[reciproversexclusiv]

Hello all.
Not sure where the best place to ask this is, so I'll try here.

Is depression a neurological condition ?

All replies greatly welcome.

[venusss]

Depression is a very complex condition (which pretty much expands even the biopsychosocial model).

It is very different from case to case.

[*freak*]

No. It's not. It's a mental illness.
The first time I was hospitalised after a suicide attempt I was told there's no way I can get better on my own without medication, because in long lasting severe cases like mine, even if my living conditions improve, the chemical imbalance in my brain will prevent me from feeling better. And guess what. The meds they gave me had no effect, so I eventually stopped taking them. Years later I was having a really bad depressive episode, so I packed a suitcase and up and left the country to go on a working holiday. The moment my plane landed I felt fine. No anxiety, no depression. Even the nightmares stopped. Chemical imbalance my boot. :P

[shezbut]

Depression can have many different causes.

There are so many different factors that play a role ~ and factors vary from person to person.

That said, there are many common symptoms of depression.
Depression symptoms include:

• Feelings of sadness or unhappiness
• Irritability or frustration, even over small matters
• Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities
• Reduced sex drive
• Insomnia or excessive sleeping
• Changes in appetite — depression often causes decreased appetite and weight loss, but in some people it causes increased cravings for food and weight gain
• Agitation or restlessness — for example, pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still
• Irritability or angry outbursts
• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
• Indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration
• Fatigue, tiredness and loss of energy — even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren't going right
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent thoughts of death, dying or suicide
• Crying spells for no apparent reason
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

For some people, depression symptoms are so severe that it's obvious something isn't right. Other people feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.
Depression affects each person in different ways, so symptoms caused by depression vary from person to person. Inherited traits, age, gender and cultural background all play a role in how depression may affect you.
Depression symptoms in children and teens
Common symptoms of depression can be a little different in children and teens than they are in adults.

• In younger children, symptoms of depression may include sadness, irritability, hopelessness and worry.
• Symptoms in adolescents and teens may include anxiety, anger and avoidance of social interaction.
• Changes in thinking and sleep are common signs of depression in adolescents and adults but are not as common in younger children.
• In children and teens, depression often occurs along with behavior problems and other mental health conditions, such as anxiety or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Schoolwork may suffer in children who are depressed.

Depression symptoms in older adults
Depression is not a normal part of growing older, and most seniors feel satisfied with their lives. However, depression can and does occur in older adults. Unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Many adults with depression feel reluctant to seek help when they're feeling down.

• In older adults, depression may go undiagnosed because symptoms — for example, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep problems or loss of interest in sex — may seem to be caused by other illnesses.
• Older adults with depression may have less obvious symptoms. They may feel dissatisfied with life in general, bored, helpless or worthless. They may always want to stay at home, rather than going out to socialize or doing new things.
• Suicidal thinking or feelings in older adults is a sign of serious depression that should never be taken lightly, especially in men. Of all people with depression, older adult men are at the highest risk of suicide.

When to see a doctor
If you feel depressed, make an appointment to see your doctor as soon as you can. Depression symptoms may not get better on their own — and depression may get worse if it isn't treated. Untreated depression can lead to other mental and physical health problems or problems in other areas of your life. Feelings of depression can also lead to suicide.
If you're reluctant to seek treatment, talk to a friend or loved one, a health care professional, a faith leader, or someone else you trust.
If you have suicidal thoughts
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, get help right away. Here are some steps you can take:

• Contact a family member or friend.
• Seek help from your doctor, a mental health provider or other health care professional.
• Call a suicide hot line number — in the United States, you can reach the toll-free, 24-hour hot line of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to talk to a trained counselor.
• Contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone in your faith community.

When to get emergency help
If you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately. If you have a loved one who has harmed himself or herself, or is seriously considering doing so, make sure someone stays with that person. Take him or her to the hospital or call for emergency help.

Cause

It's not known exactly what causes depression. As with many mental illnesses, it appears a variety of factors may be involved. These include:

• Biological differences. People with depression appear to have physical changes in their brains. The significance of these changes is still uncertain, but may eventually help pinpoint causes.
• Neurotransmitters. These naturally occurring brain chemicals linked to mood are thought to play a direct role in depression.
• Hormones. Changes in the body's balance of hormones may be involved in causing or triggering depression. Hormone changes can result from thyroid problems, menopause or a number of other conditions.
• Inherited traits. Depression is more common in people whose biological family members also have this condition. Researchers are trying to find genes that may be involved in causing depression.
• Life events. Certain events, such as the death or loss of a loved one, financial problems, and high stress, can trigger depression in some people.
• Early childhood trauma. Traumatic events during childhood, such as abuse or loss of a parent, may cause permanent changes in the brain that make you more susceptible to depression.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression

[Rose76]

I think it gets to be a "Which came first: the egg or the chicken?" kind of a quandary.

The trend in psychiatry is toward looking at it more and more as a neurological condition. Some psychiatrists prefer to be called neuropsychiatrists. Some psych facilities are being called Neuropsychiatric hospitals.

We do know that, if something affects you emotionally, there will be a change in you neurologically. Sometimes a temporary change and sometimes a permanent change. We also know that changes in the brain caused by certain kinds of strokes and other things (like certain forms of poisoning) can result in emotional depression. So it can go both ways.

I read that they studied Serotonin in the brains of monkeys. The monkey who is the top monkey in the group will have a higher level of Serotonin in his brain. The monkey who is low ranking and gets picked on by all the other monkeys will have a lower level of Serotonin in his brain. But here is the question: Did the alpha monkey get to the top because he has high serotonin, or did his serotonin level go up after he figured out how to be top monkey? Last I checked, nobody knows the answer.

In the study I read about, they sabotaged the top monkey, so he started failing at things. Then they checked his serotonin level and found that it had gone down. While they were purposely undermining him, another monkey got to be top monkey. When they checked his serotonin level, it had gone up - after he got to be top monkey.

Despite what a lot of pdocs will tell you, nobody on this earth knows whether the majority of depressed people are depressed because their brain chemistry is screwy, or because unfortunate things happened to them that may have caused their brain chemistry to change.

Every single thing that happens to you, and probably every thought you entertain in your mind, causes a change somewhere in your brain. Sometimes that change is a bad change and can be permanent, or hard to reverse.

If something pretty bad happens, or a bunch of bad stuff happens to you, like the monkey that got sabotaged, then is the resulting loss of self-esteem and lowered sense of well-being that you feel truly a neurological disorder? I'ld say yes and no. Maybe your brain chemistry is altered, and maybe some medication can compensate to help you feel better. On the other hand, I would say that depression is a product of your life history.

I know that, if someone is real nice to me, when I am depressed, I can wind up feeling a whole lot better. There's been times, in my life, when I went from feeling very depressed to not feeling depressed at all, after I was in an environment where I got treated really supportively, or had a chance to do something very successfully.