Depression

Depression is the most unpleasant experience a person can endure. It is far more difficult to cope with than a physical ailment. The growing complexities of modern life and the resultant crisis, as well as mental stress and strain in day to day living, usually leads to this disorder. It also arises out of the monotony and drudgery of a daily routine, without any meaningful variation in urban life. Suicide is the major risk in extreme cases of depression.

Symptoms
It is not always easy to diagnose depression clinically. The most striking symptoms of depression are feelings of an acute sense of loss and inexplicable sadness, loss of energy and loss of interest. The patient usually feels tired and lacks interest in the world around themà. Sleep disturbance is frequent. Usually, the patient wakes up depressed at 4 or 5 in the morning and is unable to return to sleep. Other disturbed sleep patterns are difficulty in getting off to sleep on going to bed at night, nightmares and repeated waking from midnight onwards.

The patient often suffers from guilt, oppressive feelings and self-absorption. Other symptoms of depression are loss of appetite, giddiness, itching, nausea, agitation, irritability, impotence or frigidity, constipation, aches and pains all over the body, lack of concentration and lack of power of decision. Some people may lose interest in eating and suffer from rapid loss of weight while others may resort to frequent eating and, as a result, gain weight.

Cases of severe depression may be characterized by low body temperature, low blood pressure, hot flushes and shivering.

The external manifestations represent a cry for help from the tormented mind of the depressed persons. The severely depressed patient feels worthless and is finally convinced that they are responsible for their undoing and their present state of hopeless despair.

Causes
Depleted functioning of the adrenal glands is one of the main causes of mental depression. Irregular diet habits cause digestive problems and lead to the assimilation of fats. An excess of carbohydrates like cereals, white sugar, coffee, tea, chocolates and comparatively fewer quantities of vegetables and fruits in the diet may result in indigestion. Due to indigestion, gases are produced in the digestive tract, causing compression over the diaphragm in the region of the heart and lungs. This, in turn, reduces the supply of oxygen to the tissues, which raises the carbon dioxide level, causing general depression.

The excessive and indiscriminate use of drugs also leads to a faulty assimilation of vitamins and minerals by the body and ultimately causes depression. The use of aspirin leads to deficiencies of vitamin C and antacids can cause deficiencies of calcium and vitamin B. Diabetes, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and weakness of the liver resulting from the use of refined or processed foods, fried foods and an excessive intake of fats may also lead to depression.

Treatment