Depression: Nervous Breakdown

Dangerous disease to the extent that it is the leading cause of disability worldwide, nervous depression hurts people, but also the savings since it is responsible for days not worked higher than for diabetes, for example.

Polymorphic disease, from the event depression after a loss, bereavement, relationship breakup, the depression can be chronic and psychotic for patients and result in repeated stays in psychiatric hospitals.

Always suspected of laziness and lack of will, depressive patients take refuge in denial or alcohol and drugs to mask their symptoms.

Depression is a disease of body and mind. The disease of depression is responsible for 10 to 20 million attempted suicides and 850,000 suicide deaths each year worldwide.

Depression affects a lot of people in the world. All professional categories and age groups are concerned:

* child depression for various reasons, infants and children may be suffering from depression, if not properly cared for, they will relapse in adulthood;

* depression in adolescence: adolescents are also affected by this disease, but be careful not to confuse disorders of depression to those for this age of transition as they prepare to enter adulthood;

* woman depression: women are particularly affected by depression, especially around the time of pregnancy;

* retirement and depression: retirement, by the sudden change of pace it causes, is often the cause of depression in seniors and the elderly who often feel no longer needed.

The many causes of depression: stress, trauma...

The causes of the occurrence of depression are not always identified in patients. In many cases however, there are two main types of causes:

* stress and depression: the stressful lifestyle, the permanent tension are often the cause of depression,

* reactive depression: these are the cases where the depression is caused by an external event (shock, trauma, failure in relationship like divorce or professional such as unemployment) or by the accumulation of too much tension.

Consequences and complications of a nervous breakdown: work, family, sleep...

Depression can be accompanied by more or less serious consequences for the patient and his entourage:

* depression in the workplace may be due to stressful working conditions and cause the discomfort of the employee, external causes of work, but prevent a person to continue working;

* family and depression: depression can affect the balance of a couple and cause separation;

* depression and sleep: depression can disrupt sleep (insomnia, hypersomnia, sleeping pills and withdrawal);

* alcohol and depression: addictions like alcohol or drugs can sink into depression and vice versa;

* depression and suicide: suicide is the major risk of depression, many deaths are caused every year to depression.

Depression causes upheaval both emotional, intellectual and physical, durable.

The most common symptoms of depression:

* Anhedonia and sadness: depressed people are sad for no apparent reason and no longer want anything; that sadness is often accompanied by crying spells and loss of enjoyment and pleasure.

* Asthenia: fatigue, such as insomnia, is one of the main symptoms of depression; if it becomes chronic, fatigue can lead to depression.

* Prostration: prostration and inability to act or make decisions are the symptoms of depression.

General or specialist doctors can pass their patients a depression test to detect any hidden depression. These questionnaires should not be made by the patient alone and substitute for a doctor's diagnosis. They include evaluating the severity of the depressive state of a patient and to follow the evolution of disease.

Types of depression: sadness, postpartum, bipolar...

Depression can take many forms depending on the person, the context, the personality... We distinguish between depressive stats and related disorders.

Here is what are the different depressive stats. Depression is not to be confused with the depressive stat that can occur without being sick of depression; a depressive stat matches momentary episodes including coming up without particular difficulty. Melancholy is a real psychosis characterized by painful morbid, depressive emotions dominating behavior. The depressive episode occurs in isolation while the symptoms were not present before, or that they were contained by treatment; the depressive episode can involve mild and severe depression. Chronic depression affects people with recurrent depressive disorders that can be caused by poorly treated depression for example. Major depression occurs very suddenly and can cause significant risk of suicide.

Associated or related disorders to depression

Disorders caused by depression are both physical and psychological and manifested by dejection, extreme anxiety, morbid ideas...

Depressive disorders are different depending on the type of depression. Seasonal depression is timely and due to the lack of light in autumn and winter. Postpartum depression is declared by pregnant women during or just after the birth of her baby, not to be confused with the single Baby-blues. Dysthymia causes less severe disorders than those of major depression and may go unnoticed; patients often confuse their symptoms with their character traits. The manic depression or bipolar depression is a severe and serious form of depression that can cause thoughts of suicide. Anxiety and depression can affect both children and adults; it is necessary to distinguish normal anxiety and pathological anxiety. The masked depression is classified as atypical depression as seasonal depression, sometimes called "smiling depression" when the person remains upbeat on the surface, while suffering from somatic disorders sometimes severe. Hostile or aggressive depression is often associated with alcoholism or addiction, may in some cases lead to behavioral problems and lead people to violent behavior.

We know several ways, often complementary to cure depression, drug treatments, therapies, alternative therapies, long care.

Drugs against depression: antidepressants

The main treatment against depression is antidepressant. The antidepressant acts on neurotransmitters (dopamine, epinephrine, serotonin): the biological treatment against depression. It can only be prescribed by a doctor. Antidepressants can cause many serious side effects. The antidepressant discontinuation should never be abruptly but very gradually and under the supervision of a doctor, because weaning can be difficult.

Therapies against nervous breakdown

There are many therapies to heal from depression to fit each patient. Psychotherapy depression, also known as cognitive behavioral therapy, can accompany the depressed people in the road to recovery. Systemic family therapy aims to take the patient in the family context to determine the cause of depression and help him heal. Mindfulness seeks to break the reflex of negative thoughts of people who have already suffered from depressive episodes. Gestalt-therapy is based on a set of verbal and nonverbal techniques: it seeks to rehabilitate the emotional feeling against the strictly rational thought. Depression and psychoanalysis is a method to treat mental disorders, especially neurotic order. ECT, also known as electroshock therapy, is used when other treatments have not worked. The sleep cure is used in states of anxiety, acute psychoses such as schizophrenia and manic depression; the patient is immersed in sleep for several hours under the supervision of a doctor. Depression and hypnosis, often criticized by the medical community, can be helpful in curing depression.

Use alternative medicines to cure depression

To complete therapy or treatment in mild or event depression, it is possible to help patients with alternative medicine:

* natural antidepressant: it is extracted from plants such as St. John's wort or Bach flowers,

* homeopathy and depression: homeopathic treatments are prescribed only by homeopaths and have the advantage of the whole patient and not just treat the symptoms,

* depression and acupuncture: acupuncture is a technique recognized as effective in relieving depressive of some of their troubles,

* SAD light therapy: the light therapy allows patients with SAD occasionally to turn the corner,

* diet and depression: there is evidence that a balanced diet and rich in Omega 3 is good prevention against depression or relapse.

Long depression care: wellness, hospital

In some cases of depression, passing by long care is needed:

* depression cure: spa treatments can relieve depressed people by providing a context switch, rest, etc.

* hospital depression to severe depression or that do not heal despite taking antidepressants, patients can ask a hospitalization for a comprehensive care and long-term decision; entourage may also ask the hospitalization in a crisis.

To avoid a depression or relapse after a depressive episode, there are specific behaviors to adapt in prevention. Among them, it is highly advisable to undergo therapy and be monitored by a therapist.

Entourage: help the depressive and live with him

To help a depressive, it is advisable to adopt certain behaviors: listening and dialogue, compassion: show that we understand their suffering, avoid blaming the patient, offer the patient to change environment, etc.

Who consult for depression: generalist or specialist?

Usually, first we suggest to contact the general doctor for depression, it is the usual course of care.

Then, it can direct the patient to a specialist: depression psychiatrist (doctor specializing in psychiatry), and psychologist: the psychologist is not a doctor, but is a professional authorized to conduct psychotherapy.