Depression

This is the most common serious psychiatric illness and it becomes more common with age

Women are particularly vulnerable because of their hormones.Plummeting hormone levels can trigger depression when menstruation stops at the menopause,after the birth of a child and after a miscarriage or termination

About 1 in 6 women seek help for depression at some stage in their lives,as opposed to only 1 in 9 men

Most depressed people find they feel slightly better as the day progresses

Risk Factors

Depression in the past or a family history of depression.Poor health - such as a stroke or history of depression. Widowhood and widowerhood.Loss of a child,partner, family member or close friend or animal companion.Victims of crime & violence.Personality problems,Isolation.Lack of confidence.Money & work matters.Marriage problems & Divorce.With elderly people,alterations in health and circumstances such as giving up the family home

Causes

The cause of depression is complex but is probably related to a reduction in the level of certain chemicals in the brain called Neurotransmitters,which keep us in a good mood by stimulating brain cells.The best knwon of these mood elevators is Seratonin

Symptoms

Tiredness,Sleep problems,Worry,Weepiness,Sadness,despair,misery,gloom and blackness.Loss of affection towards oneself and others.A sense of failure,unworthiness,even self-loathing.Loss of interest in life,Loss of sex drive,Loss of self-esteem & confidence,altered appetite - usually loss, lethargy or sleeping for long periods as a means of escape,early-morning waking - typically between 2a.m - 4a.m. A convition that the world is against you.Paranoia,recurrent thoughts of death and even suicide

Treatment

Try to see your doctor at once if you feel depressed.Do not wait and hope your mood will pass

Don't try to cope alone

Lean on people

Join a self-help group and get help with your everyday problems

Avoid being alone

And make a point of being with people you like

Don't be affraid to approach organizations that are known to support depression sufferers

In the case of weepiness after the birth of your baby,see your doctor if you are still depressed after 2 weeks.The longer the postnatal depression stays untreated,the harder it is to cure

Psychotherapy

py - Whether individual or in a group - is most useful for those whose personality and life experiences are the main cause of their illness

Cognitive Therapy

The aim of one of the most successful treatments is to change the way you think about problems and therefore be able to deal with them

Drug Treatment

Is usded for people with predominantly physical symptoms.There are two main groups of antidepressants,tricyclics,introduced in the 1950's wiht well-known side effects and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - which appeared mainly in the 1990's.The newer antidepressants,such as SSRI's are costly,but have fewer side effects than the older drugs and patients seems to like them.Yet large studies show tricyclics work equally well to cure depression if you can tolerate them.Antidepressant drugs are effective in more than two-thirds of patients,provided the drugs are taken in a different dosage over a long enough period of time.They take between 2 and 3 weeks to work.Patients compliance is high,important because halting medication too early is a big factor in depression returning

Antidepressants and Psychotherapy in combination

Patients who stop drug therapy before 6 months will relapse.But maintenance therapy with either drugs of psychotherapy will halve their relapse rate.What is more,cognitive therapy,continues to work after it is stopped.Its effectiveness being the same as maintenance drug therapy,something to remember if you do not like taking drugs for long periods

Self-Help for Mild Depression

Work - if work distracts you,increase your workload

Keeping active - any kind of activity helps reduce sadness and will bring the pleasure of achievement.Completing a task gives your a sense of self-worth,which in itself is an antidode to depression

Sex - good,wholesome sex makes all aspects of life seem brighter,so if your libido is not depressed,keep sexually active

Diet - avoid junk food and sugar an increase your intake of wholegrain cereals,vegetables,fruit,lean meats,low-fat dairy products and fish.The amino acid tryptophan has been found to relieve depression and natural sources include turkey,chicken,fish,peas,nuts and peanut butter.Wher possible eat them with carbohydrates,such as potatoes,pasta or rice,which facilitate the brain's uptake of tryptophan

Cut out or down on caffeine and alcohol

Exercise - alleviates all kinds of mental stress.It also increases blood flow to the brain.Jogging for 30 min 3x a week,can be as effective as psychotherapy in treating depression.So a regular routine of exercise of walking,swimming or whatever appeals,is good for your mood

Aromatherapy - essential oil of clary sage is both a powerful relaxant and mentally uplifting.It can ease mental fatigue and promote sound sleep.Put 2-3 drops into a bowl of steaming water and inhale or inhale 4-6 drops from a tissue

Relaxation - techniques to reduse stress,such as massage,yoga,aromatherapy and meditation,are helpful in alleviating the anxiety that is common with depression

Depression in children & Teenagers

Good parents encourage their children to talk about their worries from a very early age.Always listen and offer help.Children can quickly feel isolated.Misundersood and ignored if parents are preoccied with their own problems. It's difficult to pin down why children become depressed and often it is a combination of factors.But some classical situations seriously affect children and precipitate depression such as

Death in the family or that of a friend.

Bullying

Exam anxiety

Feeling ugly

Unsympathetic parents

Girls/boys don't like me - don't fit in

Parental illness

Parental discord & divorce

Tell-Tale signs for Parents

Parents often wonder what's going wrong with a child who seems out of sorts a lot of time.Here is a guide what to look out for

Babies & Toddlers

They can't tell us if they are sad,so they express themselves through their behaviour and become unresponsive,are clingy but can't accept comfort,refuse to eat,can't settle down to sleep

Pre-Schoolers

A few children can put their sad feelings into words.Children blame themselves if things go wrong and think they are wothless.Then their behaviour seems to ask for punishment,lying,stealing or playing truant from school.Remember that a naugthy,depressend child is not and intiately bad child

They might be tearful all the time

Stop eating

Wake up during the night

Have frequent nightmares and night terrors

Become very demanding and naughty

Reluctant to go to play-school / playgroup

Bully,hit and bite other children

Start telling lies

Behave destructively

School-Age Children

If they are depressed they may find it hard to concentrate and lose interest in schoolwork and play

Become loners

Refuse to go to school

Complain of feeling bored all the time

Say they are lonely

Lose confidence

Become difficult to control

Become slovenly

Adolescents

Almost without exception,adolescents go through periods of being moody and antisocial and it can be difficult to spot the difference between what's normal and what is depression

Look out for these signs of depression - 1 or 2 signs could be a passing phase,but 3,4 or more mean you should see your doctor

Being much more moody and irritable than normal

Become withdrawn,giving up friends and hobbies

Losing interest in or not doing so well at school

Taking no interest in hair,clothes or music

Not eating enough,even anorexia,or eating too much,even bullimia

Having low self-esteem

Not being able to get out of bed until mid-day

Getting into bad habits and bad company

Taking drugs

Getting drug

Becoming preoccupied with thoughts of death

Harming themselves by cutting their skin

Treatment

Getting professional help early form your GP for any child whose unhappiness is more than a passing phase - can often prevent longterm depression.The mainstay of treating childhood depression is what is called talk therapy,session with a psychotherapist,clinical psychologist or family therapist,where the child can vent their anger,frustration,fear and hopelessness

Loving,caring attention is very powerful medicine for every depressed child

How can Adults help

By themselves,children simply cannot make sense of feeling depressed,they feel helpless.Depressed children need a caring adult to take a loving interested in them and show understanding.Then they can help them deal with their feeling over time

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info source:

Dr Mirriam Stoppard