Depression: Prevalence, Causes, Complications..

Depression is a real illness that is characterized by a great sadness, hopelessness, loss of motivation and the feeling of not having value as an individual.

In the medical community, major depression is the term often used to describe this disease. Depression usually occurs in the form of periods of depression that can last from 2 weeks to several years, even a lifetime. Depending on the intensity of the symptoms, depression is described as mild, moderate or severe. In more severe cases, depression can lead to suicide.

Depression affects mood, thoughts and behavior, but also the organic functions. This explains why a person who suffers from depression or other more vulnerable to colds and other infections, the immune system is weakened.

Depression?

The term "depression" is still taboo there not so long ago, is often incorrectly used in everyday language to describe the inevitable periods of sadness, boredom and melancholy that all are called to live at a time when to another.

For example, being sad after the loss of a loved one or a sense of failure in case of problems at work is quite normal. But when these feelings come back every day for no particular reason or overly persistent, it may be depression. Depression is a real illness is chronic, which responds to specific diagnostic criteria.

Besides the sadness, the depressed person maintains negative thoughts and demeaning: "I'm really no", "I'll never", "I hate what I am." She feels worthless and difficult to plan for the future. She has no interest in activities previously enjoyed. Sometimes it is rather the predominant irritable.

Prevalence

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders. According to a survey conducted by the public health authorities in Quebec, approximately 8% of people aged 12 and over reported having experienced a period of depression in the past 12 months1. According to Health Canada, about 11% of Canadians and 16% of Canadians suffer from major depression during their vie75.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2020, depression will become the second leading cause of disability worldwide, after cardiovasculaires2 disorders.

Depression can occur at any age, including childhood, but it appears for the first time more often in late adolescence or early adulthood adulte76.

Causes

It is not known exactly what causes depression, but it is a complex disease involving multiple factors related to heredity, biology, life events and the environment and habits of life.

Heredity. Following long-term studies on families as well as twin (separated at birth or not), it has been shown that depression has a certain hereditary component, although it did not identify specific genes involved in this disease. Thus, a history of depression in the family can be a risk factor.

Biology. Although the biology of the brain is complex and still poorly understood, it has been observed in depressed individuals deficiency or imbalance of certain neurotransmitters such as serotonin. This deficiency disrupts communication between nerve cells in the brain. Other physiological problems, such as a hormonal disturbance (hypothyroidism or menopause, for example) can also contribute to depression.

Environment and lifestyle. Bad habits (smoking, low physical activity, excess télévision88 or video games, etc..) And living conditions (poor economic conditions, stress, social isolation) is likely to harm deep psychological . For example, the accumulation of stress at work can lead to burnout and eventually to depression.

Life events. The loss of a loved one, divorce, illness, job loss or other trauma can trigger depression in people predisposed to the disease. Similarly, abuse or trauma in childhood make them more susceptible to depression in adulthood, especially because they disrupt the operation of sustainably genes related to stress.


Complications

There are several potential complications related to depression:

- Abuse of drugs or alcohol.
- Family or professional conflict, social isolation.
  Increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In fact, depression is associated with a higher risk of heart problems or stroke. Moreover, the fact of depression may accelerate slightly the onset of diabetes in people already risque70. The researchers argue that people with depression are also less likely to exercise and eat well. In addition, some medications can increase appetite and cause weight gain. All these factors increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Suicide. With accidents is one of the leading causes of premature death in Canada for people under 45 years. Depressive men over 70 are the most at risk of suicide.