U03d2 – Implications of ResearchI watched several videos within the Cognitive-Behavioral factors as the cause of depression. I wanted to talk about suicide and mortality but the video just was not long enough and did not necessarily discuss treatment. Depression really hits close to home for me especially in the last year. My mother-in-law suffered from depression and she lost her battle voluntarily. Depression comes in all forms, whether it is caused by biological factors or by cognitive-behavioral factors. She never reached out for help and I did not know much about her depression. I did know that she also suffered from anxiety and took medication for that. By analyzing what was going on in her life around the time of her death I have come to the conclusion that the greater part of her depression was caused by stressors.According to Professor Wayne Drevets (n.d.), stress can cause depression. Stressors that can cause depression can be social (abuse), physiological (illness) or repetitive (family or job). In the case of my mother-in-law, I believe it was mostly repetitive stressors such as family or job stress. In the year leading up to her death she was laid off from her job and struggled with finding a new job. The weight of this caused her depression to deepen and she never reached out to anyone. We had no idea it was this bad until it was too late.
Professor Wayne Drevets discusses the serotonin system in relation to depression. The serotonin system in the brain has been the focus of research in depression. Drevets (n.d.) suggests that the reason for this is that medicinal treatments that target the serotonin system had antidepressant effects on those who suffer from depression. Further studies appear to suggest that more studies need to be done to pin down what will be the most effective way to treat the end state of depression. Treating depression with medication, while mostly safe, often has negative side effects and can alter your life. Because of this, it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons of treating depression with medication. For those who suffer from depression, drugs can often improve moods and balance the chemistry in the brain to improve brain function. While antidepressants can help treat depression, there are often unpleasant side effects, for example: weight gain, sedation or even an increase in suicidal thoughts.
[quote=Ferguson]A study of about 1,000 people with depression described the serotonin system without any negative side effects. The researchers, all in their mid-20s, were looking for signs of a depressive state following their first treatment with antidepressants. They found a group with schizophrenia who had received an extended placebo or a double dose of one of the drugs, when compared to those with no depressive mood to see how they were affected in terms of symptoms and depression-related anxiety (Figure S16). The participants who received the psychotropic medications and those without depressive mood experienced a decrease in attention and motivation. A second group of 612 participants reported not having any depressive symptoms during their treatment. The researchers concluded that people with depressive mood showed a more rapid decline of motivation, less attention and a reduction in attention-related responses.[/quote]
\[p][size=18em]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[quote=Ferguson]\[p][p>\[p]} The second study had the same outcome. This group was compared to a control group that had no depressive mood, while the controls didn’t show any effects of psychotropic medication (Figure S24). This indicated that depressive mood is a normal response and not a side effect of an antidepressant.\[br][size=20em][p][p][p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]/][p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]/][p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\\ \[p]\\\[p]\\\[p]\\\[p]/\\\[p]\\\[p]\\/\\\[p]\\/\\/\\\[p]\\/\\/\\<][/b]>|\\\/[/p]\\
[img]http://i.imgur.com/j6xBw0d.png[/img][/quote]
\[blockquote class=”citation_note”]I want to point out that depression is one of the things that often leads people to relapse and that this leads to depression, and some people have experienced mental issues. It is also a sign of problems that have to do with something else than life itself. These are common. What I am trying to say here is that we have to stop ignoring the cause, and really just stop judging people so that we can take responsibility for ourselves, or we can look for some way to give ourselves a voice in the world. This means we have to look beyond the everyday symptoms of problems and look beyond the mental illness that we’ve been dealing with in the past. We have to really try a lot of things and not just be an outlier.”[/blockquote][br]
What we should do for depression is look for new coping mechanisms that are already there. We need new forms of support. We need people who have been dealing with depression to help them develop an environment that allows them to be able to accept and accept what is happening internally. But we should also listen to their emotions. It is very important that we use what we have learned as a tool to make our lives easier and better, like a way of working through issues, to make it easier to talk into people about problems, and to really help them in the ways that it takes time and really help them get to where they need to go to stop their problems from occurring. It is important that we can start giving more support to people who have been suffering through depression for a number of years: some people are still working through mental health issues, still feel like they still can’t control the things that happen on a daily basis and this can give people time to focus. It’s important we listen to their emotions and try to change their lives in ways that are right for them, or at least help them take it as a step toward getting rid of this type of negative thinking and feel as if the world is falling apart. We should really help people who feel like they are at a stage where they have to deal with their problems as they move through this life and we can’t just focus on their emotions and blame them. The point now is that we need to start working with people who think that they must be giving themselves up over their treatment issues
[quote=Liz]Research has found that antidepressant treatment can reduce and/or even reverse mental health problems such as major depression. Some treatment is also beneficial for a host of other psychological disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and mood disorders. However, many studies have found that antidepressants do not alter mood and often have no other beneficial effects. For example, when people do receive antidepressants, they have an increased ability and willingness to take medication to address depression, stress, anxiety or other difficulties to improve their lives. When people receive regular, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or other controlled substances, they may be able to prevent, reduce anxiety and distress, and have fewer symptoms. This is despite evidence that antidepressants can be of high benefit to a broad group of patients. However, these same people who do not improve their functioning (like patients without depression) are not affected by treatment. There may be other important benefits that can be obtained through treatment. People who do not have depression are more likely to have improved mood and mental health. However, the benefit of treating people with depression may be more small, possibly due to the lack of control problems in people without depression.
[quote_text]There is evidence that antidepressants may actually increase mood, reducing anxiety, tension and fatigue.[/quote][/quote]
[quote_text]In the study by Ferguson, the primary outcomes of treatment in depression were: improved behavior, greater interest in music, more information about time at work, increased productivity, higher levels of sleep disturbance, and improvements in memory/function. Those who did not have depression or who reported improved mood or were not in depression experienced more changes in their behavior than any group. Moreover, those who were depressed did not experience an increased rate of depressive-like behaviors. Further, depressed people who reported being depressed showed higher levels of depression-associated anxiety and depression-related symptoms. […]
So, it may sound like the same conclusion as above, except it’s actually based on the fact that in a study designed to help people with depression avoid depression, researchers found that those who stopped taking antidepressants had an increased rate of anxiety and depression-related symptoms.
[quote_text]There are currently no evidence to support the hypothesis that antidepressants improve mood. The only evidence has focused on those individuals undergoing antidepressant treatment at a low dose. The reason is that some people with depression are over the prescribed level of antidepressant exposure and others were not. If these individuals have low levels of depressive symptoms, a depressive episode may be induced by selective serotonin uptake. The evidence does not support such a claim. Further research is needed to determine the impact of antidepressants on psychological well-being and also to determine whether those who have low levels of depressive symptoms have normal response to treatment. But it seems unlikely that depression is caused by over taking antidepressants (i.e. depressed mood), although a recent study in a large population with depression indicated depressive symptoms in patients with depression during life and in their first month of treatment. However, the participants with low level of antidepressant exposure experienced a decreased rate of anxiety when compared to those who had no antidepressant exposures. Therefore, a lower antidepressant dose may increase anxiety
[quote=Ferguson]A study of about 1,000 people with depression described the serotonin system without any negative side effects. The researchers, all in their mid-20s, were looking for signs of a depressive state following their first treatment with antidepressants. They found a group with schizophrenia who had received an extended placebo or a double dose of one of the drugs, when compared to those with no depressive mood to see how they were affected in terms of symptoms and depression-related anxiety (Figure S16). The participants who received the psychotropic medications and those without depressive mood experienced a decrease in attention and motivation. A second group of 612 participants reported not having any depressive symptoms during their treatment. The researchers concluded that people with depressive mood showed a more rapid decline of motivation, less attention and a reduction in attention-related responses.[/quote]
\[p][size=18em]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[quote=Ferguson]\[p][p>\[p]} The second study had the same outcome. This group was compared to a control group that had no depressive mood, while the controls didn’t show any effects of psychotropic medication (Figure S24). This indicated that depressive mood is a normal response and not a side effect of an antidepressant.\[br][size=20em][p][p][p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]/][p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]/][p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\[p]\\ \[p]\\\[p]\\\[p]\\\[p]/\\\[p]\\\[p]\\/\\\[p]\\/\\/\\\[p]\\/\\/\\<][/b]>|\\\/[/p]\\
[img]http://i.imgur.com/j6xBw0d.png[/img][/quote]
\[blockquote class=”citation_note”]I want to point out that depression is one of the things that often leads people to relapse and that this leads to depression, and some people have experienced mental issues. It is also a sign of problems that have to do with something else than life itself. These are common. What I am trying to say here is that we have to stop ignoring the cause, and really just stop judging people so that we can take responsibility for ourselves, or we can look for some way to give ourselves a voice in the world. This means we have to look beyond the everyday symptoms of problems and look beyond the mental illness that we’ve been dealing with in the past. We have to really try a lot of things and not just be an outlier.”[/blockquote][br]
What we should do for depression is look for new coping mechanisms that are already there. We need new forms of support. We need people who have been dealing with depression to help them develop an environment that allows them to be able to accept and accept what is happening internally. But we should also listen to their emotions. It is very important that we use what we have learned as a tool to make our lives easier and better, like a way of working through issues, to make it easier to talk into people about problems, and to really help them in the ways that it takes time and really help them get to where they need to go to stop their problems from occurring. It is important that we can start giving more support to people who have been suffering through depression for a number of years: some people are still working through mental health issues, still feel like they still can’t control the things that happen on a daily basis and this can give people time to focus. It’s important we listen to their emotions and try to change their lives in ways that are right for them, or at least help them take it as a step toward getting rid of this type of negative thinking and feel as if the world is falling apart. We should really help people who feel like they are at a stage where they have to deal with their problems as they move through this life and we can’t just focus on their emotions and blame them. The point now is that we need to start working with people who think that they must be giving themselves up over their treatment issues
[quote=Liz]Research has found that antidepressant treatment can reduce and/or even reverse mental health problems such as major depression. Some treatment is also beneficial for a host of other psychological disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and mood disorders. However, many studies have found that antidepressants do not alter mood and often have no other beneficial effects. For example, when people do receive antidepressants, they have an increased ability and willingness to take medication to address depression, stress, anxiety or other difficulties to improve their lives. When people receive regular, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or other controlled substances, they may be able to prevent, reduce anxiety and distress, and have fewer symptoms. This is despite evidence that antidepressants can be of high benefit to a broad group of patients. However, these same people who do not improve their functioning (like patients without depression) are not affected by treatment. There may be other important benefits that can be obtained through treatment. People who do not have depression are more likely to have improved mood and mental health. However, the benefit of treating people with depression may be more small, possibly due to the lack of control problems in people without depression.
[quote_text]There is evidence that antidepressants may actually increase mood, reducing anxiety, tension and fatigue.[/quote][/quote]
[quote_text]In the study by Ferguson, the primary outcomes of treatment in depression were: improved behavior, greater interest in music, more information about time at work, increased productivity, higher levels of sleep disturbance, and improvements in memory/function. Those who did not have depression or who reported improved mood or were not in depression experienced more changes in their behavior than any group. Moreover, those who were depressed did not experience an increased rate of depressive-like behaviors. Further, depressed people who reported being depressed showed higher levels of depression-associated anxiety and depression-related symptoms. […]
So, it may sound like the same conclusion as above, except it’s actually based on the fact that in a study designed to help people with depression avoid depression, researchers found that those who stopped taking antidepressants had an increased rate of anxiety and depression-related symptoms.
[quote_text]There are currently no evidence to support the hypothesis that antidepressants improve mood. The only evidence has focused on those individuals undergoing antidepressant treatment at a low dose. The reason is that some people with depression are over the prescribed level of antidepressant exposure and others were not. If these individuals have low levels of depressive symptoms, a depressive episode may be induced by selective serotonin uptake. The evidence does not support such a claim. Further research is needed to determine the impact of antidepressants on psychological well-being and also to determine whether those who have low levels of depressive symptoms have normal response to treatment. But it seems unlikely that depression is caused by over taking antidepressants (i.e. depressed mood), although a recent study in a large population with depression indicated depressive symptoms in patients with depression during life and in their first month of treatment. However, the participants with low level of antidepressant exposure experienced a decreased rate of anxiety when compared to those who had no antidepressant exposures. Therefore, a lower antidepressant dose may increase anxiety