Clinical Trial Finder Team
Keywords: Depression Treatments
Need answers? Join a clinical trial today
Quick Links:
- What is Depression?
- Types of Depression
- Symptoms of Depression
- Causes of Depression
- Treatments for Depression
- When to see a doctor
- Prevention of Depression
- MedBuzz Recent Clinical Trial Findings
What is depression?
Depression, or major depressive disorder, is a common medical condition affecting over 260 million people globally. It is a psychiatric disorder that causes low moods, heightened emotional response and behavior fluctuations. It is often described as a dark mental state that is difficult to get out of, or a feeling of numbness to life resulting in feelings from sadness, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities and changes in appetite, to difficulty sleeping, digestive problems and headaches. At worst, it can lead to suicide or substance abuse. Suicides result in the loss of 800 000 lives every year, with over half of these are associated with this depressive condition.
Need answers? Join a clinical trial today
Depression is diagnosed when a person is showing signs and symptoms consistently for at least 2 weeks. It is important to get the right help when you start feeling it’s symptoms, as there are a number of treatment options available.
Types of Depression
Depending on the severity of symptoms, depression can be categorised as mild, moderate or severe. It’s important to figure out which type you have in order to receive the most effective treatment. There are five main types of depression:
- Major depressive disorder
- Major depressive disorder (with melancholia)
- Psychotic depression
- Persistent depressive disorder (or dysthymic disorder)
- Postnatal depression
The causes for developing a particular type varies, and factors such as genetic, chemical balance in the brain, personality traits or traumatic life events could play a part.
Explore other MedBuzz articles: Alopecia – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Recent Clinical Trial Findings
Symptoms of Depression
Symptoms can range from emotional, to mental, and physical issues. Not all of these symptoms are necessary for the diagnosis of depression, and just because you have one or some of these feelings doesn’t mean you have depression.
Symptoms may include:
- Mood changes like feeling sad, teary, low, hopeless or negative about yourself or life
- Emptional changes like feeling angry, anxious, irritable or ‘fed up’
- Behavioral changes such as lack of interest in activities, increased risk-taking, drinking heavily, taking drugs or increased thoughts of suicide or lack of motivation
- Social changes such as less interest to see friends and family, lack of interest in a conversation, delayed responses or zoning out
- Cognitive abilities such as delayed responses during a conversation, concentration issues, reduction in hand-eye coordination or memory issues
- Sleep issues such as insomnia, excessive sleep, restless sleep or shorter sleep periods
- Sexual issues such as lack of sex drive, incompetence
- Physical changes such as weight gain, weight loss, digestive issues or headaches
Causes of Depression
A range of contributing factors can lead to depression. It is likely that environmental factors interact with genetic favoring to determine the risk of developing this disease.
Need answers? Join a clinical trial today
These contributing factors include:
- Genetics or family history: Little is still known about the genetics of depression, but research shows that variations in many genes combine to increase the risk of developing the condition. Some genes may control the production and quality of chemicals in the brain that allows neurons to communicate. Some may influence the neurons’ abilities to adapt to new experiences (known as synaptic plasticity), affecting the person’s ability to adapt to new situations.
- Brain chemistry and development: Research shows that underdevelopment of parts of your brain such as the frontal lobe may contribute to your chances of developing this condition. Additionally, an imbalance in the chemicals in your brain can cause a number of issues that may lead to depression.
- Age: In addition to often more solitary lives, aging has an effect on the brain that can affect the balance of neurological chemicals
- Some illnesses: As a result of long periods in hospitals or lying in bed, people with debilitating illnesses or long recovery times can increase risk. Additionally, illnesses themselves can have an impact on the brain which can lead to this condition.
- Medication: Some medications can increase risk.
- Personality types: People with personalities described as ‘highly strung’, ‘irritable’ or ‘socially avoidable’ to name a few are at higher risk.
- Stress or traumatic events: Long-term stress such as abusive relationships, or traumatic events such as loss of a relationship or loved ones can trigger this condition in some.
Treatments for Depression
When being treated for depression it’s important to understand the effects, methods and outcomes of potential treatment before starting. If you’re feeling any of the symptoms listed consistently for 2 weeks, speak to your GP about potential solutions. There are a number of different types of treatments including:
- Psychological
- Physical
- Self-help and alternative therapies
Each person responds to treatment differently as this condition is highly unique to each person, so usually, a combination of treatments is required.
Based on the severity of the condition, different treatments may be prescribed.
Common treatments for Depression
- Mild depression:
- Often caught early, sufferers can be monitored and patients can be educated and advised about lifestyle improvements and self-help that may improve their state. Changes include implementing an exercise routine, a good sleep schedule, a healthy diet and self-monitoring of mood to manage and understand symptoms.
- Moderate depression:
- Suffers may benefit from treatment for mild depression, as well as additional therapies. These include therapist sessions where interpersonal psychotherapy or cognitive behavior therapy can be performed. In some cases, antidepressants are considered.
- Severe depression:
- For this level, patients are often resistant to treatments for mild or moderate depression and may benefit from antidepressants and psychotherapy treatments. There are a number of publically available services to those in neeed that doctors and health professionals should include as part of depression care.
- Severe depression with other issues:
- Those experiencing severe depression in addition to psychotic symptoms, impaired functioning, suicidal thoughts or no response to antidepressants may be treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Other treatments
Additionally, there are a number of other treatments that might provide some support in depressive states:
- Light therapy: Exposure to white light has been shown to help regulate mood and improve various symptoms of depression.
- Acupuncture or meditation
- Exercise: exercise causes endorphins in your body which may improve your mood.
- St.John’s wort, SAMe: These herbal supplements have shown some potential in improving depression symptoms and cases. St.John’s wort and SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) acts as serotonin reuptake inhibitors meaning they limit the amount of serotonin (the brain’s ‘happy chemical’) that is reabsorbed into the neurons, making more serotonin available to improve the transmission of messages between neurons.
- Fish oils: Omega 3s are essential to the neurological development, building and repair of the brain and is a key contributor to the brain’s health. Supplementing your diet with fish oils may reduce some symptoms of depression.
- Vitamin B: B-12 and B6 are essential to brain health. Supplementing your diet with vitamin B can reduce some symptoms of depression.
- Vitamin D: Vitamin D is essential for brain, heart and bone health. People who are depressed sometimes have low levels of this vitamin, but researchers are unsure whether this is the result of a lack of sunlight or the other way around, as Vitamin D is absorbed through the sun.
Need answers? Join a clinical trial today
Explore other MedBuzz articles: Alzheimer’s – Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Prevention and Recent Clinical Trial Findings
When to see a doctor
If you are consistently feeling symptoms of depression for 2 weeks, speak to your GP about how you’re feeling. Depression left untreated can last for months or get worse, so the earlier the better when seeking help.
There are a number of options for treatments, including self-help or alternative therapies that have helped thousands of people overcome depression, and go on to live an active and fulfilling life.
Prevention
Though depression isn’t preventable due to the uniqueness of each case, it is possible to reduce your risk of developing prevention. These include environmental and lifestyle factors such as:
- A regular exercise routine
- Getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night (for adults) and sleeping/waking at similar times
- Reducing stress through meditation or removing stressors in your life
- Building strong social relationships with friends, family and colleagues where possible
- Avoid excessive alcohol and drug use
For those who have previously experienced a depressive episode, preventing relapse is important. Following the steps above as well as additional steps could minimise your chances of relapsing. These include:
- Maintaining structured psychotherapy such as face-to-face meetings or cognitive behavioral therapy
- If required, maintain antidepressant usage
Recent Clinical Trial Findings
We do the research so you can be better informed!
There are a number of different treatments being tested on its effect of depression, including antidepressants and other antipsychotic medications. Below is a review of observational studies and clinical trials showing potential in certain daily activities or supplements that might improve depression.
- Caffeine: During a 10-year study of almost 51,000 US women, researchers found that when compared with women who had developed depression, women who consumed 2 – 3 cups per day had a 15% risk in depression compares to those having 1 cup or less per week.
- Yoga: Especially in the West, yoga is increasingly becoming a tool to improve mental and physical wellbeing. In a study on 23 depressed males (veterans) who participated in 2 yoga classes per week for 8 weeks, researchers found that there was a significant reduction in depression symptoms after the eight weeks. Additionally, all participants said they would recommend the class to other veterans due to enjoyment.
- Low-carbohydrate diet: In a new study, researchers found that a diet higher in simple carbohydrates and refined grains were associated with an increased risk of new-onset depression in post-menopausal women
- Avoiding sugar: A new study suggests that eating added sugars can trigger metabolic, inflammatory and neurological processes that are tied to depressive illness.
Sources:
HealthDirect.gov
GHR.NLM.NIH.gov
WHO.int
HealthLine.com
BlackDogInsititue.org.au
Mayclinic.org
