This document explores the effects of depression on the brain and body, including neurotransmission, brain inflammation, and physical symptoms. It also discusses the different types of depression and their treatments, including medication and psychological follow-up.
Extract
[...] - During a severe depression, the symptoms are much more significant. Affected individuals may experience a decrease in vital energy, attention disorders, concentration problems, and an inability to make decisions due to a slowing down of the brain. People with severe depression will have much more significant brain problems. They may experience brain inflammation, lesions, and the death of brain cells. Brain inflammation is linked to the duration of depression. If the duration is more than 10 years, the risk of having inflammation is 30% higher. [...]
[...] - The symptoms of this disease and the impact they have on the body can vary depending on the type of depression and its duration. A person suffering from minor depression is physically and psychologically affected less severely than a person suffering from severe depression that has lasted for several years. The most well-known symptoms and those found in all depressions are due to a decrease in neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of mood and energy. The hormones affected are mainly serotonin and dopamine. [...]
[...] But these practices will worsen the person's situation if they are not properly managed. Now you will explain which treatments are proposed to treat depression. - To treat this type of depression, medications can be prescribed by psychiatrists to stabilize the patient's condition. Antidepressants are most often prescribed to restore the chemical balance of the brain. They act directly on neurotransmitters. Some antidepressants increase the concentration of serotonin and dopamine by inhibiting the enzymes that break them down or by inhibiting their reuptake, which will increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the patient. [...]
[...] Ketamine acts much faster than a traditional treatment. Common antidepressants take at least three weeks to act, while ketamine acts in a few hours. This significantly reduces the risks during suicidal crises or intense depressive episodes. The administration of ketamine is done in a hospital in very low doses and the patient must remain hospitalized for several hours to ensure that there are no secondary effects that occur. This treatment quickly improves the mental state of the person and lasts over time even after a single injection. [...]
[...] This experiment clearly shows that depression can change the entire behavior of the person who suffers from it. - All these brain dysfunctions can be dangerous for the person suffering from them. Severe depression often leads to suicidal crises. During these crises, decision-making and rationality are impaired due to the shrinkage of the frontal lobes. This is why people may see death as the only solution. Even if we try to help the person by offering other paths to recovery, the brain of the person suffering from depression will not be able to conceive a long-term solution. [...]
