Is depression the main cause of adult suicide and is it related to cancer, heart disease and diabetes? Seek medical attention immediately if the questionnaire exceeds 10 points
Adults have an 18% risk of developing depression! 9 signs of rapid assessment
In recent years, regrettable incidents of famous celebrities committing suicide have attracted Taiwanese people’s attention to the issue of depression. Depression is the most common emotional illness, and its impact on the body and mind cannot be ignored. Contemporary literature points out that the prevalence of depression is far more common than most people imagine. The risk of severe depression in an adult’s life span is close to 6% in 12 months. ; An individual’s lifetime risk of depression is as high as 15-18%.
Depression is one of the main causes of suicide in the world. Patients with depression not only face long-term sadness, anxiety, pain and other psychological pain, but also suffer from impairment of brain cognitive function, attention and rational logic ability, which affects daily life. Decision-making and judgment skills. In addition, depression is also one of the most common and important “comorbidities” among non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, all of which are positively correlated with the occurrence of depression.
Typical symptoms of depression include depressed mood, decreased interest, decreased happiness, feelings of worthlessness and inappropriate guilt, decreased appetite and sexual desire, insomnia or sleep dysfunction, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. When psychological pain or inappropriate self-criticism is excessive, it may lead to a sense of hopelessness in the patient, which may lead to self-destructive thoughts and self-harming behaviors.
Currently, the most common screening and assessment tool for depression is the Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-9. Each question is scored from 0 to 3 points based on severity, with a total score of 27 points. Many studies have pointed out that a score of 10 or above can be used as a cut-off point for depression assessment. In addition, according to the PHQ-2 scale, if you often feel:
Lack of interest or fun in things within two weeks;
Low mood, depression or despair, if you have one of the two, it is recommended to receive relevant evaluation as soon as possible.
Will depression get worse if you take more medicine? Treatment goals and treatment modalities
Depression treatment can be mainly divided into three stages: acute stage, continuous stage, and maintenance stage. Treatment methods and strategies will vary depending on individual conditions. The goal in the initial stage is to relieve symptoms within 4-8 weeks of onset; in the continuous stage The goal of this phase is to improve treatment effectiveness as much as possible, possibly by adjusting or adding a second category of drugs. The goal of treatment in the maintenance phase is to prevent depression from returning. Especially if you have experienced depression several times before, long-term low mood may be a risk factor for another recurrence.
At present, antidepressant drugs are still the main treatment for depression. For most patients, a combination of antidepressant drugs and psychotherapy (counseling) has better therapeutic effects. Generally speaking, milder depression problems can be improved through simple psychological treatment. In addition, cognitive behavioral therapy, insight guidance, interpersonal support, etc. are all helpful in identifying the root causes of depression. It is recommended that if you have any depression problems, you should consult a professional doctor or consultant as soon as possible, and then adjust the treatment strategy according to the current physical and mental situation.
Selective serotonin retrieval inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most common antidepressant medications and may be prescribed including Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and escitalopram Lexapro. Side effects may include sexual dysfunction, nausea and anxiety. Other antidepressant drugs include Wellbutrin, Effexor, Remeron and Cymbalta, etc., which will be evaluated by a physician as to whether a prescription is required. Because depression becomes more severe as the disease progresses, it is even more important to consider interventional medications early in treatment.
Suppress inflammation and help nerve cells repair! Can mesenchymal stem cells treat depression?
Why is the rate of depression among modern people so high? One possibility is inflammation caused by chronic stress, which ultimately leads to changes in the brain that contribute to depression. The literature points out that chronic stress will promote the activation of inflammasomes, thereby releasing various pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1B, IL-18, IL-6 and TNFa. Certain peripheral inflammatory factors can interfere with the brain’s nerve conduction and the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis), and even change the serotonin transporter, reducing the amount of serotonin available to the body.
In recent years, the anti-inflammatory properties and therapeutic applications of “mesenchymal stem cells” have received widespread attention. Can stem cells be used to inhibit inflammation and neuroprotection, thereby producing antidepressant effects? An animal study found that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSC) can reduce depression symptoms associated with myocardial infarction. Some other studies have also found that mesenchymal stem cells (ADSC) removed from fat can reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory factors, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-a. In addition, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and neural stem cells (NSC) can regulate the return of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), allowing nerve cells to receive more stimulation and repair.
Contemporary research preliminarily shows that umbilical cord blood and stem cells can improve depression and cognitive dysfunction. Stem cells have multi-directional differentiation and regenerative functions, which can help repair inhibited nerve cells and regulate the inflammatory response that causes depression. More information is needed in the future. Many clinical studies have deeply explored the mechanism between stem cell therapy and depression, and even extended to areas such as severe depression and Alzheimer’s disease.
Source:
Depression - Harvard Health Publishing
Treatments in depression - “Pharmaceutics”
Is there a place for cellular therapy in depression?
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) - Taiwan Depression Prevention and Treatment Association
Plausible Role of Stem Cell Types for Treating and Understanding the Pathophysiology of Depression
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