Posted on August 13, 2011 in Uncategorized
It is normal for people to feel down from time to time, but feeling desperate and empty most of the time is certainly not healthy. It is more common for women to experience fleeting moments of lows in relation to some hormonal concerns. Men, on the other hand, may have disappointments and setbacks due to life’s struggles and responsibilities. Apparently, many people consider these feelings of sadness, despair, disappointments, and emptiness as severe depression. However, depression is much more than feeling sad or empty at the moment. Depression is a kind of illness that needs to be treated at the earliest possible time. Unfortunately, people’s denial of having depression prevents early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Depression Symptoms Everybody Should Know
Since most people cannot ascertain that they are having depression due to misinformation and guesswork, it is best that everybody should be aware of the symptoms and the risks of depression. The disorder has several types and the symptoms and risks may be relative to a certain type. The more common types of depression include:
Learning about the different types of depression is indeed essential in order to identify if the symptoms are valid. The symptoms and side effects of depression differ from person to person, but there are some that are common to all. Among these are:
The Treatments and Therapies for Depression
Treatments and therapies for depression will greatly depend on what caused the depression and whether it is temporary or part of another mental issue. Normally, clinical depressions are treated with a combination of therapy and medications. Among the treatments and therapies for depression are:
There are several types of anti-depressant medications that include SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) that work by selectively blocking serotonin reuptakes in the human brain, atypical anti-depressants that work in various ways, dual-action anti-depressants that work on serotonin, and neurotransmitters, MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors) are those which break down neuro-chemicals, and TCAs (Tricyclic Anti-depressants) that consist of three chemical rings.
There are several types of psychotherapies that can be applied to treat patients with depression. Some of the therapies are long-term and some are short-term. With this procedure, therapists talk to patients to help them achieve rewards and satisfactions through their own effort. Psychodynamic therapies focus on determining the internal psychological conflicts of a patient that may have rooted from childhood. These could be long-term therapies to cover lifelong history and pattern of the patient’s behavior. The cognitive/behavioral and interpersonal therapies are short-term therapies that deal with the patient’s agitated personal relationships.
This treatment procedure uses electric current to pass through the brain in order to treat patients who are not responsive to anti-depressants. The normal frequency is six to ten treatments. During this time of treatment and therapy, it is beneficial for a patient to develop relationships with ECT support groups in order not to feel alone and lonely.