symptoms of depression

 In the 19th century, depression was seen as an inherited weakness of temperament. In the first half of the 20th century, Freud linked the development of depression to guilt and conflict. John Cheever, the author and a modern sufferer of depressive disorder, wrote of conflict and experiences with his parents as influencing his development of depression.

In the 1950s and 60s, depression was divided into two types, endogenous and neurotic.  Endogenous means that the depression comes from within the body, perhaps of genetic origin, or comes out of nowhere.  Neurotic or reactive depression has a clear environmental precipitating factor, such as the death of a spouse, or other significant loss, such as the loss of a job.

Depressive disorders are a huge public-health problem, affecting millions of people. About 10% of adults, up to 8% of teens, and 2% of preteen children experience some kind of depressive disorder.

The statistics on the costs due to depression in the United States include huge amounts of direct costs, which are for treatment, and indirect costs, such as lost productivity and absenteeism from work or school.

Depression can increase the risks for developing coronary artery disease, HIV, asthma, and many other medical illnesses.

One of the most common myths about depression is that it’s a weakness rather than an illness, and that if the sufferer just tries hard enough, it will go away.

Symptoms, Causes, and Risk Factors

Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom.  Some people experience a few symptoms and some many symptoms.  The severity of symptoms also varies with individuals.  Common Symptoms of Depression include: persistently feeling sad, anxious, angry, or irritable, feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex, restlessness, irritability, inability to concentrate, insomnia, social isolation, decreased appetite, fatigue, and thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts.

Some symptoms of depression run in families, indicating that it can be inherited.

An external event often seems to initiate an episode of Symptoms of Depression. Thus, a serious loss, chronic illness, chronic pain (such as myofascial pain), a difficult relationship, a financial problem, or any unwelcome change in life patterns can trigger a depressive episode.  Very often, a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors is involved in the onset of the disorder.  Seasonal affective disorder, psychotic depression, post partum depression, and bipolar disorder are additional causes.

Stressors that contribute to the development of depression sometimes affect some groups more than others.  For example, minority groups who more often feel impacted by discrimination are disproportionately represented.  Socioeconomically disadvantaged groups have higher rates of depression compared to their advantaged counterparts. Immigrants to the United States may be more vulnerable to developing depression, particularly when isolated by language. 

Women are twice as likely to become depressed as men. However, scientists do not know the reason for this difference. Psychological factors also contribute to a person’s vulnerability to depression. Thus, persistent deprivation in infancy, physical or sexual abuse, clusters of certain personality traits, and inadequate ways of coping (maladaptive coping mechanisms) all can increase the frequency and severity of depressive disorders, with or without inherited vulnerability.

Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Justin had chronic foot problems for years, even after seeing an excellent podiatrist.  He altered his walking pattern due to the pain he was feeling in his feet, which in turn exacerbatedhis gout.  On top of that, Justin suffered depression for years.

On the first day I saw Justin, I corrected the orthopedic inserts he used to compensate for slight leg shortness and to achieve better arch support.  The effect was immediately noticeable.  Justin started to walk more naturally and easily, and even the uneven wear patterns in his shoes started to disappear.  I then concentrated on working with the muscle groups that were still giving him myofascial pain, all the way from his legs up to his shoulders, using sympathetic nerve blocks, trigger point injections, and my air-pulse autonomic therapy.  Along with my program of combined heat and electronic stimulation therapy, in conjunction with regular therapeutic exercise, I helped to alleviate the muscle pain that Justin experienced from the strain of being active again. 

Justin then started jogging, alternated with walking, to reduce his weight and the subsequent stress on his joints, as well as strengthen his muscles.  Almost all of Justin’s pain disappeared and he lost over 50 pounds. 

“After spending days or even weeks at a time stuck on the couch with swollen feet,” he says, “I now have the freedom to get on with my life, work, and attend events I had missed for a long time.  I even was able to pursue sports that I never thought I would play again. 

“While Dr. Ajrawat was treating my pain, he also taught me how to use air pulse meditation therapy.  It is very effective and quite simple—simple enough that I can do it almost anywhere to ward off stress and depression, so I can keep motivated and go about my day.  Using controlled breathing along with feeling my pulse lets me reduce my blood pressure and stress whenever I need too.  I’ve also found out that smiling is one of the best medicines and really works wonders.  I’ve since learned to use mental images and my own reflection to achieve the same effect.  The total effect of this treatment has completely changed my life and allowed me to follow my dreams to their fullest potential.”

Since my autonomic therapy stimulates parasympathetic activity, resulting in vasodilation, it can help heal damaged areas of the brain naturally or in combination with antidepressant and antipsychotic medications.