The risk of developing depression is higher than you think. In fact, the probability of experiencing a manifest depression once in a lifetime is 20 percent in the general population. And if you are related to a sufferer , it can be as high as 30 per cent.
In this country, this clinical picture accounts for the second largest proportion of days of incapacity to work after anomalies of the musculoskeletal system (such as osteoporosis).
Fortunately, depression is usually easily treatable with early diagnosis and targeted therapy . Our experienced doctors at Avi Medical will guide you through this process.
Depression belongs to the group of affective (mood) disorders and can occur both once and recurrently . The severity of a recurrent depression can vary enormously from episode to episode. Thus, a mild dysthymia (moodiness) can be followed by a strong wave. Depression does not only occur separately, but also as a concomitant disease of other mental (such as schizophrenia or an eating disorder) or somatic (such as rheumatism) disorders.
Good to know: If a depression swings into the opposite, i.e. becomes a mania, the clinical picture turns into another affective anomaly: bipolar disorder .
Depression is diagnosed on the basis of the following leading symptoms, all of which must apply:
Depending on the severity of the depression, there are also
The symptoms must be present for at least two weeks to diagnose depression. They must also not be caused by a physical cause (such as vitamin deficiency) or psychotropic substances (medication, drugs, alcohol).
The development of depression requires the interaction of three factors . These are:
In addition to the leading symptoms already mentioned, the following symptoms are typical of depression:
The first step in treating depression is to rule out physical causes. Blood tests, among other things, serve this purpose.
If this factor can be ruled out as the trigger of your depression, follow up depending on the severity and the patient's wishes:
For us at Avi Medical, this targeted therapy also includes regular re-evaluation and monitoring of the prescribed antidepressants. The reason for this is that the preparations can trigger organ abnormalities as a side effect when taken over a long period of time. Regular blood tests, ECG and compatibility evaluations with other medicines help to rule out the development of these.
