Signore Ernesto Caps Has Depression

People of all ages, ethnicities, genders and backgrounds can suffer from depression. Your nextdoor neighbour, your mentor, even beyoncé could be suffering from depression. By 2020 it will be the second most common condition behind heart disease and it is already the most common psychological condition by a long shot. 

We all get sad now and then, and these fluctuations of mood are of course normal. So how do you diagnose depression:

SIG E CAPS

This mnemonic covers the eight main symptoms of depressive disorders of which 5 or more are required over two weeks or more to diagnose Major Depressive Disorder.

• Sleep- changes in sleep patterns, increased during the day or decreased at night
• Interest- loss of interest and pleasure in activities, Anhedonia
• Guilt- feelings of worthlessness or guilt 
• Energy- lack of, fatigue is a very common presenting symptom
• Concentration- difficulty concentrating or reduced cognition, increased distractability 
• Appetite- weight loss and loss of appetite (occasionally increased appetite)
• Psychomotor- agitations (like anxiety) or retardations
• Suicide- suicidal thoughts, active (planning) or passive

Elderly may present slightly differently with the so called 'quirks'. The elderly tend to have more somatic and psychomotor symptoms and present often with fatigue. Elderly tend to have a feeling of worthlessness more than guilt. The elderly may also have psychotic delusions with their depression. 

Although we understand well that problems with neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine play a role in the pathogenesis of depression (and hence why we use SSRIS to treat depression), it's interesting to point out: "There is 10 times more major depression in people born after 1945 than in those born before. This clearly shows that the root cause of most depression is not a chemical imbalance. Human genes do not change that fast."

Check out www.clinical-depression.co.uk/ for lots more information

(I wonder if anyone has ever trialed Jiujitsu as a treatment for depression....)

(there is evidence that looking at cat pictures can increase your mood temporarily)