Category Archives: Depression

Depression And What Could Be Its Effects

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When doctors talk about the disease of depression, they aren’t talking about occasional feelings of sadness or “the blues” that all of us experience from time to time. Depression is a serious condition that can have a variety of persistent physical, emotional and cognitive effects.
Physical Effects

* Appetite changes. Your interest in eating dwindles and you lose weight and energy. In some cases depression may cause you to overeat and you gain weight quickly.

* Sleep disturbances. You wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning and can’t fall back to sleep. Oversleeping is another problem you may sleep 12 to 14 hours at night but still not get out of bed the next morning or else return to bed very quickly.

* Changes in energy. You may feel slowed down, as though you were carrying a heavy weight around with you. Even the simplest tasks getting dressed, making breakfast seem like enormous obstacles. Some depressed people feel abnormally restless and are unable to sit still or relax their bodies.

* Sexual problems. If you enjoyed sexual activity before, you now feel a lack of inter­est and desire.

Emotional Effects

* Loss of pleasure. You no longer enjoy what used to give you pleasure hobbies, conversations with friends, a visit from someone you love.

* Increased anxiety. You feel nervous much of the time and may spend many hours worrying about your health or other problems in your life.

* Sadness. You feel despondent and often feel like crying. There may also be feelings of worthlessness and guilt.

Cognitive Effects

* Changes in concentration. You seem unable to focus on what you’re doing and have difficulty making even small decisions.

* Impaired judgment. You have trouble making accurate assessments and tend to exaggerate your own faults, blaming your­self for your illness. This loss of judgment may cause you to “catastrophize,” turning minor events into major upsets.

What Causes Depression?

Although the exact cause of depression is unclear, there’s good evidence that depressed people have abnormal levels of certain brain chemicals called “neurotransmitters.” These chemicals, which transmit signals between brain cells, playa vital role in how you feel, think and behave. However, doctors still don’t know if abnormal brain chemistry actually causes depression, or if this chemistry is merely the result of depressive illness.

It’s unlikely that depression stems from a single cause. Most experts now think that certain factors such as heredity or childhood influences predispose you to the illness, while an event or combination of events for example, stress caused by loss or change actually triggers the symptoms. Here are some factors that have been implicated in depression.

Can Depression and Anxiety Lead to Hypomnesia?

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There are various factors or causes that lead to depression and anxiety. Depression can be triggered by an event or genetic factors. Anxiety disorder, meanwhile, can affect daily functions. There are social situations or conditions which can create a lot of pressure and make people uncomfortable, leaving them with bouts with anxiety.

When depression and anxiety happens together, the situation can be extremely stressful and sometimes can cause hypomnesia. Hypomnesia is a term often referred to as poor memory or the inability of a person to recall previously memorized information.

The stress and panic that a person feels during episodes and depression and anxiety, can affect certain areas of the brain and lead to temporary memory slips. But hypomnesia caused by depression and anxiety can be treated, when depression and anxiety is also treated.

There are different forms of treatment for depression. Making some lifestyle changes will not only ease depression, but can also improve a person’s memory. Bipolar 1, where a patient experiences a cycle of mania and depression, can cause a person to temporary lose memory and experience hallucinations. To address depression, sufferers are recommended to:

· Exercise. Physical activity does not only help the body produce feel-good chemicals, but is also a great way of improving memory.

· Sleep. Getting enough hours of sleep everyday is also a great memory enhancer. Poor sleep or lack of sleep can affect the part of the brain responsible for storing long-term memories.

· Proper nutrition. There are “brain” foods which will also benefit your brain and at the same time help ease depression.

Meanwhile, anxiety is characterized by fear and worry. Whenever a person experiences an anxiety attack, the first thing that a person should do is relax. Simple methods can help a person relax such as:

· Breathing exercises. Breathing properly will help oxygen get into the system and will help sooth the body,

· Listening to calming music. Music can significantly reduce anxiety attacks and are in fact used during different medical settings.

· Guided imagery or visualization. Patients can identify a calming situation and imagine it to relax.

· Massage. This is another therapy which can help in reducing stress and overcoming anxiety.

For some changes in lifestyle and performing simple exercises can help a person deal with depression and therapy. But, whether the methods worked or did not work for you, it is very important to get professional help and support in overcoming these behaviour problems.