What is Depression

Star Rating

What Is Depression

©unsplash xhghtuiljrx

Depression (major depressive disorder or clinical depression) is a common but serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. To be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms must be present for at least two weeks.

Some forms of depression are slightly different, or they may develop under unique circumstances, such as:

• Persistent depressive disorder (also called dysthymia) is a depressed mood that lasts for at least two years. A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms must last for two years to be considered persistent depressive disorder.
•  Postpartum depression is much more serious than the “baby blues” (relatively mild depressive and anxiety symptoms that typically clear within two weeks after delivery) that many women experience after giving birth. Women with postpartum depression experience full-blown major depression during pregnancy or after delivery (postpartum depression). The feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that accompany postpartum depression may make it difficult for these new mothers to complete daily care activities for themselves and/or for their babies.
•  Psychotic depression occurs when a person has severe depression plus some form of psychosis, such as having disturbing false fixed beliefs (delusions) or hearing or seeing upsetting things that others cannot hear or see (hallucinations). The psychotic symptoms typically have a depressive “theme,” such as delusions of guilt, poverty, or illness.
•  Seasonal affective disorder is characterised by the onset of depression during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. This depression generally lifts during spring and summer. Winter depression, typically accompanied by social withdrawal, increased sleep, and weight gain, predictably returns every year in seasonal affective disorder.
•  Bipolar disorder is different from depression, but it is included in this list is because someone with bipolar disorder experiences episodes of extremely low moods that meet the criteria for major depression (called “bipolar depression”). But a person with bipolar disorder also experiences extreme high euphoric or irritable moods called “mania” or a less severe form called “hypomania.”

Examples of other types of depressive disorders newly added to the diagnostic classification of DSM-5 include disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (diagnosed in children and adolescents) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Signs and Symptoms

If you have been experiencing some of the following signs and symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, you may be suffering from depression:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
• Feelings of hopelessness, or pessimism
• Irritability
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities
• Decreased energy or fatigue
• Moving or talking more slowly
• Feeling restless or having trouble sitting still
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Appetite and/or weight changes
• Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and/or that do not ease even with treatment

Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Some people experience only a few symptoms while others may experience many. Several persistent symptoms in addition to low mood are required for a diagnosis of major depression, but people with only a few but distressing – symptoms may benefit from treatment of their “sub-syndromal” depression. The severity and frequency of symptoms and how long they last will vary depending on the individual and his or her particular illness. Symptoms may also vary depending on the stage of the illness.

Risk Factors

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. Current research suggests that depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.

Depression can happen at any age, but often begins in adulthood. Depression is now recognised as occurring in children and adolescents, although it sometimes presents with more prominent irritability than low mood. Many chronic mood and anxiety disorders in adults begin as high levels of anxiety in children.

Depression, especially in midlife or older adults, can co-occur with other serious medical illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease. These conditions are often worse when depression is present. Sometimes medications taken for these physical illnesses may cause side effects that contribute to depression. A doctor experienced in treating these complicated illnesses can help work out the best treatment strategy.

Risk factors include:

• Personal or family history of depression
• Major life changes, trauma, or stress
• Certain physical illnesses and medications

Treatment and Therapies

Depression, even the most severe cases, can be treated. The earlier that treatment can begin, the more effective it is. Depression is usually treated with medications, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two. If these treatments do not reduce symptoms, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and other brain stimulation therapies may be options to explore.

Quick Tip: No two people are affected the same way by depression and there is no "one-size-fits-all" for treatment. It may take some trial and error to find the treatment that works best for you.

Medications

Antidepressants are medicines that treat depression. They may help improve the way your brain uses certain chemicals that control mood or stress. You may need to try several different antidepressant medicines before finding the one that improves your symptoms and has manageable side effects. A medication that has helped you or a close family member in the past will often be considered.

Antidepressants take time – usually 2 to 4 weeks – to work, and often, symptoms such as sleep, appetite, and concentration problems improve before mood lifts, so it is important to give medication a chance before reaching a conclusion about its effectiveness. If you begin taking antidepressants, do not stop taking them without the help of a doctor. Sometimes people taking antidepressants feel better and then stop taking the medication on their own, and the depression returns. When you and your doctor have decided it is time to stop the medication, usually after a course of 6 to 12 months, the doctor will help you slowly and safely decrease your dose. Stopping them abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms.

Please Note: In some cases, children, teenagers, and young adults under 25 may experience an increase in suicidal thoughts or behaviour when taking antidepressants, especially in the first few weeks after starting or when the dose is changed. This warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also says that patients of all ages taking antidepressants should be watched closely, especially during the first few weeks of treatment.

If you are considering taking an antidepressant and you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor about any increased health risks to you or your unborn or nursing child.

To find the latest information about antidepressants, talk to your doctor and visit www.fda.gov.

You may have heard about an herbal medicine called St. John's wort. Although it is a top-selling botanical product, the FDA has not approved its use as an over-the-counter or prescription medicine for depression, and there are serious concerns about its safety (it should never be combined with a prescription antidepressant) and effectiveness. Do not use St. John’s wort before talking to your health care provider. Other natural products sold as dietary supplements, including omega-3 fatty acids and S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), remain under study but have not yet been proven safe and effective for routine use. For more information on herbal and other complementary approaches and current research,

Psychotherapies

Several types of psychotherapy (also called “talk therapy” or, in a less specific form, counselling) can help people with depression. Examples of evidence-based approaches specific to the treatment of depression include cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), and problem-solving therapy. 

Brain Stimulation Therapies

If medications do not reduce the symptoms of depression, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an option to explore. Based on the latest research:

• ECT can provide relief for people with severe depression who have not been able to feel better with other treatments.
• Electroconvulsive therapy can be an effective treatment for depression. In some severe cases where a rapid response is necessary or medications cannot be used safely, ECT can even be a first-line intervention.
• Once strictly an inpatient procedure, today ECT is often performed on an outpatient basis. The treatment consists of a series of sessions, typically three times a week, for two to four weeks.
• ECT may cause some side effects, including confusion, disorientation, and memory loss. Usually these side effects are short-term, but sometimes memory problems can linger, especially for the months around the time of the treatment course. Advances in ECT devices and methods have made modern ECT safe and effective for the vast majority of patients. Talk to your doctor and make sure you understand the potential benefits and risks of the treatment before giving your informed consent to undergoing ECT.
• ECT is not painful, and you cannot feel the electrical impulses. Before ECT begins, a patient is put under brief anaesthesia and given a muscle relaxant. Within one hour after the treatment session, which takes only a few minutes, the patient is awake and alert.

Other more recently introduced types of brain stimulation therapies used to treat medicine-resistant depression include repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Other types of brain stimulation treatments are under study. 

If you think you may have depression, start by making an appointment to see your doctor or health care provider. This could be your primary care practitioner or a health provider who specialises in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions.

Beyond Treatment: Things You Can Do

Here are other tips that may help you or a loved one during treatment for depression:

• Try to be active and exercise.
• Set realistic goals for yourself.
• Try to spend time with other people and confide in a trusted friend or relative.
• Try not to isolate yourself, and let others help you.
• Expect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately.
• Postpone important decisions, such as getting married or divorced, or changing jobs until you feel better. Discuss decisions with others who know you well and have a more objective view of your situation.
• Continue to educate yourself about depression.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

| About the Author of this |

Nutreat Team Senior nutritionist K.N.Singh | Supporting with trusted resources Research websites: https://www.fda.gov | https://www.nimh.nih.gov and other in our Records | for any information or queries please write us in ask us form we will respond as soon as possible |

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Disclaimer: Nutrieat works with a well experienced team. But nutrieat insists before use any type of subject matter mentioned on our website you should ask your concerned professionals about. 

You can ask experienced dieticians of nutrieat through the Ask Us forum below, our team will try to answer your questions as soon as possible. Thanks for visiting nutrieat

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Healthy Weight

Healthy Weight

What is a healthy weight? The answer is different for everyone. But it’s important to know what a healthy weight is for you. Check out our top questions and answers on weight, weight gain, and weight loss. And talk to your doctor or nurse about your weight goals. Women often gain and lose weight differently, so the steps you need to take to lose weight may be different from the steps someone else needs to take.

©Image: allgo-un-Nutrieat-splash

How do I know if I have overweight or obesity?

You can use the body mass index (BMI) to find out whether your weight is in a healthy or unhealthy range. BMI is a tool to estimate body fat. Find your BMI by typing your height and weight into this BMI calculator from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Women with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight.
• Women with a BMI of 30 or more have obesity.

BMI gives you a good idea of how healthy your weight is. But it doesn’t tell the whole story. BMI is less accurate in some people than in others. For example, if you are very muscular, you may be healthy even if your BMI is above 25. This is because muscle weighs more than fat.

Another way to figure out if you have a healthy weight is to measure your waist circumference (the distance around your waist). Researchers and doctors have agreed that women with a waist circumference larger than 35 inches are at higher risk for many health problems caused by overweight or obesity.2

What causes obesity?

People develop obesity when their body stores more calories than it uses over time. Your body needs calories (and essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients) to work properly and to be active. But if your body stores more calories than it uses, you will gain weight.

Researchers know that a person's environment over a lifetime can influence whether obesity happens. While it's true that the food you eat is an important part of weight gain or loss, other parts of your life that you do not control can make obesity more likely. Learn more about how where you live affects weight.

How common are overweight and obesity?

Overweight and obesity are very common in the United States. More than 2 in 3 women in the United States older than 20 have overweight or obesity.1

Does overweight and obesity affect some women more than others? 

Women of all ages, races, and ethnicities have overweight and obesity. But overweight and obesity are more common among some groups:

• About 4 in 5 black or African-American women have overweight or obesity.1
• More than 3 in 4 Hispanic or Latina women have overweight or obesity.1
• Lesbians and bisexual women are more likely to have overweight or obesity than heterosexual women.3

Many factors play a role in overweight and obesity, including your family background and events in the past and the place where you live.

Talk to your doctor or nurse if you are worried about your weight. There are some risk factors for overweight and obesity that you can't control. But your doctor or nurse may recommend eating habits and physical activity to help you reach a healthier weight. Also, some medicines can cause weight gain or make it difficult to lose weight. If you think your medicine is affecting your weight, talk to your doctor or nurse. You may be able to try a different medicine.

What individual factors unique to me can make it more likely that I'll gain weight?

Obesity is a complex disease that is the result of many different parts of a person's life that happen over a long period of time. Things that can affect your weight include:

• Genes and family background. Obesity tends to run in families. But there is not one “fat” gene. There are many genes that may work together to make you more likely to gain weight. The situation you live in also affects your genes. When you are a baby or young child, your parents or caregivers control your eating and physical activity. This family background can influence your weight as an adult.
• Metabolism. People's metabolism rates (how fast your body “burns” calories) may vary for many reasons, and this can affect weight gain and loss. For instance, men usually have more muscle and less fat than women do, so men's bodies might burn more calories more quickly. A woman's metabolism may change throughout her life, such as with the hormonal changes that happen during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.
• Age. Your metabolism may slow down as you get older. Also, as we age, we lose muscle. With less muscle to burn calories, we need fewer calories.
• Trauma. Many events in the past that you didn't have control over and are not your fault can affect when and how quickly you gain weight. Women who experience serious, negative events during childhood, such as abuse or a parent with a problem with alcohol or drugs, are more likely to have obesity as adults.4,5 Researchers have found that girls who are sexually abused may be more likely to gain weight faster as young adults and develop obesity at a younger age.6,7 Also, women who experience a traumatic event at any time and develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be more likely to gain weight quickly after the traumatic event and develop obesity.8
• Medicines. Many of the medicines that women take every day, including medicines for mental health conditions, sleep, and high blood pressure, can cause weight gain or make it difficult to lose weight. If you take any prescription medicine and have extra weight, talk to the doctor or nurse who prescribed the medicine about the best ways to safely lose weight and possible alternatives to that prescription medicine.
• Sleep. Not getting enough high-quality sleep can lead to weight gain.9 Researchers think this may be because low-quality sleep can affect your hormone levels, which can affect your appetite and food choices. Not getting enough sleep to feel rested may also affect how much physical activity or exercise you get throughout the day.10

How can the place where I live make it more likely that I'll gain weight?

Many parts of our everyday lives may make weight gain very common. These include:

• Neighbourhoods. How easy or safe is it to walk and be physically active? Some neighbourhoods don't have sidewalks or parks. It may not be safe to walk around outside in other neighbourhoods. Some places where people live have so much traffic that it may be difficult for people with disabilities to get around outside.
• Healthy food availability. Are healthy food options close to where you live, work, or go to school? Many people do not have low-cost, healthy food options where they live. Some people live near many fast-food restaurants but no grocery stores. 
• Pollution. Is there air pollution or other pollution where you live? Some researchers found that air pollution, including secondhand smoke, is linked to obesity. Some researchers think that chemicals from pollution in the food we eat can lead to obesity in the United States. Sometimes living close to highways or other busy roads may increase your chances of obesity.

What are the health effects for women who are at an unhealthy weight?

Overweight and obesity indirectly cause millions of deaths each year.Having overweight or obesity raises your risk for many serious health problems:

• Breathing problems. Women who have overweight or obesity may develop sleep apnea. Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing briefly or to take shallow breaths while you sleep. It may be caused by fat in the neck that narrows the airways. People with sleep apnea do not get enough oxygen to their brain or body during sleep. This can cause many health problems, including heart disease.
• Many types of cancer. Women who have overweight or obesity are more at risk for 13 different kinds of cancer: breast, colon and rectal, endometrial, gallbladder, stomach, esophagus (throat), liver, kidney, meningioma (cancer of the tissue that covers the brain and spinal cord), multiple myeloma (cancer of blood plasma cells), pancreatic, ovarian, and thyroid cancers.
• Diabetes. Extra weight makes you twice as likely to get diabetes. Weight loss can prevent diabetes. It can also help control blood glucose if you already have diabetes and make you less likely to need medicine to control diabetes.
• Heart disease. The more excess weight you have, the higher your risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death of women in the United States. This is true even if you have no other health conditions that raise your risk of heart disease. Learn more about how overweight and obesity affect your risk for heart disease.
• High blood pressure. Compared with women who do not have overweight or obesity, women with overweight are twice as likely to have high blood pressure. Women with obesity are three times as likely to have it.19 Losing weight helps reduce blood pressure. High blood pressure damages your arteries and can lead to many other serious health problems such as stroke and heart disease.
• High cholesterol. Excess fat sends chemical signals that change how your body processes food. It raises LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol. This speeds the buildup of fatty plaque in our arteries. Losing weight can help get cholesterol to healthy levels. High LDL cholesterol can cause heart disease and other serious health problems.
• Pregnancy problems. If you have overweight or obesity, it may be more difficult to get pregnant. Overweight and obesity can also cause complications during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes or dangerously high blood pressure. Obesity can also cause a more serious condition called preeclampsia. Getting early and regular prenatal care can help you and your doctor be aware of any problems and help prevent them.
• Stroke. Having overweight or obesity increases your risk of stroke, especially when you carry extra body fat around your waist (apple-shaped body) rather than around your hips and thighs (pear-shaped body). Learn more about how excess weight can raise your risk for stroke.

Even a small amount of weight loss (3% to 5% of your body weight or less) can help lower your risk for these health problems. If you are a 160-pound woman, losing just 5 to 8 pounds, or 3% to 5% of your body weight, can make you healthier. Talk to your doctor or nurse about your risk and how much weight you may need to lose.

Does it matter where on my body I carry the weight?

 

Yes. Where you carry your weight makes a difference in your health. Belly fat is more dangerous for your health than fat carried elsewhere.

Apple-shaped and pear-shaped body types

Some women tend to carry fat in the belly area (apple-shaped). Other women tend to carry fat in their hips and thighs (pear-shaped). Extra weight is never healthy, but being apple-shaped increases your risk for certain health problems, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer, more than being pear-shaped does.

That is because the type of fat your body stores in your abdomen, near your stomach, is different from the type of fat stored in your thighs and hips.

BMI tells you about how much fat you have on your body, but it does not show where you carry your weight. To measure your waist size, stand up straight and place a tape measure around your middle, just above your hip bones. Measure your waist just after you breathe out.

Most women should aim for a waist size of less than 35 inches.

Of course, this does not mean that if you carry your weight in your hips you should not worry. It's important for all women ― no matter where you carry your weight ― to be physically active and eat healthy to lower your risk for health problems.

When should I talk to a doctor or nurse about my weight?

If you are worried about your weight, or if you have overweight or obesity, talk to your doctor or nurse. Your weight can raise your risk for many health problems and make it harder to get pregnant.

Your doctor or nurse may suggest healthy eating changes and more physical activity to help you reach a healthy weight.

Sources

1. 1.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). (2018). Health, United States, 2017: With Chartbook on Long-term Trends in Health, Table 58. Hyattsville, MD.
2. 2.Flint, A.J., Rexrode, K.M., Hu, F.B., Glynn, R.J., Caspard, H., Manson, J.E., et al. (2010). Body mass index, waist circumference, and risk of coronary heart disease: a prospective study among men and women. Obesity Research and Clinical Practice; 4(3): e171-e181.
3. 3.Newlin Lew, K., Dorsen, C., Melkus, G. D., & Maclean, M. (2018). Prevalence of obesity, prediabetes, and diabetes in sexual minority women of diverse races/ethnicities: Findings from the 2014-2015 BRFSS surveys (link is external). The Diabetes Educator; 44(4): 348-360.
4. 4.Williamson, D.F., Thompson, T.J., Anda, R.F., Dietz, W.H., Felitti, V.J. (2002). Body weight, obesity, and self-reported abuse in childhood. International Journal of Obesity; 26(8):1075–1082.
5. 5.Alvarez, J., Pavao, J., Baumrind, N., Kimerling, R. (2007). The relationship between childhood abuse and adult obesity among Californian women. American Journal of Preventive Medicine; 33(1): 28-33.
6. 6.Smith, H. A., Markovic, N., Danielson, M. E., Matthews, A., Youk, A., Talbott, E. O., et al. (2010). Sexual Abuse, Sexual Orientation, and Obesity in Women. Journal of Women's Health; 19(8): 1525-1532
7. 7.Noll, J. G., Zeller, M. H., Trickett, P. K., Putnam, F. W. (2007). Obesity Risk for Female Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Prospective Study. Pediatrics; 120(1): e61-e67.
8. 8.Kubzansky, L. D., Bordelois, P., Jun, H. J., Roberts, A. L., Cerda, M., Bluestone, N., et al. (2014). The Weight of Traumatic Stress: A Prospective Study of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Weight Status in Women. JAMA Psychiatry; 71(1): 44-51.
9. 9.Chaput, J.P., Després, J.P., Bouchard, C., Tremblay, A. (2007). Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin Levels and Increased Adiposity: Results from the Quebec Family Study. Obesity (Silver Spring); 15(1): 253-261.
10. 10.Patel, S.R. (2009). Reduced sleep as an obesity risk factor. Obesity Reviews, 10 (Supplement 2): 61–68.
11. 11.Moore, B. F., Clark, M. L., Bachand, A., Reynolds, S. J., Nelson, T. L., & Peel, J. L. (2016). Interactions between diet and exposure to secondhand smoke on the prevalence of childhood obesity: Results from NHANES, 2007–2010. Environmental Health Perspectives, 124(8), 1316–1322.
12. 12.Kermah, D., Shaheen, M., Pan, D., & Friedman, T. C. (2017). Association between secondhand smoke and obesity and glucose abnormalities: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999–2010). BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 5(1), e000324.
13. 13.Zong, G., Grandjean, P., Wu, H., Sun, Q. (2015). Circulating Persistent Organic Pollutants and Body Fat Distribution: Evidence from NHANES 1999–2004. Obesity (Silver Spring); 23(9): 1903-1910
14. 14.Wang, Y., Hollis-Hansen, K., Ren, X., Qiu, Y., and Qu, W. (2016). Do environmental pollutants increase obesity risk in humans? Obesity Reviews, 17: 1179–1197.
15. 15.The Global BMI Mortality Collaboration. (2016). Body-mass index and all-cause mortality: individual-participant-data meta-analysis of 239 prospective studies in four continents (link is external). Lancet; 388(10046): 776-786
16. 16.Aune, D., Sen, A., Prasad, M., Norat, T., Janszky, I., Tonstad, S., et al. (2016). BMI and all cause mortality: systemic review and non-linear dose-response meta-analysis of 230 cohort studies with 3.74 million participants (link is external). BMJ; 353: i2156.
17. 17.Drager, L.F., Togeiro, S.M., Polotsky, V.Y., Lorenzi-Filho, G. (2013). Obstructive sleep apnea: A cardiometabolic risk in obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Journal of the American College of Cardiology; 62(7): 569–576.
18. 18.Steele, C.B., Thomas, C.C., Henley, S.J., Massetti, G.M., Galuska, D. A., et al. (2017). Vital Signs: Trends in Incidence of Cancers Associated with Overweight and Obesity ― United States, 2005–2014 (link is external). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR); 66(39):1052–1058.
19. 19.Janssen, I., Katzmarzyk, P.T, Ross, R. (2002). Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, and Health Risk: Evidence in Support of Current National Institutes of Health Guidelines. Archives of Internal Medicine;162(18): 2074-2079.
20. 20.Wilson, P.W., D'Agostino, R.B., Sullivan, L., Parise, H., Kannel, W.B. (2002). Overweight and Obesity as Determinants of Cardiovascular Risk: The Framingham Experience. Archives of Internal Medicine; 162(16): 1867-1872.
21. 21.Folsom, A.R., Kushi, L.H., Anderson, K.E., Mink, P.J., Olson, J.E., Hong, C.P., et al. (2000). Associations of General and Abdominal Obesity with Multiple Health Outcomes in Older Women: The Iowa Women's Health Study. Archives of Internal Medicine; 160(14): 2117-2128.

"Disclaimer: Nutrieat works with a well experienced team.But nutrieat insists before use any type of subject matter mentioned on our website you should ask your concerned professionals about. 

You can ask experienced dieticians of nutrieat through the Ask Us forum below, our team will try to answer your questions as soon as possible. Thanks for visiting nutrieat"