Brain Scan Predicts Depression Relapse
In a research article in the British Journal of Psychiatry, researchers from Germany reported that they measured the size of a particular brain area in patients with major depression and found that this area was significantly smaller in men who later had a relapse than in those who stayed well. The brain area they measured was, as you might have guessed, the hippocampus. It’s been know for several years that depressed persons tend to have shrinkage of this brain area compared to persons without depression. This study is the first one to show that in men who get well and stay well from depression, the hippocampus is larger and more like that seen in persons without depression problems. You can read about the study here. It’s interesting to note that this was not true of the women in the study. The researchers concluded that “Hippocampal reduction is a gender-specific factor” in the cause of depression.
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Many well-known therapists believe that ;biological and psychological
factors both play a large and affective Role .
Here - In this comment - I will try to Deal with the biological one ..
Feelings of depression are caused by a chemical change that affects
how the brain functions.
A normally functioning brain is a giant messaging system that controls
everything from your heartbeat, to walking, to your emotions. The
brain is made up of billions of components with called “nerve cells”
or “neurons” . These nerve cells send and receive messages from the
rest of all your body, using brain chemicals “neurotransmitters” .
These chemicals in the human brain are responsible for our emotional
state. Depression happens when these chemical messages are not
correctly send or received between brain cells, which affect the
communication.
(i. e., A telephone): If your telephone has a weak signal, you can’t
hear the person on the other end. so it is disabled or unclear
It has been proposed that even the people who already suffering
depression, have a way to treat it passed on the biological side, This
way is the “Medications” .
The main role of the “Medications” Is to fortify weak signals by
raising the levels of certain neurotransmitters . which guarantee that
the brain’s messages are submitted loud and clear.
…More information and Related Topics at My Blog!
http://no4depression.blogspot.com/
I think I disagree with you, Dr. Van!
The field of neuroscience has moved away from the idea that low levels of chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) are the cause of mood disorders. Rather, cell growth and neuronal plasticity appear to be the important factors. See the entry titled “How Antidepressants Work - I.”
I have alot of syptoms of clinical depression….but I hate….drugs! I refuse to just go get medicated….without knowing for sure…like my mother in law says…she is on Paxil…and she still drinks wine…huh?? Great advice…LADY! I am very vocal…I have been told, I am narcacistic..that I try to out do others’ pain…not true! I have only been crying out for help…I have tried not hiding when I know I should not isolate….I can’t rely on family to help me….they are too shallow to deal with my issues…they care…but they don’t understand….my question is….Can I ask my pshyciatrist, to do a complete workup on my brain, before I consider meds? I know since I am a trauma survivor…and survived severe poverty…it may be emotional, and environmental….I cannot relate in groups….unless with people from 3rd world countries…I talk to a psycyatrist….whom I trust…trust comes difficult for me…I accept that people care….but they cannot possibly understand….and I don’t wish for them to…I just want to feel ok….
sincerely,
Tracey
Thanks for writing Tracey. I completely understand your reluctance to take medication. There is always the risk of side effects.
At the present time, there is no known “work-up” of the brain–that is, no blood test or scan–that can diagnose clinical depression. It appears that the brain abnormalities that underlie clinical depression are at the microscopic level. The only way to know whether an antidepressant will help a person is for them to try it.
Also, only about 50% of individuals will have a good response to the first antidepressant they take. Fortunately, there are now over twenty different antidepressants available.