Depression affects approximately 57.7 million people in the United States during any given year. It can range from a simple case of the blues to a more chronic and often debilitating, clinical depression. For women, depression can sometimes be hormonally induced such as post-partum depression that results after childbirth or mid-life changes such as menopause.
Still others, both men and women suffer with depression resulting from mood disorders such as bi-polar disorder. But, whatever the source, at its core, depression is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain due to a disruption of the neurotransmitters and mood regulators, serotonin, norephinephrine and dopamine.
In the milder cases of depression, such as the blues or perhaps seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, simple lifestyle adjustments along with a change in diet and exercise is all that is needed to shift brain chemistry and lift the mental fog.
However, in the more severe cases of depression, either clinical or hormonally induced, a more intensive drug or hormone therapy might be necessary, combined with psychological counseling to help restore a healthy balance of these brain chemicals in order to combat the problem.
Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle Changes
Diets lacking in a variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates and proteins can and often do contribute to sluggish and depressed moods. Simply adding protein rich foods such as lean meats, nuts and legumes, for example, can boost the dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain, which increases alertness and lifts the mood. Adding complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain breads and cereals helps stabilize blood sugar and calm jangled nerves often associated with depression.
Moderate exercise such as walking, incorporated into your daily routine can also go a long way in helping to kick the blues. Though the catch 22 is that when you are feeling down, the last thing you want to do is get up and do something. But, pushing yourself out of the slump and into some sort of action will establish new routines and habits that can break the cycle of depression. Simply opening windows to allow sunlight in can also have a positive effect on the brain since sunlight stimulates brain chemicals and helps to elevate moods.
Drug Therapy
When simple measures such as, lifestyle changes or changes in your diet and exercise routine fail to help relieve depression, drug or hormone therapy such as antidepressants or bio-identical hormones, may be helpful.
Many people use antidepressants such as SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) or MAOI's (Monoamine Oxadase Inhibitors), with considerable success, since antidepressants work by directly affecting the levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Some of the more common SSRI's, Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Lexapro can be used safely with few side effects for most people. Though, some people find the less commonly known MAOI's, such as Nardil or Parnate work as well.
Whatever the choice, a short-term use of antidepressants would be the most desirable choice since they do interfere with your body's natural chemistry. However, if the depression is severe enough, long term use of antidepressants combined with psychological counseling might be necessary. For some people, regular counseling is helpful in identifying and resolving emotional issues that often contribute to chronic, clinical depression.
Hormone Therapy
Hormonally induced depression is very common among perimenopausal and menopausal women due to fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels which directly affect serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine levels in the brain. Simply adding progesterone and possibly some estrogens back into the body can stabilize hormone levels and allow the body to restore normal levels of the mood regulators and lift depression.
Mental Outlook and Self Statements
Few people realize how powerful their general outlook on life can be when it comes to dealing with depression. Without question, our expectations and how we choose to frame and define our day to day circumstances can have a direct impact on our moods and how we feel.
Choosing to overlook, dismiss or simply accept that which we cannot change, can help keep us out of the mental dumps. We cannot always choose our circumstances, but we can choose to have a less adversarial attitude toward them.
Finally, one of the most powerful and effective weapons against depression is to cultivate an awareness of one's internal dialog. Negative self statements tend to wear us down and if allowed to continue can create a very hopeless and self-defeating cycle of negativity which tends to perpetuate depression.
Sadly, it is often a long term pattern of negative self talk that creates the type of hopelessness and despair that so often leads those struggling with depression to commit suicide.
Realizing one's personal value and worth and speaking that to oneself may feel unnatural and difficult to do at first, but, just as negativity and a sour outlook can become a habit, so too can more positive and life affirming self statements become a habit as well.
Combined with lifestyle and diet and exercise changes, a more positive outlook and self-statements can disrupt the cycle of negativity and enable new mental health patterns to be established. In time, the new habits can diminish or eradicate depression all together and provide the tools to insure against any future episodes as well.
