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Thursday, May 20, 2004
So, you're depressed?
By Henrylito D. Tacio
WHAT do the following people have one thing in common: Ludwig van Beethoven, Vincent van Gogh, Winston Churchill, Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, John Keats, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Virginia Woolf, and Boris Yeltsin?
They're some of the world's famous people with depression. Many people, particularly artists, suffer from depression, as well as anxiety and other mental illnesses. "The pain of grief and the lingering sadness you feel after the loss of someone you love are part of the human package," explains Dr. Paul Wender, a distinguished professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. "So are personal disasters like losing a job."
Not everyone who is depressed or manic experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few symptoms and some many symptoms. The severity of symptoms also varies with individuals. Among the symptoms of depression are: persistently sad, anxious, or "empty" mood; feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, worthlessness and helplessness; loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex; insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping; decreased appetite and/or weight loss, or overeating and weight gain; and fatigue, decreased energy, being "slowed down."
Other signs include thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts; restlessness, irritability; having difficulty in concentrating, remembering, and making decisions; and persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain.
Depressive disorders come in different forms, just as do other illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes. American doctors have identified three most common types: major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder.
Within each of these types, however, there are variations in the number, severity, and persistence of symptoms.
Major depression is characterized by a combination of symptoms, including sad mood (see the above symptom list), interfering with the ability to work, sleep, eat, and enjoy once-pleasurable activities. Disabling episodes of depression can occur once, twice, or several times in a lifetime.
Dysthymia is a less severe type of depression. It involves long-term (chronic) symptoms that do not disable, but yet prevent the affected person from functioning at "full steam" or from feeling good. Sometimes, people with dysthymia also experience episodes of major depression. This combination of the two types of depression is referred to as double-depression.
Another type of depression is bipolar disorder, which was formerly called manic-depressive illness or manic depression. This condition shows a particular pattern of inheritance. Not nearly as common as the other types of depressive disorders, bipolar disorder involves cycles of depression and mania, or elation. Bipolar disorder is often a chronic, recurring condition. Sometimes, the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual.
When in the depressed cycle, the person can experience any or all of the symptoms of a depressive disorder. When in the manic cycle, any or all of the symptoms listed under mania may be experienced. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, unwise business or financial decisions may be made when an individual is in a manic phase.
People with low self-esteem or who are easily overwhelmed by stress are most likely to suffer from depression. And depression can have physical cause, too. Researchers have found that many people with depression often have an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain.
"We know it's a chemical problem," says American philanthropist Esther Ferguson, whose mother, aunt and grand-uncle suffered from depression and committed suicide. That and her own depression prompted her interest in the field of mental illness and the sometimes-related field of substance abuse.
"I also want people to know that (depression) is inherited," she pointed out. "I inherited my depression from both sides of my family. No one talks about children and depression, but when I look back, I'm sure I was depressed as a child."
The Geneva-based World Health Organization predicts that by 2020, depression will be second only to heart disease in its impact on death and disability worldwide.
(May 20, 2004 issue)
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