Friday, April 13, 2007

Depression hurts everyone

Millions of people who are suffering from depression are currently taking antidepressant medication in an attempt to battle the condition. Cymbalta, which is an antidepressant, is believed to reduce depression and is also considered to be a possible benefit to women suffering from Fibromyalgia. As women approach midlife and menopause one of the things to be on the lookout for is depression.
If you are a woman approaching midlife and menopause be aware that depression can be a very real side affect of the changes that will happen to you. I will also mention that for both sadness (a symptom of depression obviously) and for the emotional disorder-depression-which we have now characterized for the purposes of distinguishing between the two, some steps you can take on your own for help will be engaging in some form of physical activity such as exercise or other hobbies. Vitamin B6 - B6 is one of the best vitamins for supporting the nervous system, so it can help support the body in warding off all sorts of feelings like sadness, depression, anxiety and panic.
Another theory, which has been discussed in numerous diet and health books is the link between depression and weight through blood sugar and other key chemicals in the body and the brain which can be upset by the presence of obesity and a poor diet. A number of tests conducted in Massachusetts about the link between depression and pregnancy concluded that pregnancy actually has no effect on clinical depression whatsoever: getting pregnant does not alter brain chemistry in any way that might alleviate depression – and even worse, getting pregnant often has the opposite effect: it can actually worsen depression. No one knows what exactly causes depression, but some believe it might be caused by an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain, and in that instance you and your doctor might decide that you need to take antidepressants.
Antidepressants are used to treat chemical imbalance in the brain, but what many do not realize is that the chemical imbalance is usually a symptom of depression and not the cause. A lot of the medications used to treat depression include complicated chemical balances that need to be adjusted to the particular patient, and can also have multiple physical and emotional side effects. Patients who are being treated for depression should be monitored closely in order to ensure that the depression does not worsen or become increasingly dangerous to the patient.
According to the US Surgeon General’s Office, depression has definite biological factors, and should not be taken lightly. Though it is safe to say anyone going through depression experiences sadness, but not every sad person is necessarily depressed, both emotional hindrances might need to be addressed and catered to the same or very similar ways. It is quite easy to remember the days when someone had an "off day" - due to what we now know as depression - to hear their close ones say "Buck yourself up - you'll be OK tomorrow".
Other times - like with other illnesses - depression just happens.

No comments: