Major depressive disorder: An insight on the endemic nervous condition.

Mood disorder or Major Depressive Disorders [MDDs], depression comes off as a rather complex complication of nervous activities resulting from a series of contradicting reaction than just a change in one's mood.

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Ranging from short term fluctuation in one's mood to a longer lasting mental complication such as melancholy; depression may be defined as a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder presenting a lot of features which can be summarized as an abnormal psychological condition.
Although depression may be explained as a disease, this perception is rather faulty as depression is not primarily a biological disorder neither is it a physical disorder.
According to J. Griffin and I. Tyrrell. `Depression we are saying is not a disease; it is a natural response to certain types of emotional introspection that results in excessive dreaming'. It therefore may be improper to totally describe depression as a biological disorder as studies have shown that only about 9% of depression cases is biologically based.

Statistics also shows that people born since 1945 are more likely to suffer from depression than those born prior to 1945, this cannot be explaining by exposure to biological or medical mismanagement, neither can this be explained as a change in human biology as it is impossible for human systems to change with such speed.

More efficiently, this statistics is explained by the drastic change in the society over the past six decades as there has been traumatic changes such as:

Increased hunger for material wealth: Over the past few decades, man's thirst for material wealth has increased greatly as the developments in technology has produced many appetizing items that everyone would long for, these items on the other hand comes costly that purchasing them would need an increased overall effort. This desperacy goes a long in defining ones happiness as inability to meet up with this taste causes sadness and disappointment which is a fast route to depression.

An overwhelming prevalence of news/social media: speaking during the celebration of the World Health Organization[WHO] day, The vice_chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria [NOUN], prof. Abdalla Adamu attributed the epidemic level of depression to addiction to social/news media. Speaking thus:
...`I know that money can cure depression at the lower level, when people do not have money, they are depressed.At the higher level, they have all the money but they do not communicate.Go to a rich home and you will see that they are not talking to one another; everybody is on Snap chat, Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook, among others”.
“Experts should develop a way of teaching people how to effectively use thesocial media to avoid alienation and its attendant depression”

Less harmonious extended family

An increased focus on `the self'

MEDICAL CAUSES

CHANGES TO LEVEL OF NEURO CHEMICALS

Changes in the level of chemicals associated with the transmission of nervous signals may lead to depression. image source wikimedia commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
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Clinical Depression is often said to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and this is what most drug treatments are based on. Certainly in many cases, there is a reduction in the amount of certain neurotransmitters found (monoamines such as serotonin and norepinephrine) in depressed people.

However, low serotonin levels are simply another symtom of depression, not a cause. The more negative introspection you carry out, and the fewer pleasure-giving activities you participate in, the lower your serotonin levels become.

"Regarding depression as "just" a chemical imbalance wildly misconstrues the disorder." - Psychology Today,March 1999

Drug therapies that work on this imbalance lift depression completely in a third of those who take them and partially in another third.

For a third of people, antidepressants don't work at all, and many who do get positive results stop taking them because the side effects are worse than the depression symptoms they are supposed to be treating.

Antidepressants are also much worse at preventing relapse than appropriate psychotherapy (which is obvious, when you consider they are treating a symptom, not the cause of depression.)
Depression can lead to chemical changes in the brain, which return to normal once your depression lifts.
Also, we are fully aware that clinical depression is far more than a prolonged sadness, or period of grieving. Yet these chemical imbalances can be found on occasion in all of these situations.

HORMONAL IMBALANCE

One 'medical' cause of depression often given is the overproduction of stress hormones.
The hormonal imbalances related to depression are to do with our natural reactions to stress, and stress and depression are certainly linked.

But does this hormonal imbalance actually cause depression?
It is true that depressed people often have increased levels of stress hormones in their bloodstream, but again, this is a symptom, not a cause.
When you ruminate, or introspect in a negative way, you create emotional arousal that causes the release of stress hormones. That night, in REM (dream sleep), you become emotionally aroused again as dreaming 'flushes out' the emotional arousal from your brain.
That is why depressed people have higher levels of stress hormones, and also why you can wake up feeling exhausted.

More commonly, the major physical cause of depression is...

STRESS

How Can Stress Cause Depression?

Human stress is a major cause of depression image source wikimedia commons Attribution
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Although stress is a fairly "modern" concept in terms of our biology, the body deals with stress by viewing it as a traditional threat, for example being attacked.To deal with stress, the body's natural "flight or fight" reactions kick in. Namely:

Shutting down nonessential or distracting activities

Enhancing delivery of "fuel" to the main muscles

Suppressing appetite for food and sex

Heightens alertness

Increasing levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.

Obviously this state is not healthy for prolonged periods of time.
The actual link connecting depression and stress concerns our thinking styles, namely the "All or Nothing" thinking our mind uses when it feels we feel threatened.

When you are stressed, your brain works differently. You are more likely to resort to 'All or Nothing' thinking, which causes catastrophising, and difficulties in solving complex problems.
In turn, this creates more arousal, or stress, and so continues the ‘loop',increasing the amount you dream, and so exhausting you.

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION

PREVENTION

WEBMD.com gave an insight on the prevention of depression.

Although clinical depression is a highly treatable condition, some forms of depression may not be preventable. That's because depression may be triggered by a malfunctioning of nerve cell connections in certain brain circuits.

However, the latest medical studies confirm that depression may often be alleviated and sometimes prevented with good health habits. Eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise , and taking time out for fun and relaxation, may work together to prevent a depressed mood.

CURE?

Already a victim of depression? The following might be helpful in getting over depression without drugs.

Exercise

Exercise can relieve depression, possibly by altering the mood-regulating brain chemicals norepinephrine and serotonin.

It may also release the endorphins responsible for the "runner's high" that some experience.

P. Murali Doraiswamy, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, N.C., recommends exercising three to five times a week for 20 to 30 minutes.
Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking on a treadmill, is best, but "any degree of exercise is better than none," he says.

Light Therapy

During the short, dark days of winter, some people are prone to a type of depression called seasonal affective disorder .

One way to ease symptoms may be light therapy, in which you sit near a brightly lit box that mimics outdoor light. The therapy generally starts with daily sessions of about 15 minutes and increases to up to two hours daily.

The timing depends upon the severity of symptoms and the intensity of the light, which a doctor can determine.
Although the therapy doesn't cure depression, it can ease symptoms, sometimes after only a couple of days.

Mood Diary

Therapy that teaches people about positive thinking can relieve depression, research suggests.

Dr. Doraiswamy recommends keeping a mood diary. "This is a tool used to train someone to keep track of positive things that are happening in their lives and not let single negative events wear them down," he says.

A mood diary keeps negative events in perspective and serves as a reminder that good days do happen.
Dr. Doraiswamy recommends not writing in a diary daily if it feels like too much work; once-a-week entries are easier to stick with.

Acupuncture

As with many alternative therapies, there isn't a heap of data that proves acupuncture relieves depression. But a handful of research suggests it might.

One small University of Arizona study of 33 women with depression found that 64% of participants went into remission after acupuncture, compared to 27% in the no-treatment group.

In a second study in the Journal of Affective Disorders, 70 patients with a major depressive disorder who were already taking an antidepressant seemed to show more improvement if they had acupuncture, compared to those who did not.

Support Groups

Support groups used to be standard in psychiatric settings, Dr. Doraiswamy says.

But, he adds, they aren't used as frequently today, although they are an excellent way to help treat mild forms of depression.

These groups provide education on depression, a community of support, and the opportunity to learn from people dealing with similar issues.

As an alternative for those not interested in talking about depression, Dr. Doraiswamy recommends just finding a group that shares your interests, whether it's a book club or yoga.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Dr. Doraiswamy calls cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) `sophisticated education' for people with depression.

It is based on the fact that thoughts trigger feelings. Being aware of your thoughts and learning to change destructive patterns could alter the way your brain works and your reaction to situations.

CBT is considered short-term therapy, often lasting for 10 to 20 sessions. It has been shown to be as effective as medication in treating mild to moderate depression.

Fish oil

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This supplement contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, including salmon, albacore tuna, and herring. Studies on fish oil are inconclusive, but it is thought that being deficient in this fatty acid at certain times (like during the postpartum period) can cause mood swings and depression.
In areas where consumption of foods with omega-3 is high, people tend to have lower rates of depression.

Meditation

Promising research suggests that meditation may play a role in preventing depression relapse. The research focused on mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which combines traditional meditation with cognitive behavioral approaches.
In two studies, people were treated with antidepressants until their symptoms subsided.
Then one group continued taking the medication while another went on a regimen of meditation therapy.

Relapse rates for people using meditation were the same as those taking antidepressants (about 30%), and lower than those on a placebo (about 70%) in one study. The second study found that 47% of the meditation group relapsed, compared to 60% of the people on antidepressants alone.

Saffron

The Crocus sativus plant may be good for more than an expensive herb to season Middle Eastern food.

A study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology suggested that saffron might increase the levels of serotonin and other chemicals in the brain. The small study, which looked at 38 people over six weeks, found that saffron was as effective as fluoxetine (Prozac) in reducing symptoms of depression. Participants taking saffron also reported fewer side effects, including sweating and sexual dysfunction, than those taking fluoxetine.

Yoga

Yoga, meditation and other exercises eases stress and reduces risk if depression. image source wikimedia commons Attribution-
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Striking a pose may alleviate stress and symptoms of depression. Studies have shown that in both people with emotional distress and major depression, practicing yoga reduces stress, hostility, anxiety, and depression, and improves energy, sleep quality, and well-being. Although there aren't too many studies on the topic, yoga may prove to be a simple, low-risk tool for improving depression.

SAMe

S-adenosylmethionine, or SAMe, is a supplement thought to be involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters in the brain. Several clinical trials have shown it to be as effective as medication in treating depression, and better than placebo. It also has been shown to have fewer side effects than many antidepressants.

St. John's Wort

One of the most studied supplements for depression is St. John's wort, a yellow-flowered plant used in teas, pills, and extracts.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine analyzed 37 studies and found it may be as beneficial as antidepressants for mild depression (without the side effects of some medications). One caveat: St. John's wort can diminish the effectiveness of some prescription medications, including birth control pills, HIV drugs, blood thinners, and some anticancer medications, among others.

References
1.clinical depression
2.major depressive disorder ~Wikipedia
3.major depressive disorder ~webmd

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