Depression
What’s causes depression?
There’s no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers. For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause. Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (or CBT) is one of the most well researched therapy approaches for depression and is proven to be effective in treating people with depressive symptoms. Recent research indicates that on average 15 to 20 sessions are required for 50 percent of patients to recover as indicated by self-reported symptom measures.
How does depression affect the brain?
There’s growing evidence that several parts of the brain shrink in people with depression. Specifically, these areas lose gray matter volume (GMV). That’s tissue with a lot of brain cells. GMV loss seems to be higher in people who have regular or ongoing depression with serious symptoms.
Can brain return to normal after depression?
Research suggests that some of the physical brain changes caused by depression can be reversed. A 2016 study showed that interventions, such as antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy, may help reduce inflammation caused by depression.
How long should you be on antidepressants?
It’s usually recommended that a course of antidepressants continues for at least 6 months after you feel better, to prevent your condition recurring when you stop. Some people with recurrent illness are advised to carry on taking medicine indefinitely.
Why do antidepressants take time to work?
Antidepressants take so long to work because they inactivate not just individual serotonin transporters, but also the genes in our DNA that code for the transporter. The result over time is fewer serotonin transporters in the brain and more serotonin around to experience pleasant stimuli.