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“Modern populations are increasingly overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sunlight-deficient, sleep-deprived, and socially-isolated.”
These sobering words begin a study conducted over a decade ago regarding the rise of chronic illness in America, and unfortunately the same holds true for today. Evidence is pointing toward the idea that we are becoming unhealthy at an ever increasing rate and are on the brink of a public health crisis.
At the forefront of national health concerns is the rising number of individuals who are dealing with symptoms of depression. Shockingly, depression makes up 50% of all psychiatric consultations and 12% of admissions into hospitals. Despite its prevalence, depression is often stigmatized in society and potential symptoms are either ignored or minimized. To combat this, a robust re-education needs to occur regarding the causes, prevalence and treatment of depression in American society. That’s exactly what I am aiming to do as we focus on breaking down the facts and quality of depression research over the next few articles.
Contrary to popular belief, depression can not be simply defined as a period when someone is ‘feeling sad.’ There are a multitude of nuanced symptoms that can appear (often at the same time) when an individual is dealing with depression. Referencing the DSM-5: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders the following symptoms are indicators of depression:
Persistent sadness, anxiety, or feeling of emptiness most of the day, nearly every day
Decrease in interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day
Binge eating/weight gain or anorexia/weight loss
Sleeping too much or experiencing insomnia
Fatigue, lethargy
Feeling restless or inordinately slowed down
Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
Trouble concentrating and remembering
Feeling suicidal
There are other markers that physicians will take into account when evaluating a diagnosis, however these are starting indicators that something may be out of order. Additionally, the term ‘depression’ can be categorized in many different ways depending on how it manifests.
A common line of thinking is that depression is caused by a distressing event in an individual's life or that it is entirely genetic. While it is true that depression can arise out of unfortunate circumstances and be partially genetic, there are a variety of other reasons that someone can be experiencing depression. Research indicates that depression is a combination of genetic, neurochemical, physical, and environmental factors; any of which can be out of the normal range and contributing to a depressed mood.
Biochemical factors - Decreased action or production of neurotransmitters (messengers in the brain) can result in side effects of sleep problems, binge eating, irritability, low mood, or fatigue. Hormones are also closely linked with depression, and an imbalance in essential hormones can result in a multitude of depressive symptoms.
Physical factors - Oftentimes depression is not the only issue a patient is dealing with. Comorbidity -- the presence of two or more diseases simultaneously in a patient -- is very common for patients diagnosed with depression who may also have anxiety, eating disorders, chronic pain, and any number of other conditions.
Psychological factors - Stress, the loss of a loved one, and other traumatic situations can trigger a depressive episode. Individuals who suffer from social isolation or a lack of support are more prone to losing their sense of ‘normal’ when an incident occurs.
Much like how there are many factors that contribute to depression, the manifestations of the condition are also varied and unique to each individual. Some may struggle with recurring depression that comes around the same time each year -- a condition known as seasonal affective disorder. Others could be experiencing loss or trauma, and high stress with processed food and little exercise can cause downstream effects including depression. Still for others the most important takeaway from this is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to deal with depression.
Some of the more common depression diagnoses are:
Major Depressive Disorder
Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia)
Bipolar Depression
Postpartum Depression
The best news that we can give is that depression is not an incurable disease and you don’t have to struggle alone! Modern integrative psychiatry has a variety of effective strategies to both diagnose and cure depression regardless of how it manifests. As we take a deeper dive into this complex issue, multiple avenues of treatment will be explored. From talk therapy to restoring natural and neurotransmitter balance through the use of pharmaceutical grade natural medicine, there is a treatment plan which can fit any individual. If you believe that you are currently struggling with symptoms of depression we would love to help. Please contact our office at 405-701-5666 or follow this link to set up a new patient appointment today.
