Where Does Depression Come From

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

TMS involves inducing an electric current within the brain using pulsating magnetic fields that are generated outside the brain near the scalp . Using this technique the TMS device can only stimulate the surface of the brain immediately underneath where the magnet is placed. Drawing from neuroimaging findings of reduced metabolism of the prefrontal cortex in depression TMS therapy for depression has until present been restricted to the prefrontal cortex. Recently, stimulation of the left prefrontal cortex with TMS received Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of depression resistant to antidepressant medications . Other targets and techniques that have been explored is the application of slow TMS on the right DLPFC .

Even though TMS stimulates the dorsal prefrontal cortex, its effects are thought to be generated by downstream effects on the limbic system . Neuroimaging studies have shown changes in limbic regions such as the striatum and the amygdala though a correlation of these changes with changes in depression has not been demonstrated .

Perceptions Can Affect Treatment And Outcomes

Looking at the causes helps people understand that being depressed is a medical condition, not a choice.

Depression can be, needs to be, and deserves to be treated. However, there are many different ways to treat the condition. What works for one person may not work for another, and some people have to try many different options before finding something effective.

Its also not unusual for people to need to try different treatments throughout their lives to manage depression, as the condition can change and evolve in response to changes in a persons life .

If you are depressed but dont understand why, you may recognize that you need help and may want it, but may also be struggling with the feeling that you dont have the right to ask for help.

Know this: Every person with depression deserves treatment.

Where Can I Find Clinical Trials For Depression

Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so others may receive better help in the future.

Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you. For more information, visit NIMH’s clinical trials information.

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Come And Reason Ministries

Where does depression come from- is it spiritual , mental, or emotional? Or a combination of all? How do you know if medication is necessary? And how does demonic oppression play into all of that?

Stats about Depression:

• Depression is a physical illness of the most important organ in your body, your brain. In any given year 18-20 million adults in the U.S. will suffer from depression. Essentially every person, during their lifetime, will be affected by depression either their own or someone elses. Depression and its related disorders are on the rise with children and adolescents particularly hard hit.
• Sadly, over half the population believes depression is a personal weakness and 80% of people with depression are not currently receiving any treatment. 15% of people with severe depression, if untreated, will die by suicide.
• When people are depressed the body suffers. People with depression have higher rates of diabetes mellitus, heart disease, strokes, high cholesterol, immune problems, pain problems, bone density problems and die at a younger age than people without depression.
• Depression interferes with the ability to effectively carry out ones life or goals and contributes to work problems, absenteeism, marital problems and parent child problems. Children reared in homes with depressed mothers have significantly higher incidence of mental health problems than children reared in homes with mothers whose depression was appropriately treated.

Symptoms of Depression:

Untreated Depression Is A Common Cause Of Suicide

The proper diagnosis and treatment of depression is very important in preventing suicides. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 45% of those who commit suicide are suffering from some sort of mental illness. And this includes people with undiagnosed, untreated, or under-treated depression.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.

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Natural Treatment For Depression

Traditional depression treatment uses a combination of prescription medication and counseling. But there are also alternative or complementary treatments you can try.

Its important to remember that many of these natural treatments have few studies showing their effects on depression, good or bad.

Likewise, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesnt approve many of the dietary supplements on the market in the United States, so you want to make sure youre buying products from a trustworthy brand.

Talk to your healthcare provider before adding supplements to your treatment plan.

Earliest Accounts Of Depression

The earliest written accounts of what is now known as depression appeared in the second millennium B.C.E. in Mesopotamia. In these writings, depression was discussed as a spiritual rather than a physical condition. Like other mental illnesses, it was believed to be caused by demonic possession. As such, it was dealt with by priests rather than physicians.

The idea of depression being caused by demons and evil spirits has existed in many cultures, including those of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Chinese, and Egyptians. Because of this belief, it was often treated with methods such as beatings, physical restraint, and starvation in an attempt to drive the demons out.

While many believed that demons were the root cause of depression, there were a number of ancient Greek and Roman doctors who believed that depression was a biological and psychological illness.

Greek and Roman doctors used therapeutic methods such as gymnastics, massage, diet, music, baths, and a medication containing poppy extract and donkey’s milk to treat their patients.

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Mild And Moderate Depression

These are the most common types. More than simply feeling blue, the symptoms of mild depression can interfere with your daily life, robbing you of joy and motivation. Those symptoms become amplified in moderate depression and can lead to a decline in confidence and self-esteem.

Recurrent, mild depression

Dysthymia is a type of chronic low-grade depression. More days than not, you feel mildly or moderately depressed, although you may have brief periods of normal mood.

• The symptoms of dysthymia are not as strong as the symptoms of major depression, but they last a long time .
• Some people also experience major depressive episodes on top of dysthymia, a condition known as double depression.
• If you suffer from dysthymia, you may feel like youve always been depressed. Or you may think that your continuous low mood is just the way you are.

A Need To Foster And Adoption

people can adopt a child, it does not matter if the person is black, white, Hispanic, gay, lesbian, poor, or rich these people can still adopt. There are several aspects to consider when adopting. A child could have emotional setback because of the care the child has received or events that the child experienced in foster care or on the streets. There can be several negative life-long effects of adoption on a child or the parents.Adoption has multiple benefits that come along with adopting a child

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Is It Depression Or Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, involves serious shifts in moods, energy, thinking, and behavior. Because it looks so similar to depression when in the low phase, it is often overlooked and misdiagnosed.

This can be a serious problem as taking antidepressants for bipolar disorder can actually make the condition worse. If youve ever gone through phases where you experienced excessive feelings of euphoria, a decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, and impulsive behavior, consider getting evaluated for bipolar disorder.

Where Does Depression Come From

froggy2

Yep I think its chemical, BUT life triggers depression.

I get the feeling that a lot of depression issues happen cause we have skills in something but cannot use them. Maybe computers have killed it off or its outsourced.

I am watching the Michael Moseley DVD “The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion” along with his other DVD on the discovery of medicines.

In it, he goes on about the different inventors – some on the biggest breakthrus were non-professinal, non-tech people that found a pattern, or were obsessive about something untill they found the reason after 700 expriments etc etc.

The problem in todays age, is that computers have taken over a lot of the testing / experimentation where they test combinations of chemicals to see if one will cure a cancer for example.

There doesn’t seem to be any jobs that have this sort of “hey join us and have a look around, see what you want to do”

It is now ALWAYS pigeonholed into “This job has THIS task and you need THIS qualificaton” and you only do that task cause the contract works that way. We really have become robots.

SO for the creative, chaotic people like me, I can’t see any future for my design / pattern finding skills and this is one of the major triggers for my depression.

I’m in the wrong job but I can’t see what job is right for me.

0 likes, 33 replies

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What You Can Do To Feel Better

When youre depressed, it can feel like theres no light at the end of the tunnel. But there are many things you can do to lift and stabilize your mood. The key is to start with a few small goals and slowly build from there, trying to do a little more each day. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there by making positive choices for yourself.

Reach out to other people. Isolation fuels depression, so reach out to friends and loved ones, even if you feel like being alone or dont want to be a burden to others. The simple act of talking to someone face-to-face about how you feel can be an enormous help. The person you talk to doesnt have to be able to fix you. They just need to be a good listenersomeone wholl listen attentively without being distracted or judging you.

Get moving. When youre depressed, just getting out of bed can seem daunting, let alone exercising. But regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medication in countering the symptoms of depression. Take a short walk or put some music on and dance around. Start with small activities and build up from there.

Eat a mood boosting diet. Reduce your intake of foods that can adversely affect your mood, such as caffeine, alcohol, trans fats, sugar and refined carbs. And increase mood-enhancing nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids.

Inflammation And Immune Activation Across Major Psychiatric Disorders

There is also evidence that many other major psychiatric disorders are accompanied by activation of inflammatory and cell-mediated immune pathways, for example, mania, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder . The first papers showing inflammation (increased levels of pronflammtory cytokines, such as IL-6 and acute phase proteins and immune activation (increased levels of sIL-2Rs levels in acute and euthymic manic patients were published in the 1990s. A recent meta-analysis confirmed that mania and bipolar disorder are accompanied by activation of inflammatory, cell-mediated and negative immunoregulatory cytokines . Based on the first results obtained in schizophrenia, Smith and Maes in 1995 launched the monocyte-T lymphocyte theory of schizophrenia, which considered that activation of immuno-inflammatory processes may explain the neurodevelopmental pathology related to gestational infections. Results of recent meta-analyses showed that schizophrenia is accompanied by activation of inflammatory and cell mediated pathways . PTSD patients also show higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1 , IL-6 and TNF .

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Antenatal And Postnatal Depression

Women are at an increased risk of depression during pregnancy and in the year following childbirth . This time frame may also be referred to as the perinatal period.

The causes of depression at this time can be complex and are often the result of a combination of factors. In the days immediately following birth, many women experience the baby blues, which is a common condition related to hormonal changes, affecting up to 80 per cent of women who have given birth.

The baby blues, or the general stress of adjusting to pregnancy or a new baby, are common experiences, but are different from depression.

Depression is longer lasting and can affect not only the mother, but her relationship with her baby, the childs development, the mothers relationship with her partner and with other members of the family.

Up to one in 10 women will experience depression during pregnancy. This increases to 16 per cent in the first three months after having a baby.

There’s No One Reason For Depression

Lots of things influence whether a person gets depressed. Some of it is biology things like our genes, brain chemistry, and hormones. Some is environment, including daylight and seasons, or social and family situations we face. And some is personality, like how we react to life events or the support systems we create for ourselves. All these things can help shape whether or not a person becomes depressed.

Genes

Research shows that depression runs in families. Some people inherit genes that contribute to depression. But not everyone who has a family member with depression will develop it too. And many people with no family history of depression still get depressed. So genes are one factor, but they aren’t the only reason for depression.

Brain Chemistry

Chemicals called neurotransmitters help send messages between nerve cells in the brain. Some neurotransmitters regulate mood. When a person is depressed, these neurotransmitters might be in low supply or not effective enough.

Genes and brain chemistry can be connected: Having the genes for depression may make a person more likely to have the neurotransmitter problem that is part of depression.

Stress, Health, and Hormones

Things like stress, using alcohol or drugs, and hormone changes also affect the brain’s delicate chemistry and mood.

Getting enough sleep and regular exercise often has a positive effect on neurotransmitter activity and mood.

Daylight and Seasons

Life Events

Family and Social Environment

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Prehistory To Medieval Periods

In Ancient Greece, disease was thought due to an imbalance in the four basic bodily fluids, or humors. Personality types were similarly thought to be determined by the dominant humor in a particular person. Derived from the Ancient Greekmelas, “black”, and kholé, “bile”,melancholia was described as a distinct disease with particular mental and physical symptoms by Hippocrates in his Aphorisms, where he characterized all “fears and despondencies, if they last a long time” as being symptomatic of the ailment.

Aretaeus of Cappadocia later noted that sufferers were “dull or stern dejected or unreasonably torpid, without any manifest cause”. The humoral theory fell out of favor but was revived in Rome by Galen. Melancholia was a far broader concept than today’s depression prominence was given to a clustering of the symptoms of sadness, dejection, and despondency, and often fear, anger, delusions and obsessions were included.

Physicians in the Persian and then the Muslim world developed ideas about melancholia during the Islamic Golden Age. Ishaq ibn Imran combined the concepts of melancholia and phrenitis. The 11th century Persian physician Avicenna described melancholia as a depressive type of mood disorder in which the person may become suspicious and develop certain types of phobias.

Causes And Treatments Of Depression

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.

Depression can have many causes, all of which are complex and can be difficult to understand. In some cases, feelings of depression can be clearly connected to an experience in someones life, such as a tragic loss or a violent event. Other people may be aware they have a family history of mental illness and, as a result, may not be caught off guard by a diagnosis of depression.

However, some people become depressed and dont know why. They may feel they do not have a reason to be depressedespecially if they perceive their life as being good or easy compared to others.

The pressure to explain or justify how they feel can make depression worse and may prevent people from getting necessary treatment.

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The Issue Of Teen Suicide

Hospital South and was asked to take a survey about teen suicide. At the time, I served as a volunteer in the emergency room, and as a member of the hospital, it was required to take these types of surveys about once every month. These surveys usually are composed of the main crippling diseases of America: Heart Disease, Diabetes, Obesity, etc. However, this survey concerned the topic of teen suicide. I wasnt shocked by this topic matter. I knew that teen suicide has been rapidly increasing over the past