Melancholia symptom, what does the reason have? How to treat and improve?
People with depression are “overthinking,” “sentimental,” and “too stress-resistant.”… Even in modern times, when knowledge about depression has become widespread, we still hear about some of the prejudices and stereotypes that people have about depression. When someone says, “I’ve been feeling down recently,” “I’m not interested in anything,” “I feel so tired every day,” etc., they may feel depressed, but whether they are suffering from depression or not is not the case.
Depression seems to have become a common mental illness in modern times. Depression affects more than 260 million people worldwide and affects women more than men. So, what are the symptoms and causes of depression? How to treat and improve? This article is illustrated to show you at a time.
Not just depressed! There are four categories of symptoms of depression
There are many symptoms associated with depression, ranging from psychological to physical to life.
Symptoms of depression fall into four categories: emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physical.
- Emotional symptoms
Negative emotions: the mood continues to be low, not happy; Irritable, irritable, anxious; Unusually worried and neurotic.
Feelings of worthlessness: thinking oneself bad or inferior to others; Lose motivation to do things; Helpless, hopeless, unable to see the future of positive development; Doubts about the continuation of life may even lead to suicidal thoughts.
- Behavioral symptoms
Loss of interest in life: loss of interest in many daily activities and reduced social activities; Often feel tired and have no vitality.
Lack of self-care: People who used to be neat, well-groomed, or care about their appearance may become sloppy and neglect their physical appearance and personal hygiene.
Engage in high-risk behaviors: drinking, using drugs, or increasing the use of prescription drugs to try to relieve symptoms of depression.
- Cognitive symptoms
Cognitive decline: difficulty concentrating; Persistence and memory loss; Thinking and talking are slowing down, and things that once seemed easy are now harder to do.
Physical symptoms
Sleep problems: insomnia, restless sleep throughout the night, early awakening, or excessive sleepiness.
Physical changes: headache, physical pain; Changes in appetite and weight may cause you to lose weight without feeling hungry, or you may overeat and gain weight.
What is the cause of depression? Life and family stresses can trigger
There are many reasons why a person may be depressed. For example, some people may have a family history of depression and thus an increased risk of depression; Depression can also be triggered by a series of stressful events in your life.
Common causes of depression include:
Causes of depression include genetics and the experience of major life stresses.
Low genetic
Genes may explain some of the symptoms of depression. In genetic studies, identical twins have a 70 per cent chance of suffering from depression and the other at some point in her life. A family history of depression or other mood disorders may also increase the risk.
● Physiological factors
Depression may be caused by neurotransmitters in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin.
Current research has found that people with depression may have a poor dopamine system. Dopamine managers reward people with a sense of motivation and drive, which could explain why people with depression experience symptoms such as lack of fun and loss of motivation.
Serotonin can make people feel happy and cheerful. The brain of someone with depression may not be sensitive to serotonin. (Recommended reading: 10 Natural Ways to Supplement your Body’s “happiness stuff”! Get rid of depression and anxiety
In addition to brain chemicals, mood states and mood regulation during episodes of depression are associated with changes in specific areas of the brain, such as the amygdala and hippocampus. Depression is also linked to hormonal imbalances, such as an overproduction of the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol.
● Social environmental impact
People’s environment, from family to society, has a great influence on their physical and mental state. Unhappy childhood experiences, stressful life events, marital and family problems, and interpersonal problems can all increase the risk of depression.
An unhappy childhood may increase the risk of depression later in life and affect how people respond to stress and fear.
Stressful life events such as the death of a loved one, lost love, job loss, and financial problems can all contribute to depression. These stressful events often trigger feelings of depression, and severe depression is often followed by depressive symptoms. Continued exposure to violence and neglect in life, or oppression in society, was also associated with episodes of depression.
● Psychological factors
One of the psychological factors associated with depression is neuroticism. Neurotic people show more negative emotional responses to stressful events than the general population. In addition, low self-confidence, low self-esteem, pessimism, self-criticism and excessive severity may all be related traits that may affect the onset of depression. In short, negative thinking is an important risk factor for depression.
Low disease
Other mental illnesses such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or chronic physical conditions such as cancer and chronic pain can be triggers for depression. (Recommended reading: Non-medicated cancer pain Natural relief method also applies to general pain)
● Drugs and alcohol
Some people use alcohol or drugs to cope with life’s frustrations, but these can lead to more depression and increase the risk of depression.
Three ways to treat and improve depression
One, psychological treatment
Psychotherapy is mainly the use of “talk” to treat. For mild depression, this method can be used alone; Severe depression can be treated with a combination of medications.
Psychotherapy can be done with only one patient, but can also be done with many people at the same time, such as marriage and family therapy, group therapy, etc.
Psychological treatments for depression include interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
● Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
Interpersonal psychotherapy is clinically effective. According to the treatment, depressive symptoms severely affect the interpersonal interactions with family members, friends, colleagues, etc., as well as the patients’ ability to solve interpersonal problems is weakened and their self-esteem is hurt. Therefore, the focus of interpersonal therapy is to help patients improve interpersonal relationships, enhance the ability to communicate and interact with others, and thereby alleviate the symptoms of depression.
● Cognitive behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The goal of CBT is to improve the way patients think negatively. Teach patients that negative thoughts can lead to depression, have them record their daily negative thoughts and see how they affect their mood, and then help them change their outlook and behavior.
For example, when a patient thinks, “I’m a terrible person and everything I do doesn’t go well,” therapists help the patient find evidence to refute these beliefs: Does everything that goes wrong really mean a person is bad? Or is it just that these things happen to be out of his depth? The therapist will teach the patient to challenge his or her overly negative thoughts and discuss strategies to improve the negative thoughts.
● Mindful cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy focuses on preventing the recurrence of depression. Because patients may fall back into the negative thinking of depression episodes, the treatment teaches patients to know when they started feeling depressed and to try to adjust in a “decentered” manner. In other words, keep the patient at arm’s length from their “thoughts” or “feelings” and tell themselves that “what I think is not true” and “what I think is not me.” The process can be used in the sitting and beating method.
Two, physiological treatment
Physiological treatments for depression include medication and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
● Drug therapy
Medication is by far the most common form of treatment for depression. Common antidepressants include tricyclic antidepressants (TCA), tetricyclic antidepressants (TeCA), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRI). (Recommended reading: 5 Natural Antidepressants for serotonin replenishing the body)
But drugs don’t work for everyone, and the benefits and risks of all drugs often go hand in hand.
● Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
An electric current is passed through the patient’s brain, triggering electrical discharge and physiological changes in brain cells that regulate brain function. The treatment is aggressive and controversial, and is often used when medication or other methods do not work.
● Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Using a strong magnetic field applied repeatedly, it activates areas of the brain and neural circuits that are out of whack during the onset of depression.
- Natural therapy
Natural remedies for depression include exercise and changes in diet.
Low movement
30 minutes of exercise three to five days a week boosts the body’s production of the mood-boosting hormone endorphins.
● Change behavior
Avoiding alcohol and drugs can ease the worsening symptoms of depression; Learn to say no so you don’t feel overwhelmed by situations in your life. Maintain good self-care, such as eating healthily or engaging in enjoyable activities.
When phototherapy
Exposure to white light can help regulate mood and improve depression. This treatment is mainly used for seasonal affective disorder.
● Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is based on an abundance of whole grains, plant-based foods and olive oil, as well as moderate amounts of fish, dairy products and red wine. A study of young Spaniards found that a Mediterranean diet could reduce the incidence of depression. The Mediterranean diet is rich in B vitamins, which play an important role in the synthesis of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, helping to improve mental health and mood.
● Dietary supplements
Take vitamins such as S-adenosine methionine (SAMe), 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), St. John’s Wort, omega-3 fatty acids, and B or D vitamins. Notably, St. John’s Wort is used as an antidepressant in Europe, but is not approved in the United States and has both positive and negative ratings in studies.
Some treatments are not well studied for their actual effects on depression, while others may not be approved for use in some countries and should be treated with guidance from medical staff.
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