What is the best way to treat depression? - Page 2

😆 i was editing my post on previous page and god knows how it got all messed up 😆 i'm getting depressed over it now as the "EDIT" button is not even visible there so i can't even fix it

here's the article i was talking about there:


Is depression caused by chemical imbalance?

ALL emotional responses have a chemical consequence. When we laugh, for example, there is a greater amount of chemical endorphins (natural painkillers) released into the blood stream. Endorphins do not cause laughter however, they are a consequence of it.

Until recently, and partly because of drug-company marketing, the widespread belief was that depression was a biological illness. It's even been called a 'disease.'

Depression is 10 times more common in people born since 1945 compared to people born before 1945. So, ten times as people are becoming depressed now as compared to fifty years ago (and this research takes into account increased reporting and public awareness). Biology doesn't change this fast. Genes don't alter this rapidly - so this is a clue that clinical depression and its increase are more to do with the way society and lifestyles are changing.

Depression is not an inevitable consequence of adverse life circumstances either, as only a minority of people exposed to difficult situations go on to develop clinical depression.

So what is depression if not a result of chemical imbalances - the physical symptoms are real enough!

Depression is actually a state of high arousal. Depressed people have higher concentrations of stress hormones (cortisol, noradrenaline) than non-depressed people.(1) The apathy and exhaustion seen in depressed people is a consequence of too much arousal, and the way the body and mind respond to this arousal.

The way we respond to situations (with thoughts of hopelessness, helplessness, anxiety, anger, etc.) effects the emotions we feel which, in turn effect the chemicals which are released.

But the emotionally aroused brain and the presence of stress hormones in turn affects how we think and feel - so it is a 'two way street'. Thoughts and emotions affect chemical composition and chemical composition affects thoughts and emotions.

So, to sum up, beating depression is not about bad things happening to us but rather how we have learned to respond to life events - god or bad.

Thyroid problems, food intolerances and other physical illness can lead to feelings of depression but less than 10% of clinical depression is thought to have a chemical basis. Appropriate psychotherapy has still been shown to be more effective than drug treatment alone in the treatment of chemically based depression, and far more effective in preventing relapse. By far the majority of depressions are learned phenomena not chemical ones.

To learn more about how arousal affects physiology and depression, take the Depression Learning Path.


source: http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/faq/chemical.htm

I do believe that depression is caused by chemical imbalance. Chemicals released by the brain trigger emotional sensations and responses and an imbalance of in these chemicals can cause depression.

We adopted a puppy from the humane society last year. The puppy had been found abandoned tied up to a post in the middle of winter, and probably suffered abuse. She was extremely underweight when we adopted her.

While she was a playful, healthy, friendly puppy we soon found out psychological damage had been done. She displayed posessive aggression, resistance against leashes. Her anxious nervous behavior escalated around people who disliked dogs. After consulting with the vet and reviewing our training methods it was concluded that our dog has anxiety disorder and fear which when escalated turned to aggression. She was prescribed Prozac to treat the imbalance that caused anxiety and fear. The medicine has helped immensely to calm her down and help her manage her nervous emotions. Once we tried to see if we could start weaning away her medicine, it did not work. She needs her meds.

This maybe a canine example, but it shows imbalances occur in nature and we can treat them with medication. However, while precription anti-depressants may help they are getting over prescribed and people are dependent on them. Pills have become the quick fix solution to everything - obesity, nutritional imbalances and even depression.

Instead of making lifestyle choices and changes to be healthy and happy people are resorting to medications. While depression maybe caused by chemical imbalance, the imbalance could be due to your poor lifestyle instead of a permanent biological disorder. Inactive lifestyle can lead to depression. A simple thing like taking a walk in fresh air can make a difference. Doctor's should encourage people to make these active lifestyle changes before prescribing medications.

Cesar Milan stresses excercise for dogs a lot. During summer I take my dog for two hour long walks, and to the local dog park. In winter we have at least half an hour of play with a tennis ball indoors. Excercise really makes a huge difference. Her meds just relax her nerves, excercise makes her really happy and content. I feel the excercise, discipline and affection principle apply to humans too. Meds may fix a biological problem, but activity can transform you to a driven, content individual.

All depressed with different thing.....When we loose something all get depressed....better think who loose more than us ...may be it help 😉 😛 😊