Depression hurts For individuals who are not genuinely in need, the fitness cost of major depression is very high because it threatens the flow of fitness benefits. This is generally seen as quite distinct from the diagnosis of clinical depression. Depression of the central nervous system of an animal may be expressed as drowsiness or sleep, lack of coordination and unconsciousness. A lack of control over one's environment can lead to feelings of helplessness. Meditation is increasingly seen as a useful treatment for some cases of depression. The current professional opinion on meditation is that it represents at least a plementary method of treating depression, a view that has been endorsed by the Mayo Clinic. Since the late 1990s, much research has been carried out to determine how meditation affects the brain (see the main article on meditation). Depression hurts. Pessimistic views of life or a lack of self-esteem can lead to depression. It is thought that one cause of depression is an inadequate amount of serotonin, a chemical used in the brain to transmit signals between neurons. The depressed mood is adaptive in that it leads the person towards altering his thought patterns and behavior or way of living or else continues until such a time as he does so. Honest signalling theory: When social partners have conflicts of interest, 'cheap' signals of need, such as crying, might not be believed. Depression hurts. Postpartum depression
This implies that underlying personality has some degree of influence over how the mood of individuals is affected by life events. However, if depressed mood lasts at least two weeks, and is acpanied by other symptoms that interfere with daily living, it may be seen as a symptom of clinical depression, dysthymia or some other diagnosable mental illness, or alternatively as sub-syndromal depression. Sometimes the depressed mood may relate more to internal processes or even be triggered by them. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electroshock or electroshock therapy, uses short bursts of a controlled current of electricity (typically fixed at 0.9 ampere) into the brain to induce a brief, artificial seizure while the patient is under general anesthesia. The reason for relapse in these cases is as poorly understood as the change in brain physiology induced by the medications themselves. A check-list of symptoms is not a diagnosis. |
