Depression—Early treatment offers hope
None of us will forget the tragic events of last September 11th. The impact of the horrific images that played and replayed on network news during the days and weeks that followed caused thousands of people to seek treatment for a variety of health problems brought on by psychological trauma. As our nation recalls 9/11, and the feelings of dread or sadness many people felt, this is as a good a time as any to address the stigma surrounding depression and remind everyone that effective treatment is available.
Depression is a common problem touching 19 million Americans every year and affecting just under 10 percent of the population at any time. For many, it is a state of life with ongoing feelings of inadequacy or unhappiness. Even happy events provide only a brief respite from feeling blue. For some, it is a progressive problem that can end tragically. One in six severely depressed Americans commits suicide.
Our brains enable us to process information from our senses, to think and plan, to walk and run, speak and sing, solve puzzles and build skyscrapers. Our emotions are centered deep in the brain. Most everyone would agree that pleasurable emotions, such as love and happiness, are good for us. But what about unpleasant emotions, such as, fear, sadness, worry and anger?
Imagine being confronted with a fire and not having the fear to motivate us to escape. Anxiety nudges us to examine our surroundings for danger. These negative feelings sometimes serve an important purpose. When we’re healthy, we can balance positive and negative emotions. Though negative emotions may surface in the face of tragedy or loss—after the tragedies of September 11th for example—we can recover and begin to feel “normal” again. But what if those negative feelings don’t go away?
For many years, people considered brain disorders to be defects in character. We recognize now that just as high blood pressure is an imbalance in cardiovascular chemistry, depression is caused by an imbalance in brain chemistry—the result of a complex interaction between genetics and environment.
Any bodily system can malfunction. When our sugar regulation system fails, we can develop diabetes. If it’s our cardiovascular system, we might have high blood pressure. A breakdown in our immune system can cause rheumatoid arthritis. When our brain loses the ability to balance positive and negative emotions it can cause clinical depression.
Persistent sad moods, loss of interest in activities that we used to enjoy, oversleeping or insomnia, significant changes in body weight, a lack of energy or motivation, guilt or poor self image, difficulty concentrating, and thoughts of death or suicide are symptoms of depression. A clinical diagnosis of depression is when someone experiences several of these symptoms every day for two weeks.
Children whose parents suffer from depression are three times more likely to become depressed. Fortunately for those who suffer depression, society is now more informed about the problem. And there are now safe and effective treatments available.
Psychotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment when interpersonal issues contribute to depression. Counseling by a trained therapist can help people deal with the personal issues that lead to feelings of hopelessness and can help to avoid relapse after recovery.
Over the last 15 years, medications that improve the balance of serotonin and related brain chemicals that help regulate emotion have been available to treat depression. Prior to serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antidepressants have been difficult to tolerate and associated with potentially dangerous side effects. But current medications are easier for most people to tolerate and are effective for long-term treatment. Depression can be treated quickly and just as effectively as high blood pressure or diabetes. So if you or someone you know is depressed contact your doctor. Help is available.
For more information go to:
http://www.hmc.psu.edu/healthinfo/d/depression.htm
To help someone with depression: http://www.hmc.psu.edu/copelink/readings/depress.htm
Childhood depression:
http://www.hmc.psu.edu/childrens/healthinfo/d/depression.htm