Depression – Brian Orchard vision.org

The numbers continue to indicate depression is an ever-worsening problem. It is happening to more adults, and it is happening earlier in life; and it is of major concern to health-care professionals. Depression is a mood disorder and should not be confused with the ups and downs that are a part of normal life. Emotions clearly play a part in the problem. When emotions become intense and unremitting and are not tied to a particular stimulus, they can lead to depression.

Another factor in depressive illness is stress – not all stress but bad stress. When bad stress becomes chronic, it can have negative physical effects on the body, including insomnia, sickness and depression.

Considering all this, there is no certain way to predict who will become depressed. The good news is that most depression is treatable. The sooner treatment is sought, the better the chances of success. Research on the brain has revealed that brain function is an important factor in both the cause and the treatment of depressive illnesses.

It has also been revealed the adult brain is capable of producing new neurons; knowing this has not only revolutionized the treatment of depression but has led to the far-reaching conclusion that the brain can develop new neural pathways by changing the way it thinks, but some lifestyle changes are critical.

A depressed person would do well to evaluate four aspects of his or her lifestyle—exercise, diet, structure and sleep—before taking medications, because these four behaviors have a direct bearing on brain function. What of the young? Simply put, a loving family that teaches a child self-discipline and self-control helps set that child’s emotional biochemistry, which help stem the slide into a generational increase of depression.