Buy Nurenex
for Anxiety
About General Anxiety & Depression
Research & Publications
Clinical Trails
Products
& Services
In the News
Contact Us
Home |
 Depression
is an illness that involves feelings of sadness lasting for two weeks
or longer, often accompanied by a loss of interest in life,
hopelessness, and decreased energy. Such distressing feelings can
affect one's ability to perform the usual tasks and activities of
daily living.
This is considered to be clinical depression. It is very different
from a temporary case of "the blues" triggered by an unhappy event or
stressful situation.
Depression affects the mind, but this doesn't mean "it's all in your
head." Depression is a medical illness linked to changes in the
biochemistry of the brain.
Depression is not a weakness of character. Being depressed doesn't
mean a person is inadequate. It means the person has a medical illness
that is just as real as diabetes or ulcers. Like other medical
disorders, clinical depression should not be ignored or dismissed. A
clinically depressed person cannot simply "snap out of it" any more
than a person with an ulcer could simply will it away.
But depression is highly treatable in the vast majority of cases. Up
to 90% of depressed people respond positively to treatment. Sometimes
psychotherapy or counseling is all that is needed, but there is also a
wide array of effective antidepressant medications and alternatives
available.
Clinical depression is an umbrella term used to describe the most
common forms of depression, which include:
-
Major depression, also known
as melancholia or unipolar depression, can last up to a year if not
treated. A person experiencing an episode of major depression will
experience some physical problems, such as headaches or digestive
upset, in addition to emotional difficulties.
-
Bipolar disorder, once
called manic depression, causes mood swings that soar to unusual
elation, and then plummet to depression. A person with severe bipolar
disorder may also see or hear things that are not there and experience
paranoia (a feeling that they are in danger).
-
Dysthymia is a chronic
(ongoing), low-grade depression. It often begins in childhood or
adolescence and may last for many years in adulthood if not treated.
It is a less severe form of clinical depression, but at times it can
be almost as disabling as major depression.
-
Seasonal affective disorder
(SAD) is a form of depression thought to be triggered by a decrease in
exposure to sunlight. In the Northern Hemisphere, the condition
usually occurs in late fall and winter, when daylight hours are short,
and it is more common in geographical areas that have four clearly
defined seasons.
Facts about depression
-
Depression affects nearly 17
million Americans.
-
It is the most common mental
illness, yet fewer than half of depressed people seek help.
-
Depression affects one in
five people at some point in their life.
-
It is the leading cause of
suicide.
-
It reportedly afflicts twice
as many women as men (although some observers speculate that this
could be because fewer men admit they need treatment).
-
Depression affects four
times as many people over age 65 as those in other age groups.
-
The number of people who
experience depression has increased with every generation since World
War II.
Facts about the form of depression known as bipolar disorder:
-
Bipolar disorder occurs in
about one in 10 people with clinical depression.
-
It usually begins before the
age of 30.
-
It strikes men and women
equally.
-
It is twice as likely as
major depression to run in families.
-
Bipolar disorder triggers
more frequent and severe episodes of illness than does major
depression.
How
Is Depression Treated?
Depending on the type and
severity of depression, treatment may involve:
-
Psychotherapy (counseling),
which is the treatment of mental and emotional disorders by
psychologic techniques and counseling
-
Antidepressant medications
which can restore proper chemical balance in the brain
-
Other treatments such as
light therapy and electroconvulsive therapy
Treatment is successful in 80% to 90% of clinically depressed people.
-
In mild to moderate
depression, psychotherapy may be all that is needed.
Regular exercise is also beneficial for helping to uplift mood in
milder forms of depression.
-
If symptoms don't improve in
a couple of months, and certainly in more severe cases of depression,
medication may be recommended.
-
If there is a risk of
suicide, medication or hospitalization may be necessary right away.
For some people, the best and most lasting results are obtained with a
combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication.
-
To be considered recovered,
one must be in remission - that is, symptoms must not be present - for
four to six months. The person should have returned to his or her
usual ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders occur when people have both physical and emotional
symptoms. Anxiety disorders interfere with personal relationships with
others and affect daily activities. Women are twice as likely as men
to have problems with anxiety disorders.
Many people, including children and teenagers, develop anxiety
disorders in which many of these symptoms occur when there is no
identifiable cause. Many people with an anxiety disorder say they have
felt nervous and anxious all their lives. This problem can occur at
any age. Children who have at least one parent with the diagnosis of
depression are more than twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder
than children with nondepressed parents.
Generalized anxiety disorders often occur with other problems, such as
depression, substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An anxiety disorder also can be
caused by a physical problem, such as heart or lung disease. A
complete medical examination may be needed before an anxiety disorder
can be diagnosed.
Excerpts from
YourMedicalSource.com |
|