Depression is a mental health condition that results in feelings of sadness and hopelessness, a lack of motivation, or a disinterest in life. It can also disrupt a person's physical well-being with symptoms, such as body aches, problems sleeping, and a decreased or increased appetite.
Depression Increases Your Risk of Physical Illness
Depression increases your risk of a number of diseases and other conditions by, for example, increasing levels of stress hormones such as cortisol or adrenaline. Depression can affect the immune system, making it harder for your body to fight infection.
There's growing evidence that several parts of the brain shrink in people with depression. Specifically, these areas lose gray matter volume (GMV). That's tissue with a lot of brain cells. GMV loss seems to be higher in people who have regular or ongoing depression with serious symptoms.
The majority of changes and damage to the brain caused by untreated depression are not believed to be permanent, but more research is still needed. When depression is effectively treated, most people commonly experience an improvement in symptoms, and their brains return to typical function and structure.
People with clinical depression often have increased levels of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), an enzyme that breaks down key neurotransmitters, resulting in very low levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
Depression results from a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors. People who have gone through adverse life events (unemployment, bereavement, traumatic events) are more likely to develop depression.
There is no cure for depression, but many different treatments are available to manage the symptoms. The symptoms of depression vary among individuals. A treatment plan that includes medical interventions, support, and lifestyle changes can enable a person to live a normal and full life with the condition.
Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.
According to the Mayo Clinic, patients with untreated long-term depression are more prone to sleep disruptions, heart disease, weight gain or loss, weakened immune systems, and physical pain.
They'll ask about whether you've had thoughts of suicide or self-harm. A GP may use a questionnaire to assess your symptoms. Try to be as open and honest as you can be with your answers. Describing your symptoms and how they're affecting you will help the GP determine whether you have depression and how severe it is.
Education, lifestyle changes, social support and psychological therapy are important treatments for depression. People may also require antidepressant medication. Medications may take up to six weeks to be effective, so be patient. Take the time to find the treatment that's right for you.
The average age of onset for major depressive disorder is between 35 and 40 years of age. Onset in early adulthood may be linked with more depressive episodes, a longer duration of illness, and therefore a more difficult clinical course.
There is no convincing evidence that depression is caused by serotonin abnormalities. Many people take antidepressants believing their depression has a biochemical cause. Research does not support this belief. The notion that antidepressants work by elevating serotonin levels is not supported by the evidence.
Depression is a disorder of the brain. It is a serious mental illness that is more than just a feeling of being "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. For more than 20 million people in the United States who have depression, the feelings persist and can interfere with everyday life.
Though there is no “cure” for depression, it is treatable and symptoms can be managed. Untreated depression can be debilitating, and while in some cases your depression may go away on its own without treatment, things may get worse before they get better.
Along with therapy and sometimes medication, there's a lot you can do on your own to fight back. Changing your behavior -- your physical activity, lifestyle, and even your way of thinking -- are all natural depression treatments.
Depression Cannot Go Away By Itself
Depression is a mental health condition which requires treatment. In fact, the symptoms could worsen if left untreated. As a result, it is vital to seek and receive treatment to prevent symptoms from getting worse.
Everything feels hopeless: Depression may make people feel that there is no way to feel good or happy again. Self-esteem is often absent: People with depression may feel like they are worthless or a failure at everything. They may dwell on negative events and experiences and cannot see positive qualities in themselves.
This, says Bill Deakin, has pointed them to several relevant features of brain function. They include cognitive flexibility - our capacity to adapt our thinking to different situations - and also the extent to which our brains concentrate on processing and remembering happy, as opposed to sad, information.
Can antidepressants cause permanent changes to the brain? Antidepressants can cause changes in neurotransmitter levels and brain function; however, these changes are typically reversible once the medication is stopped.
This could mean that in most cases of depression, around 50% of the cause is genetic, and around 50% is unrelated to genes (psychological or physical factors). Or it could mean that in some cases, the tendency to become depressed is almost completely genetic, and in other cases it is not really genetic at all.