People high in neuroticism (very emotionally sensitive) and introverts are two personality types more likely to experience negative thoughts research finds. In addition, being introverted is linked to spontaneously remembering more negative life events.
Symptoms of depression
Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much. Decreased energy or fatigue. Restlessness or trouble sitting still. Lack of interest in activities that used to make you happy.
Untreated clinical depression is a serious problem. Untreated depression increases the chance of risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol addiction. It also can ruin relationships, cause problems at work, and make it difficult to overcome serious illnesses.
Depression has a range of different symptoms, and it can affect everybody differently. The symptoms include feeling very tearful, feeling hopelessness and sadness, and losing interest in things you enjoyed before. It's also common for people with depression to have symptoms of anxiety.
There's no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers. For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause. Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.
The most prominent symptoms of MDD include a severe and persistent low mood, profound sadness, or a sense of despair. The way depression affects the brain can directly result in personality changes.
The results suggested a possible association of number and length of episodes with increased levels of emotional reliance and introversion, respectively. Conclusions: The findings suggest that self-reported personality traits do not change after a typical episode of major depression.
Neuroticism can be seen as a risk factor (or a vulnerability factor) for poor mental health and this vulnerability can materialize through interactions between person and environment. For example, individuals high on neuroticism may have more prolonged and intensive reactions of negative life events.
Depression often involves persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood; feelings of hopelessness or pessimism; and feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness. It can also involve loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex.
The main subcortical limbic brain regions implicated in depression are the amygdala, hippocampus, and the dorsomedial thalamus. Both structural and functional abnormalities in these areas have been found in depression. Decreased hippocampal volumes (10, 25) have been noted in subjects with depression.
In short, no. Depression isn't caused solely by a chemical imbalance and the involvement of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin in depression still isn't 100% clear. For example, the medication tianeptine is an effective antidepressant for some people and it actually lowers serotonin levels.
Suicidal Thoughts: An Emergency
For people who are severely depressed, suicide is a real threat. Each year, about 46,000 people in the U.S. take their own lives, although the true number may be higher.
Types of major depression include melancholia, psychotic and antenatal or postnatal. You may be diagnosed with mild, moderate or severe depression.
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.
Depression causes the hippocampus to raise its cortisol levels, impeding the development of neurons in your brain. The shrinkage of brain circuits is closely connected to the reduction of the affected part's function. While other cerebral areas shrink due to high levels of cortisol, the amygdala enlarges.
Psychiatric illnesses that are often associated with unusual or strange behavior include: Anxiety disorder. Bipolar disorder. Depression.
Anxiety, agitation or restlessness. Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements. Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that aren't your responsibility. Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things.