Depression – Hormones
Overview. Researchers have long wondered how hormones are related to the experience of depression. Hormones are chemical messengers that travel through the body in the blood vessels. Much like neurotransmitters such as serotonin work in the brain, hormones work elsewhere in the body by attaching themselves to the outsides of cells and initiating specific changes […]
Depression Comorbidities – Somatic Symptoms
Overview Depression and somatic symptoms often go hand-in-hand. Somatic symptoms are symptoms that affect the body as opposed to symptoms that affect the mind. Some examples of somatic symptoms include changes in appetite, low energy, fatigue, low sex drive, dizziness, headaches, back pain, and belly problems. If healthcare providers cannot identify underlying psychological or physical […]
Depression Comorbidities – Anxiety
Problems with anxiety commonly occur in people with depression. Up to 60% of people who experience clinical levels of depression may also have significant problems with anxiety problems at some point during their lives. What causes anxiety and depression to occur together? Part of the answer is that certain symptoms of Anxiety Disorders overlap with […]
Depression Causes – Stress
Overview. There are multiple factors that contribute to causing depression. However, very often, the first time a person experiences depression, it is during or following a stressful life event such as a breakup, move or job loss. In some cases, if a person’s depressed mood is primarily due to a life stressor, and the mood […]
Depression Causes – Loss
Overview. It is common that a stressful life event triggers a person’s first episode of depression. Although the death of a loved one can be one of the most stressful experiences a person goes through, not everyone experiences depression after a loss and the relationship between loss and depression is complex. When someone dies, surviving loved […]
Depression Treatment – Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
Overview. Complimentary and Alternative Medicine or CAM is a group of healthcare practices and products that are are not currently considered to be part of modern, Western medicine. The word ‘complementary’ describes a treatment that is used ‘in addition to’ and ‘alternative’ describes a treatment that is used ‘instead of’ conventional treatment. Thus, CAM treatments […]
Depression’s Biological Causes – The Brain
The story of depression and the brain began with two common sense ideas. First, there was idea that there was a problem with the part of the brain that controlled our feelings. Second, a newer idea shifted focus from parts of the brain to the chemical messengers that help different parts of the brain communicate […]
Depression Therapy – Behavioral Activation
Behavioral Activation (BA) is an effective psychotherapy for the treatment of depression. Sometimes depression can become a vicious cycle where people stop doing things or being social because of their depressive symptoms, which in turn, worsens the depression because people become may become isolated and miss out on fun opportunities. BA is based on […]
Assessing Depression
Clinician Administered Assessment Receiving a formal assessment from a medical or mental health professional is the gold standard for making a diagnosis of depression and there are several important reasons a professional evaluation may be helpful: Depressive symptoms may be caused by other factors that a professional can rule out. A professional is uniquely […]
Depression Treatment – Alternative Medicines
Most alternative medicines for depression are herbal remedies that come from plants. Other supplements can include minerals, manmade vitamins, and animal products such as fish oils. Sometimes people think that if something is naturally occurring, it is automatically safe. However, naturally occurring supplements can be very potent, have side effects and interact with other […]
When Is It Time to Seek Professional Help for Depression?
An important part of taking care of yourself and your family is learning to recognize early signs of depression so you can take steps to prevent symptoms from turning into larger problems. There are 9 symptoms of depression . There are also additional “warning signs” that someone might be experiencing difficulties that could lead to […]
Depression Treatment – Selective-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
Selective-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are commonly prescribed medications for depression. The name “selective-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor” indicates how the medicine works in the brain by altering norepinephrine, one of the brains naturally occurring chemical messengers. SNRIs attach to cells in the brain in a way that interferes with the cell’s ability to vacuum back up the […]