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About the Causes, Symptoms, Effects, and Treatment for Depression

Introduction

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that 9.1% of the population suffers from minor or major depression. Feeling down, sadness, and sudden loss of interest in day-to-day activities are feelings that are familiar to people with depression. However, if they persist and interfere with the individual’s life, they may be suffering from depression. The World Health Organization reports that depression to be the leading cause of disability in the world and it affects all populations, including children, adolescents, and adults. Depression is defined as a mood disaster involving persistent feelings of loss of interest and sadness. Depression is a different condition from the mood fluctuations that people regularly encounter in their life. Depression is not a passing problem but rather an ongoing one. Depression can last years, months, and weeks. Some of the common forms of depression include major depression, bipolar disorder, persistent depressive disorder, psychotic depression, and postpartum depression. This essay discusses the symptoms, causes, effects, and treatment options for depression.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression

The signs and symptoms of depression differ across populations. Some of the general symptoms of depression include depressed mood, recurrent suicide threats, loss of interest that once gave an individual pleasure, difficulties in making decisions, loss of sexual desire, guilt, and changes in appetite. Depression is also manifested by fatigue, unintentional weight loss of gain, slow speech, agitation and restlessness, and sleeping too little or too much. Some depression symptoms, including anxiety, fatigue, mood swings, ruminating, and irritability, appear more in women than in other populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posits that depression occurs twice in women as men. As regards the male population. The American Psychological Association notes that approximately 9% of the men in the United States have encountered anxiety and depression (Malhi and John, 2299). Men who suffer from depression are at more risk than women to drink excess alcohol, demonstrate anger, and engage in risky behavior due to depression. Common depression symptoms among men include excessive working without breaks, abusive or controlling behavior, avoiding family and social situations and difficulties in keeping up with family responsibilities. Among college students, some of the common symptoms of depression are insomnia, excessive sleep, avoiding social activities, difficulties concentrating in school, and decreased or increased appetite. College students have a stressful time because it is the first time the students are encountering other lifestyles and cultures. In teenagers, peer pressure and physical changes tend to trigger depression. Some of the common depression symptoms among teenagers include, restlessness, helplessness, withdrawal from family and friends, and difficulties concentrating in school. In children, common depression symptoms include vocal outbursts, clinginess, crying, deviant behavior and low energy. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that at least 3.2 % of children have suffered depression. Young children face difficulties expressing their feelings in words making it difficult to let their caregivers know they feel sad.

Causes of Depression

Although the medical fraternity is yet to fully understand the causes of depression, there are various possible causes of depression. Abuse is one of the factors that increase the chances of suffering depression. Sexual, emotional, and physical abuse can make a person vulnerable to depression. Substance abuse also causes depression. 30% of people with substance abuse problems also display clinical depression. Gold, M., et al. (22) note that “although the drugs and alcohol tend to temporarily make the addict feel better, eventually they aggravate to depression.” Another risk factor is age. Elderly people especially those without social support, are at higher risk of depression. Certain medications such as corticosteroids, interferon-alpha and isotretinoin tend to increase an individual’s risk of depression. Death or loss of a loved one also tends to trigger depression. Conflict such as personal disputes or conflicts with friends or family members also increases a person’s vulnerability to depression. Genes also increase the likelihood of suffering from depression if there is a history of depression in the family. Depression is seen as a complex trait that is caused when various genes exert small effects exacerbating disease risk. Worth noting, like most of psychotic disorders, the genetics of depression are not as straightforward as in other diseases that are purely genetic, like cystic fibrosis. Additionally, gender is also a risk factor for depression because women are twice at risk of suffering depression than men. Although nobody is sure why the hormonal changes for women during various points in their lives may have a direct role in this. Additionally, major events such as getting married, graduating from college, and even starting a new job can trigger depression. Even events such as losing income or a job, relocating to a new city, retiring, or getting divorced can also cause depression.

Effects of Depression

Depression has serious effects on a person’s physical health and well-being. In the United States, depression is among one of the widespread mental illnesses, affecting nearly 26% of the adult population (Eichstaedt et al., 11203). One of the effects of depression includes a weakened immune system. Depression weakens the body’s ability to combat diseases such as common cold and even more serious and long-term diseases like cardiovascular disease. Depression also results in low interest in sex. This is because it makes an individual lose interest in activities they enjoy doing, including sex. Additionally, antidepressants also affect a person’s libido. Another effect associated with depression is fatigue. If left untreated, depression wipes out a person’s energy levels during the day. Daytime fatigue can also be a result of nighttime insomnia. Another effect of depression is increased sensitivity to pain. People with depression tend to suffer headaches and other pain and the pain does not go away with medication. Weight fluctuations are also another effect of pain. Depression leads to loss of appetite and overeating. Depressed people who try to cope with food using food end up suffering stomachaches and obesity-related diseases while poor feeding habits lead to nutritional deficiencies. Additionally, stress and depression make blood vessels constrict, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Depression also increases the risk of suffering a heart attack. Depression also brings along feelings of clinginess because it affects a person’s daily activities ultimately making them feel lonely. In children depression leads to clinginess and refusal to attend school. Depression is also associated with cognitive changes such as difficulty making decisions and memory. These symptoms are particularly common with the older populations who have a hard time concentrating. Depression also causes individuals to be preoccupied with thoughts about death and hurting themselves. This places them at an increased risk of committing suicide.

Treatment Options of Depression

Depression is a condition that can be treated and managing the symptoms is done through drug treatment, support, and psychotherapy. Drug treatment involves taking antidepressants that a doctor prescribes. Support entails discussing practical solutions and taking the time to engage and educate the family members. Psychotherapy entails cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and one-on-one talking sessions. Antidepressants help in treating moderate to severe cases of depression. Some antidepressants used to treat depression include atypical antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Each class of antidepressants acts on a specific neurotransmitter or a combination of some neurotransmitters. Depressed individuals should only take medication as per the doctor’s instructions. Worth noting, some medications take time before having an impact and patients that stop using the medications are not likely to encounter the full benefits of the drugs. Some of the antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have major side effects, including rash, sexual dysfunction, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, and low blood sugar (Gururajan, 686). Other medication alternatives to depression include natural remedies and supplements. Some of the popular plants and herbs used to treat depression include lavender, ginseng, chamomile, and St. John’s wort. Before using any herbal remedy to treat depression, it is imperative to consult with a doctor. Some of the non-herbal supplements that help treat depression are 5-hydroxytryptophan and S-adenosyl methionine. Psychotherapy for treating depression includes problem-solving treatment, interpersonal psychotherapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Some forms of depression are best treated using psychotherapy, while others respond best to a combination of medications and psychotherapy. Interpersonal therapy helps individuals identify the emotional problems impacting their relationship, how the issues affect their mood and the best solution for the problem. Exercise also helps in addressing depression. Aerobic exercise raises endorphin levels that stimulate the neurotransmitter associated with a person’s mood. Brain boosting therapies are also treatment option for depression. If the person does not respond well to drug treatment, they can benefit from electroconvulsive therapy.

Conclusion

In closing, depression is a serious mental health condition that effects all populations including children, adolescents and adults. Depression is an ongoing and persistent feeling of mood disaster in people. It is best characterized by sadness and loss of interest. The signs and symptoms of depression are different for various populations such as men, women, teenagers, children and adolescents. Some of the common signs of depression range from suicidal thoughts, depressed mood, loss of interest in activities, loss of sexual desire, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Causes of depression range from sexual and emotional abuse, substance abuse, age, gender, conflict, certain medication, genes to even the death of a loved one. Effects of depression include a weak immune system, insomnia, reduced interest in sex, fatigue, and headaches. Treatment options for depression include support, drug treatment, and psychotherapy. Before taking medication for depression, individuals should seek the advice of a medical practitioner.

Works Cited

Eichstaedt, Johannes C., et al. “Facebook language predicts depression in medical records.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115.44 (2018): 11203-11208.

Gold, Stefan M., et al. “Comorbid depression in medical diseases.” Nature Reviews Disease Primers 6.1 (2020): 1-22.

Gururajan, Anand, et al. “The future of rodent models in depression research.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 20.11 (2019): 686-701.

Malhi, Gin S., and J. John Mann. “Depression.” The Lancet 392.10161 (2018): 2299-2312.