Diagnosis: depression!

However, a bad mood does not mean depression. Depression is a complex of symptoms.

One of her symptoms is a prolonged lack of mood (more than 2 weeks). Moreover, no external circumstances (a joke, a pleasant meeting, joyful and long-awaited events) can change it. In some cases, a person may experience unreasonable anxiety, concern for their loved ones and their own health.

Depression is always accompanied by decreased performance, rapid fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. The most familiar, mundane tasks seem complicated and difficult to accomplish. Irritability appears, often for the most minor reasons. Interest in the environment disappears: work, favorite activities, the feeling of pleasure disappears. The food seems tasteless, your favorite show is boring, and partying with friends is an aimless waste of time. The future is seen in gloomy colors, hopeless and bleak.

Another manifestation of depressive disorders is sleep disorders. Nighttime sleep becomes shallow, intermittent, with early (2-3 hours earlier than usual) awakenings. Appetite decreases, which leads to rapid weight loss.

The most dangerous symptom of depression is suicidal thoughts, which in the most severe cases of the disease can lead to specific actions.

It is important for others to understand that the patient cannot control his condition and get rid of the disease by willpower. We can handle a bad mood. Good music, delicious food, a funny joke – and life gets better. But depression is a disease that requires special, often medicinal, treatment. It is impossible to cure it by simple persuasion or autosuggestion.

The main method of examination that makes it possible to establish a diagnosis is a psychiatric consultation. Undoubtedly, a therapist, neurologist, or psychologist can assume the presence of depression and refer you to a psychiatrist, but the final diagnosis and choice of treatment strategy (medications, psychotherapy, etc.) should remain with a specialist in the field of treatment of mental disorders.

Patient's complaints of only a bad mood or anxiety are not enough to talk about a depressive disorder. For a reliable diagnosis, a psychiatrist must identify at least four symptoms of depression, assess the time of their appearance, severity, severity, etc. Specially designed questionnaires can serve as auxiliary examination methods, for example, the Beck Depression questionnaire, the MMPI (Minnesota Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire), etc., which may also suggest the need to consult a specialist.

There are two types of clinical depression, that is, requiring treatment: reactive and endogenous.

Reactive depression occurs as a reaction to a traumatic event that manifests itself immediately or after a short time. A person's experiences are related to what happened.

Endogenous depression, if it occurs against the background of "troubles", significantly exceeds them in terms of severity of feelings. Such conditions exist for a long time, often persisting, even when the "troubles" have long since lost their relevance.

Endogenous depression is associated with neurobiological changes in the brain. It occurs when there is a lack of serotonin in the intercellular space. It is serotonin that is responsible for transmitting impulses that determine our mood, so its deficiency can lead to a "breakdown" of the regulatory system and the development of symptoms of depression.

The nature of depression is essential for choosing treatment tactics.

Endogenous depression always requires medical treatment and implies the need to influence the neurobiological processes of the brain. Antidepressants can help solve this problem effectively. Psychotherapy or manual therapy brings only temporary relief.

In the case of reactive depression, the doctor decides on the appointment of medications individually on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity of the events and the severity of the symptoms of depression. For example, the inability to cope with routine tasks, increasing isolation, and sleep disorders are treated with drug therapy.

In the most severe cases, for example, when suicidal thoughts occur, hospitalization in a psychiatric clinic is necessary to ensure maximum patient safety.

A technique combining drug treatment and psychotherapy is considered the most effective. Comprehensive rehabilitation programs for depressive disorders have now been developed, which include massage, reflexology, special gymnastics, and work with patients' families.

Only doctors have the right to prescribe medication. Only a psychiatrist can choose the most effective treatment in the most qualified way. A clinical psychologist can diagnose by testing, as well as provide psychological advice. Psychotherapy is conducted by a psychotherapist. In Russia, these are only specialists with higher medical education.

It is important that psychologists and psychotherapists working with patients with depressive disorders have special training in psychiatry.