Depression, a dark cloud of emotions. A sense of drowning. Depression, a feeling of being completely alone even when surrounded by people. It is something that is felt by so many people, yet isn’t as recognizable as many other disorders of today. You always hear about the people who are suffering from the physical illness but not the mental illnesses. Someone we love or who we see everyday could be suffering from this dreadful disorder and you wouldn’t know. It’s a feeling that can be debilitating and even detrimental. I will explain the pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, and nursing considerations for depression and its effects on patients.
Pathophysiology
Our limbic system, which accounts for and controls our emotions consequently affects …show more content…
When the sad feeling is attributed to a cause, it is known as reactive or secondary depression. (Timby & Smith, 2014 pg. 1175) This type of depression can be self limiting, affecting your day to day emotions and can consume your world. Often, people go through major or unipolar depression; “a sad mood with no obvious relationship to situational events” (Timby & Smith, 2014 pg. 1176). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 2013b, Americans will report feeling depressed, but the actual incident of major depression is approximately 14.9 million. (Timby & Smith, 2014). The most concrete piece of evidence is that depression is related to genetic makeup, an imbalance in neurotransmitters, and a neuroendocrine balance in the body. (pg. 1176) Feelings of neglect or rejection, a feeling of helplessness, long term exposure to discrimination, or twisted thoughts about one’s self are also linked to increased risk of depression (Pg.1176). Blood relatives tend to have a prevalence of mood disorders suggesting a depressive link in genetics. Identical twins for example, even …show more content…
These thoughts of sadness are best represented by the acronym SAD IMAGES. (Timby & Smith, 2014) The “S” can be remembered as sad mood, A is for appetite changes, D is the symptom of disturbed sleep indicating an imbalance in norepinephrine. “I” is the inability to concentrate; such as concentrating on everyday tasks. M is a marked decrease in pleasure; A is apathy; including a decreased libido, G is feelings of guilt, E is energy changes due to neurotransmitter dysregulation, and S is for suicidal thoughts resulting from sadness and guilt. There are many conditions that mimic depression including hypothyroidism, brain tumor, alcohol/sedative abuse, stimulant withdrawal, chronic hypoxia, and different side effects from drugs including corticosteroids and antihypertensives. A tentative diagnosis can be made with diagnostic tests including a dexamethasone suppression test (DST), also referred to as cortisol suppression test. (Timby & Smith, 2014) This test indicates major depression if cortisol levels in the blood remain elevated despite administration of dexamethasone, a corticosteroid. (Pg. 1177) CT scans and MRIs are also performed to eliminate any other
Pathophysiology
Our limbic system, which accounts for and controls our emotions consequently affects …show more content…
When the sad feeling is attributed to a cause, it is known as reactive or secondary depression. (Timby & Smith, 2014 pg. 1175) This type of depression can be self limiting, affecting your day to day emotions and can consume your world. Often, people go through major or unipolar depression; “a sad mood with no obvious relationship to situational events” (Timby & Smith, 2014 pg. 1176). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 2013b, Americans will report feeling depressed, but the actual incident of major depression is approximately 14.9 million. (Timby & Smith, 2014). The most concrete piece of evidence is that depression is related to genetic makeup, an imbalance in neurotransmitters, and a neuroendocrine balance in the body. (pg. 1176) Feelings of neglect or rejection, a feeling of helplessness, long term exposure to discrimination, or twisted thoughts about one’s self are also linked to increased risk of depression (Pg.1176). Blood relatives tend to have a prevalence of mood disorders suggesting a depressive link in genetics. Identical twins for example, even …show more content…
These thoughts of sadness are best represented by the acronym SAD IMAGES. (Timby & Smith, 2014) The “S” can be remembered as sad mood, A is for appetite changes, D is the symptom of disturbed sleep indicating an imbalance in norepinephrine. “I” is the inability to concentrate; such as concentrating on everyday tasks. M is a marked decrease in pleasure; A is apathy; including a decreased libido, G is feelings of guilt, E is energy changes due to neurotransmitter dysregulation, and S is for suicidal thoughts resulting from sadness and guilt. There are many conditions that mimic depression including hypothyroidism, brain tumor, alcohol/sedative abuse, stimulant withdrawal, chronic hypoxia, and different side effects from drugs including corticosteroids and antihypertensives. A tentative diagnosis can be made with diagnostic tests including a dexamethasone suppression test (DST), also referred to as cortisol suppression test. (Timby & Smith, 2014) This test indicates major depression if cortisol levels in the blood remain elevated despite administration of dexamethasone, a corticosteroid. (Pg. 1177) CT scans and MRIs are also performed to eliminate any other