Posts Tagged ‘Sadness’

The discovery of genes has radically changed our view of how the human body – including the mind – functions, or in some cases, malfunctions. We also know that having a gene that scientists have linked to a particular a physical or mental condition isn’t the end of the world and genes don’t simply determine our lives and health.

Genes are like switches and they don’t switch themselves on and off. They need a trigger to activate them. Having a particular gene may predispose someone in a particular direction but often that is all it is. In relation to depression, though there may be genetic factors involved, to think of it as a genetic disease or disorder is premature, and in many cases, unhelpful, since it falsely implies that one’s fate is pre-ordained.

Genes and Depression

There is no such thing as a depression gene; many genetic conditions are the result of whole sets of genes, which are activated in certain environmental and life circumstances. However, there is something in the gene theory of depression. Studies of families, especially twins, suggest that depression may have some genetic roots, though which genes are involved remains unknown.

A candidate gene is one known to regulate serotonin, a chemical neurotransmitter involved in mood. People with it may be more susceptible to depression, but whether that will happen depends on a variety of interlocking factors.

Regardless of genetic makeup, anyone can become depressed if the circumstances are right (or rather, wrong). Sadness and despair can be normal reactions to hard times and the medical profession has been criticized for ‘medicalizing’ ordinary human unhappiness and prescribing unnecessary drugs. However, when depression is deep and enduring, sufferers can benefit from medical help.

If someone has a history of depression in their family that may usefully alert them to a possible genetic vulnerability. Swapping our supposed mental health genes is not currently an option, so sufferers concentrate on practical steps to management and recovery.

Depression in itself is something difficult to deal with, especially if the person hasn’t yet been treated for it. Suicidal thoughts can often be a result of depression, especially in cases where there is still no treatment in place.

Some newly data collected in a recent study has reported 3% of people receiving treatment for depression on an outpatient basis will actually die from suicide. This doesn’t mean however that the suicidal thoughts aren’t still there. Any therapy which is aimed at helping a person’s depressive state can also help the patient regain enough feeling of self control to put the suicidal urges at bay.

Being depressed causes a person to narrow their personal view of the world around them. Everything in reality can end up seeming distorted. Any negative aspect in their lives becomes constantly reinforced, while the positive is either discounted or seemingly irrelevant.

This is where the suicidal thoughts normally come into play. With this unrelenting sadness causing pain to the depressed person, sometimes they feel the only way to escape it to get away from it permanently. The opinion that death is the only solution often enters the depressed person’s mind.

The most important step to take if you notice any suicidal tendencies surrounding those you care for is to make sure they seek medical help. If this person is already being treated for depression, they should consult with their physician or therapist as quickly as possible. The situation may be changed by an increased dose of their current antidepressant, or perhaps a change in prescriptions.

It has been well documented that some antidepressants will have adverse effects on some people. Any suicidal thoughts could mean the medication prescribed just simply isn’t having the desired effect. There are many more options out there, and your physician is well equipped to try something else.

If you are experiencing any type of suicidal thoughts yourself, please share how you feel with someone else. Suicide is not the answer to any problem, and discussing your feelings canhelp you find a better solution.

Along with more traditional forms of treatment, behavioral modification has shown to help many who suffer from depression. It is a complementary therapy that many turn to as a form of self help.

The broad term for the category of therapies encompassing behavioral modification is psychotherapy. This is not something you’d see going on in the back room in one of those low-budget horror flicks. It is a form of talk therapy designed to help you to recognize your depression for what it is.

You’d be surprised how many people are in denial. They classify their depression as a bad case of sadness that will eventually pass. They don’t want to be labeled by depression.

They don’t realize that the way not to be labeled is to find help. Here are the basics of behavioral modification.

* You and your therapist will discuss your condition. They will find out your symptoms, what you feel from day to day and how you view your depression. All of the answers you give are clues to helping them to find a complementary treatment for you.
* One form of psychotherapy is cognitive behavior therapy. This therapy teaches you to recognize when you are slipping back into depression and how to use your behavior, thinking and words to influence the outcome.
* Cognitive behavior therapy involves: (1) working with your therapist to decide on what the outcome of treatment will be, (2) learning to recognize what events trigger you to relapse into depression, and (3) modifying your thoughts, words and actions from negative to positive in order to cope successfully and not relapse.

What you get out of therapy largely depends on you. Psychotherapy treatments are usually highly structured to give you the safety and confidence to keep pursuing it. Along with medical treatment, hopefully you will find a prescription for successful management.