Nobody can say that there are some people
who have not experienced stress at least once in life. It is an indispensible phenomenon in the walk
of life. We
cannot live without stress. Because it is indispensible. It also helps us to
maintain our psychological health to an extent. But if it continues, it becomes
a disease called Depression. Once in Egyptian literature, this disease was
known as Melancholia and the same is now known as Depression.
This disease varies in different parts
of the world as per the culture, religion, societies etc. In some religion, this disease is innumerable. Depression
accompanies with some diseases and plays an important role for causing many
diseases. When we got a disease, we forget the reason and we treat only to that
disease. For eg. BP, Diabetes
Mellitus, Cholesterol, etc. This may
have different reasons, but the one unknown reason is Depression. Nobody is taking attention to treat our mental ill condition, which is causing to many
physiological diseases, because of the least importance of study of Psychiatry
or Psychology in our country. In Europe and America, people have good muscle
power, because they maintain their mind power also. Many of us are trying to increase our muscle
strength and beauty, by going to Gym or Beauty Centre. But very rare people are
there who care to have a healthy and powerful mind.
All of us bear tension and misery. It
calms within one or two days or in a week. But some people are there who are
lone and borne silently without saying
anything to others about their tension. After sometime, it becomes permanent in
their mind and they don’t know one disease is forming in their mind.
To study Depression, we
must study many things. As this article may become long and boring, we can
study it briefly. It would be an asset
in our treasury of knowledge.
What
is Depression?
The in-equilibrium of our system of
neurotransmission of Automatic Nervous system in brain, causes to many dreadful
conditions, in physical and psychological level. All of these result into Depression. We experience this in mind, but origin of
this comes from brain only. Continuing miserable conditions and tensions, lead
to bio-chemical changes in neurotransmission and thereby in-equilibrium leads
to condition like Depression.
Depression is a Mood disorder. If the
bio-chemical flow done by neurotransmission, varies from a constant level, it
is a Mood disorder.
Symptoms
We feel Depression in different
psychological and physiological sick conditions. But nobody thinks it is
Depression. Very rare people realize the Depression which causes to many
diseases. Even if they know, ignore the
same saying it is a head ache or gas trouble or tension from lost love of
lover. See some symptoms below;
1)
Having
interest in nothing. Loneliness.
2)
Misery
without reason, fatigue etc.
3)
Hatred,
Sudden Angriness
4)
Reasonless
Anxiety, Fear, Insomnia
5)
Least
appetites and sometimes more appetites.
6)
Sleep
more or less
We
see somebody says no mood, feel fatigue etc. If these symptoms are controled
suddenly no problem. But reasonless fear, failure feeling, worthlessness,
helplessness, hopelessness, cannot sleep, sit or stand. These require more
attention. If these symptoms and first said symptoms, both seen in one person,
it is Depression.
Children,
Teens have got tensions and may not be expressed in the face. Loneliness, angry,
study problems, stomach ache, head ace, anything may be the symptoms.
Older
aged people may express their, tension, sorrow etc. in their face. Bad memory, angry, long sickness, anxiety of their sickness, debts, all are reasons
prone to Depression and thereby may lead to suicide.
Stress
and depression
Stress is an auto defense technique of
our mind, controlled by our automatic nervous system, to defend against
pressure situation. Everybody experiences stress. Even children
also experience this. In an adult, this
stress will be serious. In both the
case, if it continues more than some period of time, say more than 2 weeks, it becomes depression. Stress is not a
disease, but depression is a disease.
Depression is not formed suddenly. It
forms gradually. Our stress level must be controlled every day. Always, as everybody is concerned, it is not
a viable thing. Some techniques are
there to control the same. All of us have cycle of stress, which is known
as Stress Cycle. It is just like rotating
from one point and comes back to same point.
So it would be better to look into
stress cycle also.
Stress
cycle and formation of Depression
When we have interest in medical
awareness, we must study some medical facts also. Here we can see how the depression forms;
There are three parts in the brain
related to depression, viz, Hypothalamus, Limbic System and Pituitary and three Mono Amines or Neurotransmitters,
viz, Dopamine, Epinephrine,
Serotonin.
As we experience stress, as a first
step of defense against stress, Limbic system gives the required defense to
alert against stress. To normalize the mental calmness, firstly Limbic System
expels some neurotransmitters like dopamine, epinephrine and serotonin. These
travels to Hypothalamus and it produces
some hormone releasing chemicals like Adreno
Cortico Tropic hormones . These reach to
Pituitary gland. Then Pituitary gland produces some stimulating factors which are
required to important organs to defend
well against stress. These factors join
in the blood stream and reach to certain glands like Thyroid and Adrenal
medulla etc. These glands produce regulating factors like Steroid and these
also join in blood stream and travels again to Limbic system. Then the neurotransmitters like serotonin
which increase the stress, will be inactivated. Everybody has this cycle to
regulate high stress level to normalcy. This is known as stress cycle.
This regularly happens in everybody.
But if stress continues more than 2 weeks,
it leads to a disease called Depression. Because for them, the Hypothalamus Pituitary Axis gets damaged and may trigger Depression. But, still the Adrenal Cortex continues to
release the releasing factors like Steroid, which is prone to disease again. If
we deliberately try to control our stress, the production of releasing factors
stops slowly.
Diversion of Depression
Certain people will never accept, if
somebody has a disease like depression. If ignored this will divert to some
other illness. Still then we, the common people will not accept these illness
are from the consequence of Depression.
Depression may divert to other psychological or physiological sick condition.
Eg. Psychosis, Heart disease etc.
Somebody may experience diseases like
head ache, stomach ache, pains in joints, heart etc. Afraid patient meet a doctor and when consulting with doctor, he
instructs to have a check up and will get report “nothing abnormal”. Whole life somebody will be wandering
hospitals and doctors one after another.
But will never be cured.
Some cases of suicide and road
accidents are the result of long borne Depression.
Reasons
Many reasons are there. Still some
common reasons are given below;
1) Tortures, abuses and bad experiences in
the period of infancy, childhood and
adolescence and penetration of its consequences in genes, may lead to
Depression in future.
2) Heredity. In some family this shows
main reason.
3) Broken relationships with friends and
relatives.
4) Death or long separation of close
relatives and family. Death is natural phenomenon, still somebody is not able
to accept the same.
5) Divorce, Losing of employment,
starting new establishments etc.
6) Psychological and physiological
chronic illnesses.
Except those above written, some
peculiar reasons are there in modern life. See some of those below
Smoking, Gudka, Alcoholism, Insomnia,
Face book Fever, Sorrowful ending of Cinema or serial, lack of fish foods
intake. These may feel eccentric, but true
in a modern life.
Different
Types of Depression
There are mainly three types of
Depression;
1) Melancholic
In this
type, person cannot sleep well, do not eat well, without interest in sex
2) Atypical
This may be
opposite to Melancholic. Here increase in sleep, appetites, sex, obesity etc. will
be seen.
3) Psychotic
Here, patient shows
psychotic symptoms also. Fears that somebody comes to kill, enemies everywhere
etc. just like a phobia.
And other types are as
4) Post Partum Depression – PPD
This is neonatal
depression specially happens in women,
after delivery. In some countries, this case is in 1 out of every 8 woman.
Normally PPD is in 5% to 25% after child birth.
5) Endogenous, exogenous, unipolar,
bipolar and dysthymia.
Anyhow, the basic reasons are as described above. According to the
circumstances of daily living, this will be differed and classified as
above.
How to cure Depression
Some changes in life can take off
Depression. See some ways to cure the same;
1) Keep some disciplines in life. Get up
early and correct time etc.
2) Start simple exercises like, walking,
swimming, jogging etc. atleast 30 mins. in a day. This will create more
endorphin in the body which is fighting against stress.
3) Some foods which are rich in omega 3
fatty acids, folic acids etc. will help. Fishes, Vegetables, Fruits are rich
sources.
4) Try to have sound sleep. Avoid
anything to disturb sleep.
5) Do some works with responsibility. If
you do not have any responsibility, take something.
6) Destroy discouraging thoughts like I
am worthless, helpless, failure thoughts etc, Realize what we think is not
right. There would be so many others those who are liking you, your creations
etc.
7) If nothing seems under control, do not
hesitate to consult a counselor or psychologist or psychiatrist.
8) Do the things you never did. If you do
not have reading habit, start it. If you do not like hear music, start it. etc.
Thought changes will help to change bio-chemicals in brain and thereby create dopamine (a pleasure increasing
hormone)..
9) If all of above did not help you to
turn you happy and calm, we can assume
depression, still try again and again or consult with a doctor.
Those who are having good education,
culture, healthy heredity, good sense, discretion etc would be healthy in mind
and body. They do not have superstitions. They would have calm, peaceful mind.
They are not anxious about future, sickness etc. But education only is not
enough, we must have experience and intellect. We must study new things daily.
Those who are educated, mentally healthy, maintaining healthy social relations,
would not have psychological defects.
Let us strive to have a generation of
healthy and prosperous world.