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Manage
Depression Without Drugs
Depression,
also
referred to as clinical
depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity. It
is a serious medical condition that involves the brain. Feeling sad or
depressed is a normal reaction to life’s struggles and disappointments.
People generally use the term “depression” to
describe these types of feelings, but depression is
actually much more than just a feeling of being "down” or "blue" for a
few days. For the 20 million people in the United States who have depression, the
feelings don’t simply go away. They persist in day-to-day life and
interfere with a person's ability to work, study, eat and sleep.
Depression
can be familial, suggesting that a biological vulnerability to depression can
be inherited. It usually begins between the ages of 15 and 30,
and tends to be much more common in women. There are several forms of depression with
major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder being the most common.
Major depressive disorder, also called major depression,
recurrent depressive disorder, clinical depression,
unipolar depression,
or unipolar disorder, is characterized by low mood that is usually
accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in
enjoyable activities. An episode of major depression may
occur only once in a person's lifetime, but in majority of cases, it
recurs throughout a person's life. On the other hand, dysthymic
disorder, also known as dysthymia, is characterized by chronic but less
severe symptoms that may not disable a person but can affect normal
functioning or feeling well.
Depression Symptoms
Not everyone who is depressed
experiences all the symptoms. Some person experience just a few
symptoms while some may show many. Moreover, the severity of symptoms
also varies widely among persons. In general, a depressed person will
experience or manifest some of the following symptoms: persistent
sadness, anxiety or feelings of emptiness, helplessness and
hopelessness; loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to
enjoy; appetite or weight changes (a change of more than 5% of body
weight in a month); difficulty sleeping or oversleeping;
irritability or restlessness; feeling fatigued, sluggish, and
physically drained; problems concentrating, remembering details and
making decisions; persistent aches, pains or digestive problems that
are not responding to treatment; social isolation; crying spells; and
contemplating suicide or suicide attempt.
Depression Treatment
Understanding the underlying cause of depression may
help overcome the problem. In general, the severe depressive disorders,
especially those that are recurrent, will need antidepressant
medications along with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and
psychotherapy for the best outcome. Antidepressant medication does not
cure depression, they only help the person feel better by controlling
certain symptoms. Among the most commonly used medications include
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic
antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
SSRIs are often the
first-line of treatment for depression
because they have fewer side-effects than TCAs and MAOIs. Unlike MAOIs,
the SSRIs don’t interact with tyramine in foods and therefore don’t
necessitate the dietary restrictions of the MAOIs. In addition, SSRIs
don’t cause orthostatic hypotension and cardiac arrhythmias like the
TCAs do. SSRIs are generally well tolerated by persons and the side
effects are usually mild. The most commonly reported side effects are
agitation, diarrhea, headache, insomnia, and nausea.
In ECT, an electric current passes through the brain to generate
controlled convulsions. ECT is useful for persons who cannot take or
have not responded favorably to antidepressants, have severe depression or at
a high risk for suicide. As for psychotherapy, it is used to help ease
the pain of depression,
and addresses the negative feelings that accompany depression.
Psychotherapy features a number of approaches that include
interpersonal, behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic and problem solving
therapy.
Mangosteen
Help for Depression
There is a multitude
of mangosteen
fruit benefits, many of which have been used for decades in folk and
allopathic medicine. Recently, the medicinal properties of mangosteen have
been extensively documented by laboratory, medical and experimental
techniques. It has been shown that mangosteen has a
lot of promising medicinal benefits, including depression.
Mangosteen
has been shown to help in the battle against all forms of brain
disorders, allowing the neurons to grow and neurotransmitters to
function properly. It also prevents damage in brain cells, enabling the
mind to think better and provides a sense of well-being. This is
actually the anti-depressant property of mangosteen. In
fact, food scientists believe that mangosteen has
mood enhancing ability. Moreover, taking daily mangosteen supplements
enhances the absorption and function of tryptophan, an essential amino
acid that must be obtained from the diet. What’s so important about
this compound is the fact that it serves as a precursor for serotonin
which is a neurotransmitter in the brain. The functions of serotonin
are numerous, including the control of appetite, sleep, mood, behavior
and depression.
The link between serotonin and depression has
been firmly established for the past couple of years. From several
studies, the most solid proof of this connection is the decreased
levels of serotonin metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and
brain tissues of depressed individuals. If depression, as
shown, is a consequence of decreased levels of serotonin in the brain,
then mangosteen
is right on target to help people who have been battling the horrors of
depression.
Finally, studies also suggest that depression is
related to certain
deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals such as folic acid
(vitamin B9), Vitamins B6 or B12 and Omega 3 fats. Mangosteen can
facilitate the absorption of these as it is likewise known to improve
digestion.
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Astoria
New York USA 11105
Tel:
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(Online Since
October 15, 2005.)
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