Depression Overview

HOST ON CAMERA:
Hello and welcome to the Answered Patient.  I’m Jane Hanson. In this episode, you’ll learn about depression -- some of its symptoms … how it’s diagnosed…and the treatment options that are currently available. Through expert advice and patient stories, we’ll give you strategies to help you recognize the symptoms of depression …  find the right doctors … and choose the most effective treatments.

HOST NARRATION:
What does it mean to be depressed? Everyone experiences feelings of sadness from time to time.  But depression is not simply having the “blues.” Instead, it’s a complex illness that impacts mood, thoughts … even the body. It can interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, eat, and enjoy pleasurable activities.

DAN CONTI, PSYCHOLOGIST:
I think the thing that separates depression from in a sense run-of-the-mill sadness or loneliness or -- or bad moods, right, is that depression becomes, uh, a situation in which one cannot function any longer, right, so one cannot work as they once did, one’s relationships suffers, one’s standing in the community and the, and the role they’re expected to play falters.

HOST NARRATION:
In the U.S. alone, as many as twenty-five percent of the population will suffer from depression at some point in their lives.   Without treatment, it can become debilitating, lasting weeks, months, or even years. The illness has far-reaching economic consequences as well.  Depression costs U.S. businesses an estimated 83 billion dollars a year.

HOST ON CAMERA:
The most common symptoms of depression include listlessness … an inability to experience pleasure … and changes in sleep patterns and eating habits. If you are suffering from depression, you might not experience every symptom. And the severity of symptoms varies from person to person. Certain types of depression, like bipolar disorder, can cause some people to experience hallucinations.  These can range from hearing or seeing things that aren’t there … to false beliefs.

HOST NARRATION: At its most extreme, depression might lead individuals to harm themselves.   It’s estimated that as many as 15 percent of people with untreated depression end their own lives.  

DAN CONTI, PSYCHOLOGIST: If left untreated, depressive disorders can range from, if I might speak crudely, just making your life a shambles all the way up through and including suicide.

HOST NARRATION: Experts have identified a number of risk factors for depression. It is sometimes triggered by a major event, such as a serious illness, a divorce, or the loss of a loved one.  It can also be caused by physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. In addition, depression can be the symptom of other mental illnesses … like anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, or substance abuse. 

HOST ON CAMERA:
Depression was once thought of as merely an emotional disorder. But research in the last fifty years has shown that biological factors can play a major role. Chemical imbalances, for example, can trigger depression.  Studies have found that the amount of neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, in the brain, including serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, can have a profound effect on mood and thoughts. In fact, the most commonly prescribed anti-depressant drugs on the market work by changing the levels of serotonin in the brain. 

HOST NARRATION:
Research has shown that depression also appears to be hereditary.  Although scientists have not been able to identify, a quote, “depression gene,”  people are far more likely to experience the illness if a family member has been diagnosed with, or had symptoms of, depression.

DR. FRED MILLER, PSYCHIATRIST: Similarly for coronary artery disease. We know that there are people who seem very genetically predisposed as a long, very loaded family history for depression.

HOST NARRATION:
Gender can also play a role.  Women are twice as likely as men to experience a depressed period in their lives. Hormonal factors such as menstrual cycle, menopause, and pregnancy may contribute to this tendency. Many women are particularly vulnerable after childbirth.  As many as 80-percent of women develop temporary feelings of sadness, irritability, and tearfulness shortly after delivery.  About 10 percent of new mothers develop a more serious condition known as Post Partum Depression.   

HOST ON CAMERA: Doctors have a variety of tests to determine whether someone is clinically depressed. Based on the diagnosis, he or she can recommend different types of treatment. For some with depression, simply having someone to talk to can make a difference.  

DR. ANNE UPDEGROVE, PSYCHOLOGIST: If you're feeling depressed, probably one of the most important things to know is you don't have to live this way.  There are a lot of things out there that can help you.  Talking to a qualified professional will really help.

HOST NARRATION: Medication can also offer relief from depression. Drug therapy is particularly effective at addressing the biological factors that contribute to the disease. Despite all the scientific data on depression, the illness still carries an element of shame. Although about 1 in 5 people experience depression at some point in their lives,  many never seek treatment.

DAN CONTI, PSYCHOLOGIST: 
We know that less than half of the people who are suffering depression go get treatment, is because of their fear that they will in some way be, um, stigmatized, characterized,uh, ridiculed, left behind as a result of that diagnosis.

DR. FRED MILLER, PSYCHIATRIST: 
It’s not going to go away unless you do something. // It truly is, by all accounts, a, a medical illness in its own right like any other medical illness.  You wouldn’t wait for your diabetes or your heart attack to just go away.

HOST ON CAMERA:
Depression is a serious and complicated illness. Understanding what it does is the first step in battling it. In the other chapters of this episode, you can learn more about how depression is diagnosed … get some science on how it works in your body … and discover more about the various treatment options available to you.

HOST NARRATION: And in our “Personal Stories” chapter, you’ll meet real patients who are successfully coping with depression every day.