Depression Physically Affects Individuals

When people are depressed, there can often be physical side effects. Depression may have its roots in a variety of places and could, in fact, be linked to other co-occurring disorders. However, these will only serve to bolster the already deprecating mental and physical side effects.

The Roots of Depression

Depression can come from many different sources. However, it is often linked to two particular areas:

Brain Chemistry

This is a critical piece to think about. A number of individuals will look at their lives and see nothing but positivity. They will see that their family is great, their job meets their needs, and they make enough money to afford fun vacations with the kids.

However, they find themselves depressed. Often, they are depressed for no apparent reason, and it makes them feel awful that they could possibly allow themselves to feel this way. They may feel selfish and berate themselves for having depressive thoughts.

In these cases, the problem may be a matter of simple brain chemistry. People with clinical depression often have low levels of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. This is often due to an increase in the levels of monoamine oxidase A.

Though it may sound extremely technical, the bottom line is that there are chemicals the brain needs to stay balanced, and people with clinical depression are not getting enough of them. The solution is actually quite simple. Often, a person will want to attend therapy sessions, but the main solution can be medication. These can often include:

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI)
• Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRI)
• Tricyclic and Tetracyclic Antidepressants
• Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)

Each of these is a category of medication, as there are quite a number of them specifically made to treat symptoms of depression. Once a person has found the right balance of medication and therapy, they will often feel quite a bit better.

it is important to remember that this type of depression can have a variety of physical effects. These can include:

• Insomnia
• Lowered sex drive
• Inability to engage in physical activities

There are other examples as well, but when someone is depressed, they will often shut down mentally, which leads to a severe decrease in normal physical activity.

Trauma

The other cause of depression is trauma. This trauma can come from any event in a person’s life or any combination of events. When this happens, individuals have been through something that has so affected them that they cannot get rid of the memories or the residual feelings.

A person who has suffered from trauma may not only feel depressed but may, in fact, have multiple issues associated with their depression. These co-occurring disorders can result in a decrease in activity and an increase in the use of illicit substances. Should a person reach this stage, they will have far more physical issues to deal with as a tangential result of their initial depression.

For people with trauma-related depression, the best way to deal with it is to seek therapy as soon as possible. Individuals may be feeling depression due to unaddressed childhood trauma and have therefore been suffering for decades. These people should be encouraged to find a medical professional that they trust as they may have exponentially worse mental and physical side effects due to the amount of time that has passed since their traumatic event.

Early Detection

Depression is insidious. It can strike at any time and sit in someone’s system for any length of time. Often, individuals are unaware that they are experiencing long-term clinical depression until others point out their lethargy and reticence to participate in activities.

Therefore, early detection is important. Unfortunately, one group that often gets left behind in this type of treatment is teenagers. People forget just how stressful it can be to be in their teens, and when someone has clinical depression mixed into the pot, the results can be disastrous. The rate of suicide among young people remains high, and in 2022 the group with the highest increase (8%) was males between 15 and 24.

One of the best types of early detection comes from the outside. Friends and loved ones are often the first to notice changes in an individual and should not feel awkward about bringing them up. If someone who is typically happy suddenly becomes morose, it’s important to speak up or ask a few questions. Nobody wants their friends or loved ones ignoring symptoms, especially when they may be subconscious cries for help.

Facilities such as Twilight Recovery Center are keenly aware of the issues that come with depression and how they can lead to substance abuse. Twilight Recovery Center is ready to work with those who need help, tackling overarching and underlying issues.