Understanding major depressive disorder

Understanding Major Depressive Disorder Major depressive disorder (MDD) is an increasingly common problem in modern life. Whether this is due to better diagnosis or whether our lifestyles are responsible remains to be seen, but what we do know is that it is blight in the lives of many otherwise healthy people.

As mentioned, MDD is common. As many as 1:6 people will develop MDD in their lifetime. That means that everyone will, at some point, know someone who suffers from MDD. The average age of onset is 32.

The symptoms of MDD include:          

Low mood Lack of energy Difficulty concentrating Problems with executive function Inappropriate guilt Lack of interest in activities that used to pique interest Insomnia – including both difficulty getting to sleep and difficulty staying asleep Fatigue and daytime sleepiness Appetite changes – both over and under eating Suicidal thoughts and actions

As you can appreciate, MDD is an unpleasant affliction and one that requires urgent attention.

Fortunately, there are a number of things that can help address the problems of MDD. These include:

1. Ruling out an underlying condition. Many illnesses can lead to symptoms that mimic MDD. For example, hypothyroidism can lead to MDD-like symptoms. Tackling the underlying condition by taking supplements such as Detoxadine can help a lot. If you are suffering from MDD symptoms, it’s important that you visit a doctor in order to rule out any of these underlying conditions.

2. Neurotransmitter disturbances can cause MDD, in which case certain classes of medication can help address the issue. The commonest medications include SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) SNRIs (selective norepinephrine reuptake

inhibitors), and tricyclic antidepressants. There are numerous types of medicine within each class, and it’s common to have to cycle through various medications before finding one that works.

3. Stress has long since been known to play a vital role in the development of MDD, so anything that a person can do to help reduce stress can go a long way in helping elevate the moods associated with MDD. Popular stress busters include mindfulness meditation, dietary changes (include much more fruit and veg in the diet, especially those that have a proven positive effect on the brain, e.g. beetroot), exercise, socialising (with nice people!), and participating in activities that you used to find enjoyable.

4. An interesting thing to note about MDD is that people who suffer with it tend to have a smaller hippocampus. This is related to the fight and flight response and indicates that the person has been in a continued state of anxiety. Again, mindfulness meditation can help massively in this case. It has been shown to increase the white matter in the hippocampus, and so help boost its growth. This is a relatively new finding, but you can find plenty of information on various respected medical sites, such as the NHS site.

Taking supplements, such as Detoxadine, can help, but before you take anything, speak to your doctor. It’s important to find the cause of the MDD before embarking on treatment and a doctor will help you to do this, or will guide you to a psychiatrist who can help.

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