Research About Depression

Ever since psychiatry has come to become a well-known discipline of medicine, depression has been pushing researchers to probe deeper and deeper into this problem. One thing that most research about depression or severe anxiety points out towards is the fact that these symptoms are really hard to pin down. Feeling low and demotivated about life, feeling gloomy all the time, drop in interest and attention levels, lack of pleasure in most activities, reduced sex drive etc. are all experienced by many individuals who may not necessarily suffer from depression. For this reason, with all the research about depression, there is still no certain way to diagnose the disorder unless the patient speaks up.

One area where research about depression has succeeded in is differentiating between the types of depression along with antidepressant side effects as well. The following are the major types of depression according to depression research:

Bipolar Disorder

In this type of depression, an individual goes through both, symptoms of depression as well as mania. This means that the patient will go through depressive episodes characterized by loss of hope and all the other symptoms of depression along with manic episodes characterized by ecstatic moods with high sex drive and an unrealistically positive outlook towards life. There is no set pattern as to how these episodes alternate making bipolar disorders hard to pin down.

Dysthymia and Major Depression

On the other hand, depression research also points out towards unipolar depression cases wherein the patient has no manic episodes. Dysthymia is a less severe form of depression but it is usually chronic and can go on for years without being detected. Unipolar major depression is a far more severe form of depression and according to most depression research it can also promote suicidal tendencies within an individual.

Most depression facts make it amply clear that depression affects different people differently. So, there is a vast difference in symptoms, causes as well as response to various forms of treatment. The more of these depression facts come forward, it becomes increasingly clear that depression is a complex disorder that requires a lot of care and attention.

Causes of Depression

A lot of depression facts are coming forth and this is also helping doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists understand the disorder much better. There are several possible causes for depression and in many patients, a few of them act simultaneously. The following are few of the most common ones:

– Death of a loved one or a major loss of some kind may put an individual into a depressive pattern of thought

– According to depression information conflict in family, love life, friendship or workplace can be a cause for depression

– Again, a lot of depression information also points to the fact that abuse of drugs and alcohol  or continued consumption of certain medication can also cause depression

– Serious illness which may be terminal in nature may cause depression in a lot of people

– One of the most worrying pieces of depression information points to the fact that depression may also be carried forward genetically

According to depression research, many of us may have a predisposition towards depression and a single trigger event may set it off without anyone realizing.