Depression

"When depression is recognized early and treated appropriately, it usually responds well to treatment".

DR. JORGE PLA VIDAL
SPECIALIST. PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

What is depression and how to recognise it?

Depression is a mental disorder characterised mainly by sadness and discouragement. It is also associated with physical and cognitive alterations, as it affects the patient's functional development, as well as social relations and language.

The so-called major depressive disorder is the most common, and it is this that we refer to when we talk about depression. It affects around 7% of people in the world, mainly women, and is three times more common among 18-29 year olds than among those over 60 years of age.

It is also one of the most frequent pathologies in primary care consultations and the leading cause of psychiatric care and disability derived from mental problems. The causes are not known, but there are multiple factors that can trigger the disease.

Treatment with psychotropic drugs and/or psychotherapy can, in most cases, partially or completely alleviate the symptoms. Once the symptoms of depression have been overcome, it is advisable to continue treatment for as long as a medical professional deems necessary to avoid possible relapses.

Imagen del icono de la consulta de Segunda Opinión. Clínica Universidad de Navarra

Do you need us to help you?

REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT

I want to request more information

Symptoms of depression

Many of the symptoms of depression can appear throughout life and this does not mean that we are depressed. For depression to be diagnosed, the symptoms must be severe enough to disrupt the patient's previous functioning. Some of the symptoms are:

Emotional symptoms of depression

The main features of depression affect mood and include pathological sadness, apathy, listlessness, loss of interest and the inability to enjoy oneself, among others. Feelings of worthlessness, guilt or even hopelessness are experienced. Sometimes this mood may show as irritability.

Symptoms related to psychomotor activity

Depression may also express symptoms at the psychomotor level that are expressed as slowed speech, slowing of movements, loss of speech, stooped posture, tiredness, fatigue, among others. Psychomotor agitation may also appear.

Symptoms related to cognition

At the cognitive level, there is an inability to concentrate, think or decide small matters. Sometimes suicidal thoughts of death or attempts at self-harm occur.

Symptoms affecting vegetative function

Depression sometimes manifests itself through non-specific physical complaints, also called depressive equivalents. This group includes headaches, ringing in the ears, dry mouth, digestive discomfort, dizziness or other neurological symptoms. There is also a disturbance of lividity and sleep, in the form of insomnia or early awakening.

Do you have any of these symptoms?

If you suspect that you have any of the above symptoms,
you should consult a medical specialist for a diagnosis.

Request an appointment with our specialists

Types of depression

Depressive disorders can be classified into the following types:

Major depression, as we have already mentioned, is the most common and the one we refer to when talking about depression. It has a more biological or endogenous origin, with a greater genetic component and less influence from external factors. It may appear recurrently and, in some cases, it has a certain relationship with the season of the year.

Reactive depression. In this case, it is a disorder caused by maladaptation to stressful environmental circumstances.

Dysthymia or depressive neurosis. This is characterised by a depressive picture of lesser intensity than the previous ones, of chronic evolution (more than two years), without asymptomatic periods and with feelings of incapacity and somatisation. This last type seems to be related to the way of being and prolonged stress.

Masked depression: In this case, instead of manifesting itself with the aforementioned symptoms, it appears as organic complaints -somatisations- or changes in behaviour.

Causes of depression

People with first-degree relatives who are depressed are two to four times more likely than the general population to suffer from the illness.

Childhood trauma and stress.

Having another depressive or mental disorder also increases the risk of depression.

Dysregulation of certain neurotransmitters (serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine) is also considered to be a factor associated with depression.

Diagnosis of depression

Being sadder or in a lower mood at any given moment is not sufficient for a diagnosis of depression.

For this, the intensity of the symptoms, their duration over a long period of time and the severity of the symptoms must be such that they disrupt the patient's previous functioning.

The specialist mainly uses the following methods for diagnosis:

Diagnostic interview
Ruling out organic disease
Psychodiagnostic tests

How is depression treated?

The ideal treatment of depression will depend on the specific characteristics of the subtype of depression and will, as always, be personalised. Therefore, an appropriate doctor-patient relationship is essential. Treatment mainly consists of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.

Psychotherapy offers reassurance, confidence, understanding and emotional support, attempts to correct distorted thoughts, explains the temporary nature and de-dramatises the situation, involves the patient in the healing process, and teaches how to anticipate possible relapses.

Pharmacological treatment includes antidepressants, anxiolytics and other adjuvant drugs such as thyroid hormones, lithium carbonate or psychostimulants.

Finally, electroconvulsive treatment, which is carried out in some circumstances, under anaesthetic control and myorelaxation. It is a safe technique and its side effects on memory are usually mild and transitory. It is a safe technique and its side effects on memory are usually mild and transitory. For operational, economic and socio-cultural reasons it is reserved for very specific indications.

IN NAVARRE AND MADRID

Where do we treat it?

IN NAVARRA AND MADRID

The Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology of the
of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra

Through a multidisciplinary work, the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology assists patients in a comprehensive way: it identifies the main causes of the disease and provides an individual approach with the most appropriate and effective treatments.

Thanks to the experience of its team, it is able to offer the most advanced biological therapies, as well as an adequate psychotherapeutic orientation. In this way, the patient is helped to solve both personality problems and alterations in interpersonal and family dynamics.

Organized in specialized units