DEPRESSION - The evil of the century
Dra. Celina Guerra Dore
PhD in Biochemistry
Post Doc in Psychobiology
Depression is one of the biggest public health problems of the present day. According to the World Health Organization, the incidence of this disease has increased in recent years, and it is believed that by the year 2020 it will be the second leading cause of disability in the world. The numbers associated with subsequent suicides, of those suffering from depression, are increasingly worrisome. Therefore, it is not only reality around the world, but it is also a real problem in New Zealand. According to New Zealand Ministry of Health, one in six New Zealand adults had been diagnosed with a common mental disorder at some time in their lives, around 650,000 adult New Zealanders (16,6%) have been diagnosed with depression.
Depression is considered a disease of the 20th century and is defined by psychiatrists as a mood disorder in which sadness and irritation are symptoms present most of the time. Patients with this disorder experience a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities and the low mood becomes a frequent symptom. This is a superficial understanding of this condition, as depression accounts for the large and complex clinical syndrome.
Why has depression become increasingly frequent? How can we understand this disease and develop ways to fight it?
Initially, we need to understand that the human psyche is complex. We are not able to determine the separate causes of depression. Each patient deserves to be treated in a specialized and individualized manner. Superficially, we can explain that this is a disorder related to a dysfunction in the production of chemicals in the body such as the serotonin and norepinephrine, and that this dysfunction is triggered by several factors such as frustrations, fears, insecurity, social, psychological factors (among others).
Several studies demonstrate that the development of depression is closely related to chronic inflammation processes caused mainly by a lifestyle incompatible with mental health. However, what are the main conditions that cause chronic inflammation process? Inflammatory foods present in the diet (refined flour, sugars, trans and oxidized fats, chemicals and preservatives), stressful lifestyle, sedentary lifestyle and sleep deprivation are some of the numerous examples of conditions which contribute to the development of depression.
One of the approaches to the treatment of depression is the use of medications and the numbers related to the use of drugs to control this disease are scary. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States), antidepressants are the second most popular class of drugs used in the country, second only to the cholesterol-reducing drugs. Surprisingly, 11% of the population over 12 years use antidepressants regularly.
However, it is necessary to be mindful of the other possibilities towards the treatment of depression. Outside the pharmaceutical industry, other proposals are important for treatment and are complementary to medicine: specialized medical treatment, psychological follow-up, regular physical activity and healthy nutrition should be part of a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to the patient with depression.
In order to verify such information, several studies were developed which produced evidence that the practice of regular physical activity has a beneficial effect in the treatment of patients with depressive disorder, essentially equal efficacy as drug treatment.
We need to accept that depression is a pathological condition which affects people regardless of age, sex or religion and that presents itself as a challenge. Even today, there is an increasing incidence and ongoing consequences, both social and personal. The causes are several and the approach deserves to be careful and wide-ranging by taking into account not only the conventional clinical settings also abut the diversity of non-pharmacological options.
Supplied by Marcel Dore
