What is Depression?

Depression is a mental disorder where a person has a prolonged period of sadness, unhappiness, helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness. These feelings often get worse over a period of time, causing a person to have feelings of self-doubt, severe despondency and dejection.

Depression is an extremely common illness. There are approximately 350 million people living in the world today who are affected by it and it is the leading cause for a visit to see a GP or doctor. Depression also has a stigma attached to it that people who suffer from it are weak which leads to them not seeking treatment - less than half of all of the people with depression are currently engaging in any kind of treatment for it. Long-lasting and moderate or severe depression can be a serious health condition. It can cause an affected person to suffer terribly, leading to problems with work, breakdowns in close relationships and lead to poor physical health.

The worst cases of depression can lead to a sufferer taking his or her own life. An estimated 1 million people worldwide every year commit suicide because of depression. Half of all the people who die by suicide have major depressive disorder.

The World Health Organization have reported that by the year 2020, depression will be the second biggest cause of premature death in the world, heart disease will be the only illness or disease that causes more.

 

What Causes Depression?

 

There are many different causes of depression. It has many different triggers and there are multiple reasons it can develop.

Personal Factors are known to trigger depression. Those who have a tendency to worry a lot, have low self-esteem, are sensitive to personal criticism, are severely overweight, perfectionists, or those with a self-critical and a negative mindset all have a higher risk of developing the condition.    

Depression has been known to run in families and some people will be at an increased hereditary or genetic risk. This does not mean that a person will automatically experience depression if a parent or close relative has had the illness though. Life circumstances and other personal factors are still likely to have an important influence.

Having a serious medical illness can trigger depression in two ways. Serious illnesses can bring about depression directly, or can contribute to depression through associated stress and worry, especially if it involves long-term management of the illness and/or chronic pain.

Drug and alcohol use can both lead to and result from depression. Many people with depression also have drug and alcohol problems.

Symptoms of Depression

 

Signs and symptoms of depression include:

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
  A bleak outlook—nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.
• Loss of interest in daily activities.
  No interest in former hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure.
• Appetite or weight changes.
  Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
• Sleep changes.
  Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping.
• Anger or irritability.
  Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone gets on your nerves.
• Loss of energy.
  Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete.
• Self-loathing.
  Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.
• Reckless behavior.
  You engage in escapist behavior such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.
• Concentration problems.
  Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.
• Unexplained aches and pains.
  An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.

Treatments for Depression

Depression is a mental disorder which affects about 350 million people worldwide. Its symptoms include, but are not limited to; Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, loss of interest in daily activities, appetite or weight changes, insomnia or oversleeping, anger or irritability, loss of energy, self-loathing, reckless behavior, concentration problems, unexplained aches and pains and also suicidal thoughts..
Current popular treatments for depression include antidepressant medications and talk therapy such as counselling or psychotherapy. Unfortunately, these treatments have many drawbacks. AD medication is associated with a high risk of side effects and a low success rate, while therapy sessions are notoriously expensive, and often unaffordable or unobtainable for most people.

 

Medical Treatments

Medication for depression comes in the form of antidepressants. There are typically 4 classes of AD medication, SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), atypical antidepressants, tricyclics antidepressants and MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors).

The SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants. They act on a chemical in the brain called serotonin. The SSRIs include drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. SSRIs are preferred over older classes of antidepressants because their adverse effects are less severe, however, like all antidepressants, SSRIs can cause an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors. They also carry a risk for increased hostility, agitation, and anxiety. In adults 65 and older, SSRIs increase the risk for falls, fractures, and bone loss. SSRIs can also cause severe withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking them abruptly.

Atypical antidepressants are a variety of newer atypical antidepressants which target other neurotransmitters either alone or in addition to serotonin. For example, Wellbutrin blocks the reabsorption of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, while trazodone affects both norepinephrine and serotonin. Again, as with all antidepressant medication, there are many possible side effects.

Tricyclics are among the oldest antidepressants. They work by inhibiting the brain’s reuptake or serotonin and norepinephrine. They also partially inhibit the reabsorption of dopamine. Because tricyclics have such a broad mechanism of action, they tend to cause more side effects than the other classes of antidepressants. For this reason, the SSRIs and the atypical antidepressants are usually prescribed first. Again, side effects are usual and severe withdrawal symptoms are often the case if you stop taking them abruptly.

MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) are the oldest class of antidepressants. MAOIs have severe interactions with certain foods, drinks, and medications. Combining MAO inhibitors with foods or drinks containing tyramine can result in dangerously high blood pressure, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack.

Because of this danger, MAOIs are not typically chosen as a first-line depression treatment.

As is usually the case with medication, antidepressants cannot cure depression. At best, they will lessen the symptoms of depression. However, success rates are notoriously low, not much better than a placebo in most cases, while the risk of side effects is extremely high. This is the reason many people in the medical industry refer to antidepressants as “sugar pills with side effects”.
 

A Better, Safer Option

 

Although very few doctors or medical professionals will know or tell you about it (there is too much money involved in conventional treatment methods), you can actually cure yourself of depression using only CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) techniques combined with some dietary and lifestyle changes. Indeed in the past, a number of doctors and scientists had reported such successes in medical journals, but this research is now kept hidden by the pharmaceutical industry.

For the first time ever, this research has been dug up and used to compile a comprehensive step-by-step guide on exactly what you need to do to naturally and safely cure your depression  in just a few weeks - without any medication or expensive therapy sessions. For more information, visit James Gordon's "Destroy Depression System™", where he explains exactly why and how this system works.

Click here to download the Destroy Depression System