Depression /2

According to the Health Ministry Department, depression is a disease that affects nearly 10% of the population.

In a city of 100,000 inhabitants, 10,000 people suffer, have suffered or will suffer from depression. 
Depression attacks adults, children and elderly people. It’s believed that 60% of these people don’t search for treatment or undertake wrong treatments, which is a pity because with modern treatment they could be cured and wouldn’t need to remain suffering. 
 
Depression is a transitory sadness.
 
We will all have transitory sadness due to unexpected events throughout our lives. Sometimes the sadness lasts a little longer if it happens to be a major loss, or an emotional disillusion. Whenever we remember the happening we become sad. Usually, time is the best remedy for it. There are times when the best solution is to seek for psychotherapy treatment with a psychologist or psychiatrist. 
However, depression is not a transitory sadness related to a specific happening. Depression is an organic disease due to a biochemical alteration in our brain. Our brain cells transmit information to each other by substances called neurotransmitters.
When there is a deficiency in the neurotransmitters the disease appears, no matter how life is going at that very moment.
 
Symptoms
 
A deep sadness for no apparent reason, discouragement, lack of desire for doing things that you enjoyed doing, anguish, having difficulty in remembering things, slow reasoning or thinking (the person feels less intelligent than they have ever been); little or excessive hunger; difficulty in sleeping or excessive sleeping; hopelessness and pessimism; guilt; low self - esteem, disinterest in sex; suicide ideas or attempts; and many physical symptoms of different kinds.
The depression can be severe, moderate or mild. Some individuals carry these mild depressions throughout life (distimia); others intercalate periods of depression with mental acceleration and euphoria (bipolar).
The scientific name for different kinds of depression is affective disturbances, according to the International Diseases Classification.
After giving birth, either by normal delivery or cesarean, women may show the called “postpartum depression”.
In an article published on the British Journal of Psychiatry in 1988, the Psychiatrists Louis Applebee, Preben Mortensen e Brian Faragher, reveal that the risk of suicide is specially high in the first year of postpartum.  The risk is 17 times higher than the one of a population. Therefore, it’s very important to be cautious during this period.
 
Treatment
 
The treatment is done mainly with medication to correct the biochemical brain alterations- the anti depressives.
These drugs usually take 2 to 4 weeks to start working. Some of them can have transitory collateral effects like dry mouth, constipation, among others, yet they are very safe. The first anti depressives appeared in the fifties.
Many times a psychiatric routine is also helpful.
 
Recommendation/ Advice
 
1) Suicide Risk
Depression is the major cause of suicides. The person doesn’t see a way out from his suffering and his mind is totally negativistic. It’s very important that the family stands guard for the patient until the drugs make all the symptoms disappear as he may attempt against his own life any minute.
 
 
 
2) How to deal with a patient
Depression doesn’t depend on the person’s will. It’s no use stimulating his willing. It’s no use saying: “REACT!” “LIFE IS GOOD”. It’s no use forcing him to go for a walk. We must understand he is recovering from an illness. After being treated, the illness will go away and the patient, on his own, will have courage, strength, etc.
 
3) The depression may come back
The biochemical alteration of the neurotransmitters can happen again during the patient’s life and he may have depression again. It’s known that if an individual, even without symptoms, uses the medication for a long time, the chances of a relapse decrease a lot. Never stop the treatment without the instruction of the psychiatrist. If you have a relapse, don’t give up treat yourself again.
 
4) The future is good
Depression is a disease of good prognostic. And, each year, new and better treatments are available.