Neurologists prescribe antidepressants to treat depression in neurological patients, chronic pain syndromes and neuropathic pain, panic attacks, eating disorders, premenstrual syndrome and for migraine prevention.
If you are experiencing depression, it is important to see your primary care doctor or a mental health professional for an evaluation. If your depression is thought to be caused by a neurological condition, your primary care doctor may refer you to a neurologist for further evaluation and treatment.
Because several medical conditions mimic depression symptoms, neurologists can help confirm a diagnosis of depression. Symptoms that look similar to depression are common among adults who have substance abuse issues, medication side effects, medical problems, or other mental health conditions.
Neurologists and psychiatrists both work with conditions and diseases that affect the brain and mind. However, neurologists specialize in physiological illnesses, while psychiatrists specialize in psychological disorders.
What Is the Difference Between Neurologists and Neuropsychologists? In the simplest terms, a neurologist treats the physical component of a nervous system disorder or an injury to the nervous system, and a neuropsychiatrist treats the mental symptoms associated with a nervous system injury or disorder.
Neuronal communication has been implicated in depression, behavioral problems, posttraumatic stress disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. These disorders can affect social interactions, mood, concentration, memory, and body control.
Here we review the most recent findings supporting the hypothesis that major depression is a medical illness of the brain which can be elicited by neurological illnesses.
Loss of volume of the part of the Brain
Results of several MRI scan studies have demonstrated people with depression had a hippocampus volume that was up to 10% lower than people without depression.
Thus, seeing a neurologist to address the trauma to the brain would make sense, and seeing a psychiatrist to treat the depression symptoms would also be wise. There are several other conditions and symptoms that might be treated by both doctors, including: Hallucinating. Issues sleeping.
Your doctor may determine a diagnosis of depression based on: Physical exam. Your doctor may do a physical exam and ask questions about your health. In some cases, depression may be linked to an underlying physical health problem.
Depression is common with conditions like epilepsy, stroke, and Parkinson's disease.
Psychiatrist: A psychiatrist is also a medical doctor (MD) who is trained to assess, diagnose, and treat mental health disorders like depression.
Brain scans that show what type of depression a person has can also help inform the best style of treatment. Brain scans can separate clients who will likely respond well to medications from those who will respond better to therapy.
According to an fMRI study, decreased brain activity in the hippocampus was reported82 in depressive patients. Reduced gray matter volume and reduced functional activity in the hippocampus would lead to negative emotion and the inability of cognitive processing in depressive patients.
New research shows that blood tests may also help diagnose depression, in addition to physical and mental health exams. From examining your symptoms, discussing your medical history, and going through a series of physical and mental health tests, diagnosing depression can often be a lengthy process.
Brain scans alone cannot be used to diagnose a mental disorder, such as autism, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. In some cases, a brain scan might be used to rule out other medical illnesses, such as a tumor, that could cause symptoms similar to a mental disorder, such as depression.
Clinical depression is the more-severe form of depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder. It isn't the same as depression caused by a loss, such as the death of a loved one, or a medical condition, such as a thyroid disorder.
1. Headache. Headaches are one of the most common neurological disorders—and there are a variety of different kinds of headaches, such as migraines, cluster headaches, and tension headaches.
Depression is a common mental health condition that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and changes in how you think, sleep, eat and act. There are several different types.
Among the most common are epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and stroke.
Neurological disorders are central and peripheral nervous system diseases, that is, they occur in the brain, spine, and multiple nerves that connect both.
It has become clear that disorders of the mind are rooted in dysfunction of the brain, while neurological disorders interact strongly with psychological and social factors and often cause psychological symptoms.
Neurological disabilities include a wide range of disorders, such as epilepsy, learning disabilities, neuromuscular disorders, autism, ADD, brain tumors, and cerebral palsy, just to name a few.
You would visit a neuropsychiatrist if you have been diagnosed with a disease of the nervous system. The purpose of the visit could be to monitor your disease, to monitor the effectiveness and side effects of medication, or simply to perform cognitive boosting activities or therapy.
A neurologist sometimes recommends neuropsychological evaluations to assess cognition or emotional status. A neuropsychological assessment provides a profile of an individual's strengths and weaknesses that is used to develop intervention strategies to capitalize on strengths and build on areas of weakness.