Suffering from Depression- Visit Now at Wales Psychiatry Centre

 Depression is a common major mood disorder and a serious medical concern with key features of a never-ending and pervasive feeling of sadness, loss of interest, and/or inability to experience pleasure. It is even referred to as clinical depression or major depressive disorder. It negatively affects the way one thinks, feels, and behaves and can result in a range of physical and mental problems. Consult now with the experts at Wales Psychiatry Centre, who offer multidisciplinary and Best Depression Treatment in Cardiff. It includes the use of psychological interventions, social interventions, pharmacology, brain stimulation techniques and also the management of risks associated with one's condition and illness.

 

Depression may occur once in one’s lifetime but typically people experience multiple episodes. It can occur at any age, often beginning in the teens or individuals who are in their 20-the 30s. It can trouble people in carrying out normal daily routine activities at home, school, and/or work. Some people may feel miserable without any reason. Sometimes, the affected individuals may feel as if their life isn’t worth living. Most women are diagnosed with depression more than men.         

 

Symptoms of Clinical Depression

 

Several mild to severe indications of clinical depression altogether helps the doctor to diagnose this medical ailment. During multiple episodes of depression, the symptoms may occur for most of the day and nearly every day, and may include:

 

1.      Emotional symptoms

 

• Anxiety or restlessness
• Irritability, outbursts of anger, or frustration (even over small matters)
• No pleasure feeling in normally pleasurable activities such as sports, hobbies, or sex- Anhedonia
• Prevalent low mood, sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness
• Sorrowful
• Change in mood reactivity to the external circumstances.

 

2.      Cognitive symptoms

 

• Changes in the formation of the thought such as reduced rush in thoughts, less haste of speech, and reduced volume of speech as well as its expression
• Altered thoughts content with the classic triplet of self-blame (negative opinions of the self), negativism (negative views of the world), and pessimism (negative views of the future) which further leads to low self-esteem i.e. feeling worthless or guilty of self
• Subjective flaws in concentration/focus, registration, and recall; delayed processing of information; impairment in decision-making in the usual day-to-day activities or disturbed memory
• Suicidal thoughts and/or purposeful plans.

  

3.      Behavioral symptoms

 

Others can observe an individual having clinical depression if he/she shows the following signs and symptoms:

 

• Self-neglect
• Modified facial expressions with reduced or loss of facial expressivity
• Increase in without-purpose physical activities such as trouble sitting still, handwringing, and pacing
• Psychomotor retardation (Impeded demeanour) or agitation
• Social withdrawal- noticeable issues in social activities or relationships with other people.

4.      Biological symptoms

 

• Loss of libido-sexual drive
• Unexplained physical problems such as headaches or back pain
• Loss of appetite and weight loss are not linked to dieting or increased food cravings and weight gain If a weight change is 5% in the previous month, then it's significant.
• Easy fatigability and generalized lassitude (Anergia)
• Sleep disturbance- Typically, it’s late insomnia (early morning waking) but the delayed onset of sleep, too much sleeping, and sleep maintenance may also be present
• Fluctuating moods all day long- Classically, but not always, diurnal variation is seen in moods such as mood may worsen during morning hours and remain normal for the rest of the day
• Constipation and/or Amenorrhoea (missing one or more menses) in females.

 

In the case of severe clinical depression, one may experience psychotic features such as hallucinations and delusions.

 

Causes and risk factors of depression

 

There is no definite cause of clinical depression, however, like other mental disorders, a variety of factors may be involved, including:

 

• Brain chemistry- Human brain naturally produces chemical substances like neurotransmitters that have a role in clinical depression. Recently, researchers have found that changes in the functioning and effects of such neurotransmitters as well as their way of interaction with neural circuits that are involved in maintaining mood stability may cause depression.
• Hormonal imbalances- Changes in the balance of hormone levels at the time of pregnancy, during the weeks or months post-pregnancy, menopause, and from thyroid problems or several other conditions may be involved in causing or triggering depression.
• Biological differences- Depressed people appear to have physical changes in their brains whose significance remains uncertain, but these may further help identify the causes of depression.
• Heredity- Depression may be an inherited condition, as it is more commonly seen in people whose blood relatives also have experienced this condition.  

 

The factors that seem to increase the risk of triggering or developing depression include:

 

• Stressful or traumatic life events
• Excessive alcohol intake or recreational drug abuse
• Past medical records of other mental health disorders such as eating disorders, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder
• Certain personality traits such as pessimistic and low self-esteem
• Family history of bipolar disorder, depression, alcoholism, or suicide
• Severe medical ailment or chronic illness, including cancer, heart disease, or stroke
• Certain medications such as sleeping pills or drugs related to hypertension
• Being a transgender/bisexual, lesbian, or gay or having differences in the development of the genital organs that are not identified as male or female.

 

How is depression diagnosed?

 

Normally, it is done by a professional by gaining information from the patient in a psychiatric interview/evaluation, using relevant questionnaires, collecting collateral information from the family/colleagues/friends of the patient, and conducting a thorough mental state examination. In the clinical interview and assessment, the Best Psychiatrist in Wales at Wales Psychiatry Centre checks for the severity of depression based on the number and quality of symptoms that the patient is suffering from. To confirm the diagnosis of depression, the symptoms of depression must last for at least 2 weeks and must portray a change in the earlier level of functioning. Also, ab tests like blood tests to check complete blood count and thyroid hormone levels may be recommended for diagnosis.  

 

How can depression be treated?

 

Depression can be best treated in Cardiff at Wales Psychiatry Centre as they offer a multidisciplinary approach that includes the use of pharmacology, psychological and social interventions, brain stimulation techniques, and even the management of risks associated with depression. Patients with mild clinical depression may be best treated with psychosocial interventions including lifestyle modifications, stress management, and the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

 

However, for moderate to severe cases of depression, antidepressant medications can be of great help. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are considered to be the first line of pharmacological intervention. There are several other drugs as well and it’s best to consult a professional regarding the timing and suitability of other medications. The psychiatrist considers various neuropharmacological approaches based on the patient's needs before prescribing any medication for treating depression.     

 

In Cardiff, the best treatment is provided at Wales Psychiatry Centre where the best adult psychiatrists practice. Here patients having Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) or Difficult-to-treat Depression (DTD) can also get personally treated with newer strategies. Now, doctors can use advanced Electro-encephalography (EEG) that can help show certain detected parameters of clinical depression as a biomarker for treatment resistance. Also, they can use newer neuromodulation approaches early in the depression treatment such as Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, where the response rates can be improved and sustained. Some newer drugs for depression area also available with them and they can modulate monoamines differently. 

 

Consult now for adult depression treatment with the expert and Best Adult Psychiatrist in Wales at Wales Psychiatry Centre.