Anxiety & Depression

In the past month, I had the privilege to cohost on a radio show and talked about Anxiety & Depression. And I would like to share a bit of what we talked about on here.

Anxiety and Depression are highly prevalent in today's society. The two conditions are closely linked together in both Eastern and Western medicine. Therefore, it is not uncommon for patients to present with both Anxiety and Depression. Try to imagine a patient who faces a challenging situation that is beyond her power to control (unemployment, financial debt, or prolonged illness). She might react in one or two of the following ways:

1. Try to control the situation by being overly talkative, irritable and tense. (Appearing anxious)
2. Giving up and lose all sense of hope that the situation might change; withdrawn; learned hopelessness. (Appearing depressed)

There are many factors that cause anxiety and depression. Physically, it is inherited genetically from one generation to the next. Studies have shown there is an imbalance of neurochemicals in the brain as well in depressed patients. Neurochemicals are made from building blocks of amino acids, which are absorbed into the body by good nutrition and good eating habits. Other factors include financial burdens, prolonged illness and sudden changes in life and loss of a loved one.

Some of the symptoms of depression are:
1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly everyday. Feeling sad or empty, appearing tearful, and in children and adolescents, they may appear irritable.
2. Marked diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all activities most of the day, nearly everyday.
3. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, such as 5% of body weight loss in a month, decrease or increase in appetite nearly everyday
4. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly everyday
5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly everyday (observed by others)
6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly everyday
7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (may be delusional)
8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, indecisiveness
9. Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

Symptomse cause significant distress or impairment on social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Symptoms are not due to direct physiological effects of a substance (drug of abuse, a medication) or a genearl medical condition (hypothyroidism).
Symptoms are not better accounted for by bereavement.

If you have 5 or more of the above 9 symptoms in a 2-week period, then you may be diagnosed with depression.