Clinical
Depression
An
individual with Clinical Depression is characterized as having
an abnormal mood with feelings of persistent sadness or despondency.
These feelings tend to be not only intense, but also debilitating.
Clinical Depression is said to be present when these feelings
impair an individual's ability to function in society.
Depression
is a whole body illness. It affects mood, thought, body, and
behavior. For many individuals, it is a period of time of hopelessness
and low self-esteem. Clinical Depression is not always linked
to a stressful event. In fact Clinical Depression can occur
without benefit of a stressful event in an individual's life.
Physiologic
aspect of Clinical Depression
The
most common physiological reason for an individual to become
clinically depressed is due to an imbalance of brain chemicals
called neurotransmitters . Neurotransmitters (chemical messengers)
are used by certain nerve cells, called neurons in the brain
to communicate with other nerve cells. The process of neuronal
transmission is done at the neuronal synapse, an area between
neurons. Under the right conditions, these neurons release neurotransmitters,
which then
affect neighboring cells. Often times after the neurotransmitter
is released, it is taken back up into the cell so that it can
be used again.
An
important milestone in the understanding of depression occurred
with the discovery that levels of norepinephrine and serotonin
(5-HT) in the brain can influence mental behavior. With this
understanding, hypotheses exist to better understand the physiologic
aspect of Clinical Depression.
Among
these is the catecholamine hypothesis of depression, which relates
to depression by the depletion of catecholamines (in this case,
norepinephrine), an important neurotransmitter. According to
this theory, low concentrations of norepinephrine in critical
brain region causes Clinical Depression.
The
indolamine hypothesis of depression correlates to Synapse the
neurotransmitter serotonin. Clinical studies have shown that
increased levels of serotonin will cause an individual to elicit
a manic or uncontrolled behavior. If the level of serotonin
is decreased in the brain, Clinical Depression is noted.
Although
the catecholamine and indolamine hypotheses each correlate with
only one type of neurotransmitter, other neurotransmitters combined
may be involved in inducing an individual's clinical depressive
state.
Causes
of Clinical Depression
A
combination of factors or just one factor can cause an individual
to be clinically depressed. Exogenous depression occurs when
an individual is generally confronted with a stress- induced
stimulus such as a traumatic event. Examples of stress inducing
events would be events such as the death of a loved one, divorce,
financial strains, trauma, moving to a new location or significant
loss. This type of depression is treatable with specific medications
and rarely lasts longer than a few months.
The
other type of depression, endogenous depression, is much more
difficult to identify and treat since no stress-related event
is recognized as the cause. Individuals tend to lose interest
in their external surroundings for no apparent reason and easily
withdraw from social interaction.
The
triggering of this illness, as are the symptoms associated with
Clinical Depression, is individualized:
-Certain
diseases or illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, Parkinson's
disease, Alzheimer's disease, and hormonal disorders.
-Negative
thinking patterns involving individuals who are pessimistic,
have low self esteem, worry excessively, or feel they
have little control over life events
-Family
history or a genetic pre-disposition to Clinical Depression
-Certain
medications can actually cause Clinical Depression such as tranquilizers,
blood pressure medicines, steroids (prednisone), codeine, and
indomethacin
-Frequent
and excessive alcohol consumption on a regular basis can lead
to or be a symptom of Clinical Depression
Note:
Depression is so common that over 1 in 5 Americans can expect
to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over 1 in
20 Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Women are
almost twice as likely as men to experience a depressive episode
in their lifetime.
Note:
During his lifetime, Vincent van Gogh suffered from chronic
Clinical Depression and was hardly recognized. He was seen as
a failure to his contemporaries because he never started a family,
financially supported himself, or kept his friends. However,
with the hostile world around him, he was able to find some
order through his paintings. At the young age of 37, Van Gogh
took his own life.
