Depression Symptoms and Treatments
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Depression Symptoms and Treatments
A high risk of clinical depression can be determined by a health care provider. Your provider can also make recommendations for treatment. One of the ways to determine whether you’re at risk for depression is to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), a nine-item list of questions designed to measure depression. The results of this questionnaire can help you identify the cause of your depression, as well as the best course of treatment. The following are some of the common symptoms and signs of depression.
A lack of control over your life may result in feelings of sadness, loneliness, or fear. While these feelings are normal reactions to the stresses of life, they’re common in depressed individuals. Depression can also be a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain. A health care provider may recommend certain medications to treat depression or order laboratory tests to rule out other medical conditions that have similar symptoms. Depression can also affect relationships, work, school, and other areas of a person’s life.
Despite the numerous health risks associated with unmanaged stress, depression is still associated with cardiovascular problems. It affects heart rhythms, blood pressure, and a person’s immune system. It also increases the risk of heart attacks and coronary artery disease. Therefore, it’s important for people to seek treatment for depression. A doctor can prescribe the right treatment based on the type of depression and severity of symptoms. Once a treatment plan is prescribed, patients should practice coping skills to manage their symptoms.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) recommends maintenance therapy for people with high risk of recurrence of depression and for chronic illnesses. While doctors do not agree on the proper length of treatment or dosage, many common antidepressants have shown zero risk of addiction. For this reason, they are a viable option for many people with depression. So, how should you get help for depression? There are several treatments available. If you are considering medication, it’s important to remember that many antidepressants take two to four weeks to have any effect.
Other treatments for depression include electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation. If none of these treatments work, researchers are investigating new forms of brain stimulation. Besides these medications, people can try therapy that involves a brain stimulation device called a neurostimulator. The treatment may be temporary but will help improve symptoms. However, more treatment strategies may decrease the likelihood of a complete recovery. For minor depression, counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and physical activity may help reduce symptoms.
Some researchers believe that the cause of depression is genetics, but some studies have indicated that genetics may play a role. Genetics have long been suspected to play a role in depression, but it has been difficult to determine whether a patient’s genetics determine her risk for heart disease. A recent study at the VA Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri, found that people with certain types of depression have a higher risk of heart disease than those without the disorder.
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