What is Anxiety and Depression?

Stress, depression and anxiety are the modern day plagues. The patient feels helpless, lonely and isolated that makes even the simplest tasks very hard.

Depression is a disorder that can seriously affect the body, mood, and thoughts of a person. It can affect every aspect of life, disturbing a person's ability to function, eat, think and sleep.

Symptoms Associated With Depression:

• Persistent sad mood.
• Feeling of death or suicide.
• Negative feelings.
• Loss of interest in doing things.
• Mood swings.
• Loss of concentration, difficulty in making decisions.
• Restlessness or irritability.
• Insomnia.
• Loss or gain in appetite and weight.
• Avoidance of family members and friends.

What Causes Depression?

• Stress : Stressful life events such as failing a class, moving far away from friends or family, or ending a serious relationship can bring on an episode of depression.
• Chemical Imbalance : It is believed that an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain causes depression in some cases.
• Heredity : Research shows that people with a family history of depression are more likely to develop depression themselves.
• Gender : Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression.
• Medical Illnesses : The stress of being ill can increase the likelihood that someone will become depressed.

Depression Treatment Options:

Psychotherapy or "talk" therapy, means speaking with a trained mental health professional to learn skills to cope with depression.

Interpersonal therapy focuses on the patient's personal relationships with others and how these are related to their depression.

Cognitive-Behavioral therapy , or CBT, helps in changing the depressed patient's negative thinking and the behavior associated with Depression.

Psychodynamic therapy helps the patient in resolving any conflicting feelings experienced by him.

Medication:

Tricyclic anti-depressants help in stabilize chemical imbalances in the brain by acting on certain neurotransmitters.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs ) work by inhibiting the metabolic degradation of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs ) affect the availability of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which are all involved in mood stabilization.

Alternative Medicines:

Acupuncture focuses on balancing life energy flow, in the body. Acupuncture seeks to release unnecessary emotions and restore balance.

Aromatherapy uses scented essential oils extracted from plants to stimulate emotional responses in the brain.

Exercise is good for mental and emotional health.

Yoga , like exercise, help to release the feelings of anger, irritability and frustration.