Depression questions?!
Question: I'm trying to understand the disease because my mom has suffered from it. She admitted herself to a hospital about four years ago and stayed for a few nights. She is sooooo much better than she was then. But she's still on antidepressants and antianxiety meds. Not as much as before, but still taking them. What I'm wondering is how long is a person on these meds? Also is depression a chemical imbalance or something caused by circumstances? I wonder about that because my mom had a really bad childhood and deals with all of that stuff to this day. She has really been helped by AlAnon. But then I hear it's a chemical imbalance, so I don't really get it. My last question is...is depression hereditary? Thanks!!!!!
Answers: I'm trying to understand the disease because my mom has suffered from it. She admitted herself to a hospital about four years ago and stayed for a few nights. She is sooooo much better than she was then. But she's still on antidepressants and antianxiety meds. Not as much as before, but still taking them. What I'm wondering is how long is a person on these meds? Also is depression a chemical imbalance or something caused by circumstances? I wonder about that because my mom had a really bad childhood and deals with all of that stuff to this day. She has really been helped by AlAnon. But then I hear it's a chemical imbalance, so I don't really get it. My last question is...is depression hereditary? Thanks!!!!!
The length of time that a person needs to be on antidepressants varies, and to a large part may depend on the reason why the patient is taking them. If it's for a chemical imbalance or if the individual is manic-depressive, then the need may never go away. If a person needs them to get through a stressful period of time, for example, taking care of a dying family member, they may need them for just a short time.
There are so many theories about whether or not depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some researchers are saying that perhaps the depression causes the chemical imbalace, but it's impossible to say at this point. Some scientists say that bad circumstances, i.e. abuse, cause the chemical imbalance, causing the depression.
I've also read that hormones play a big role in depression, and that's why many women need to take antidepressants, particularly for PMS or PMDD. For some, the first trigger is the birth of a child and all of the hormonal and emotional upheaval that causes.
And lastly, sometimes depression can be passed down, especially if you're talking about manic-depressive illness. But just because your mom has depression doesn't mean you are doomed to suffer from it. It means you need to watch yourself because some people manifest depression in different ways, like risk-taking behavior, excessive anger management issues, and drug or alcohol abuse.
I'm of the opinion that most, if not all, depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, so we shouldn't judge people who take antidepressants any more than we would judge someone for taking a drug to manage any other chronic condition, such as asthma, diabetes or high blood pressure.
If your Mom doesn't seem to have a lot of side-effects from the medications she is on, anything that would indicate to you that she might be over-medicated, I wouldn't be concerned about the fact she takes them.
okay. it can be both a chemical imbalance or something caused by certain circumstances (divorce, death, hardships, ect...). Your mom having a bad childhood would trigger depression, definently. Depression can be hereditary in some cases (imbalances), but it sounds like she was dealing with something beyond an imbalance, so I wouldn't be worried about it. If you are talk to someone.
People are on meds as long as their mental health care provider deems it necessary. For many this can mean many years. It also depends if a person is just taking pills or actually getting counceling too. If your mom is also getting therapy then it could be anywhere from 6-24 months, or more or less depending on her condition. Depression does affect peopel differently.
Depression has MANY causes, both genetic and enviromental. It may be hereditary. Most teens experience some level of depression due to hormone changes through puberty. Depression can most certainly be caused by abuse, neglect, rejection, abondment, loss of a loved one, near death experience, drug abuse and a host of other issues. About 70% of women experience a measure of postpartum depression after child birth.
Depression also has its evil cousins too:
cyclothymic disorder
postpartum depression
bipolar 1 and 2 disorders
dysthymic disorder
major depressive disorder
and transient depression - transient means it appears once in a while but tends to go away on its own.
depression can be predetermined as a biological / genetic disorder, but not always.
yes, it is a chemical inbalance (Bipolar disorder then low stage is depression)...but it can be brought about by life circumstances (i.e. major depressive disorder)...remember..everything in life all the way down to what you eat affects your body in some way! Also, some people are more prone to depression than others, just like with other things. here is the center of disease control site and one link off off it, there are many more links than one, but this one is more basic and may help put you on the right track of enlightenment. http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001201-d00...
good luck