There is no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and has many different triggers. For some people, a disruptive or stressful life event, such as grief, divorce, illness, dismissal, and work or financial concerns, may be the cause. Often, different causes can be combined to trigger depression.
Depression is caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals. Other factors also play a role. It also tends to run in families.
depression
can be triggered by life events or by certain diseases.It can also develop without a clear trigger. It is often said that depression is the result of a chemical imbalance, but that way of speaking does not capture the complexity of the disease. Research suggests that depression doesn't just come from having too much or too little of certain chemicals in the brain. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.
A number of these forces are thought to interact to cause depression. An important development that is being investigated psychopharmacologically for treatment-resistant depression is ketamine, which is used in medicine as an anesthetic. When a person experiences intense and persistent feelings of sadness for long periods of time, they may have a mood disorder, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave, and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.
The four most common types of depression are major depression, persistent depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder. Any treatment for depression should coincide with maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, a productive sleep schedule, and, yes, even conscious self-care practices. Dysthymia (persistent depressive disorder) and depression (major depressive disorder) are very similar. Depression is diagnosed primarily by history and clinical presentations, or a specific pattern of symptoms, says Dr.
A diagnosis of major depressive disorder (clinical depression) means that you have been feeling sad, depressed, or worthless most days for at least two weeks and that you also have other symptoms such as trouble sleeping, loss of interest in activities, or change in appetite. Your doctor or mental health professional can diagnose major depressive disorder based on your symptoms, feelings, and behaviors. People with major depression have symptoms of depression most of the day, almost every day, for episodes of at least two weeks and may experience recurrent episodes throughout their lives. It is also important to note that when a patient mentions suicidal thoughts, that is an important warning sign.
Depression or major depressive disorder (MDD), the term for clinical depression, is one of the most common mental health conditions, affecting some 350 million people of all age groups. The clinical definition, based on the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM), is “a period of at least two weeks in which a person experienced a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities, and had most of the specified symptoms, such as such as problems with sleep, diet, energy, concentration or self-esteem. Women have a higher prevalence of suffering a depressive episode than men (8.7% compared to 5.3% of adult men). Major depression is the classic type of depression and what is diagnosed or labeled as MDD (also known as unipolar depression).
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