What is depression?

Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
Updated on October 27, 2024
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Depression, clinically referred to as depressive disorder, is a type of mood disorder. Its primary manifestations are persistent and significant low mood, reduced volition, and slow thinking. It is accompanied by sleep disturbances, eating disorders, low self-esteem, difficulty concentrating, feelings of guilt and self-blame. Patients do not feel pleasure or interest, sometimes feel excessively guilty, and even find life meaningless, leading to thoughts and behaviors of suicide. In severe cases, depression may also present with psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. If these symptoms occur daily, are present most of the time, and persist for more than two weeks, significantly affecting work, study, daily life, social interactions, and family functions, then it can be diagnosed as depression. This describes the relevant clinical aspects of depression.

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Is depression considered a mental illness?

Depression is clinically classified as a mental illness, specifically a type of mood disorder. Its main clinical manifestations include low mood, slow thought processes, reduced volitional activity, fatigue, lack of interest, lack of pleasure, often accompanied by sleep disturbances, changes in weight, changes in sexual desire, and low self-esteem. Patients often feel fatigued and dissatisfied throughout the day, and their attention may decline. They may experience feelings of guilt, worthlessness, futility, and despair. It is not uncommon for patients to have thoughts or behaviors of self-harm or suicide. Thus, depression is a mental disorder that requires systematic antidepressant treatment once diagnosed. Effective treatment outcomes can often be achieved through a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and physiotherapy.

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Does depression cause dizziness?

Patients with depression can experience symptoms of dizziness. Depression is primarily characterized by low mood, slow thinking, and reduced volition. Patients may also have physical discomfort, especially in middle-aged and elderly patients with depression, whose main complaints are often physical discomforts when seeking medical advice such as dizziness, headache, palpitations, fatigue, weakness, gastrointestinal discomfort, frequent urination, urgency, and fluctuating body temperatures. Therefore, symptoms like dizziness can also occur in patients with depression. The main treatment involves the use of antidepressant drugs for systematic and standardized treatment, particularly the use of second-generation antidepressants, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are effective. (The above drugs should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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What department do you see for depression?

Depression can be treated clinically by visiting either a psychiatric or psychological department. The main clinical manifestation is a persistent low mood, characterized by an inability to feel joy, gloominess, and typically significant mood variations. Cognitive processes tend to slow down, resulting in sluggish thinking, slow reactions, reduced volitional activities, a passive and listless approach to life, and a lack of hope for the future. Additionally, cognitive impairments such as decreased attention, diminished abstract thinking, learning, and judgment abilities may occur. Some patients may also exhibit physical symptoms, including sleep disturbances, decreased appetite, weight loss, physical pain, and anxiety-related disorders.

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Treatment of Depression

The treatment of depression in clinical settings primarily utilizes pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and physical therapy. Pharmacotherapy, as the first-line treatment for depression, mainly relies on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as paroxetine, fluoxetine, sertraline, escitalopram, venlafaxine, and duloxetine. Adequate dosages and treatment duration with a systematic approach are essential when using pharmacotherapy. Secondly, psychotherapy. The main psychotherapeutic approaches include cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalytic therapy, and interpersonal therapy, which aim to improve the patient's irrational cognitions and rebuild their cognitive framework. Thirdly, physical therapy. In clinical practice, physical therapy mainly encompasses electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation, both of which can yield significant therapeutic outcomes. (Specific medications should be used under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Pang Ji Cheng
Psychiatry and Psychology
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Can mild depression cause fantasies?

In clinical settings regarding patients with mild depression, hallucinatory symptoms generally do not occur. It is commonly believed in clinical practice that patients with moderate to severe depression might experience hallucinations. However, according to the new mental illness diagnostic standard, IC11, it is considered that patients with mild depression may also exhibit symptoms of delusions and hallucinations. Therefore, the presence of hallucinations and delusions in patients should be assessed based on the severity of the condition. Typically, the occurrences of hallucinations and delusions indicate a higher severity of depression, generally moderate to severe. If diagnosed with psychotic depression, the clinical approach should involve the combined treatment using antidepressants and antipsychotic medications to address both the psychotic and depressive symptoms effectively.