHMS, MBS (UK),DAcu, 

IDRP, TKD Road, Muttada PO, Trivandrum. 

Contact: 9447554207. 

Categorised in: Blog

This post was written by admin