Stanford Center for Health Education
Depression: Understanding Intense Moods and Getting Treatment | Stanford
Worldwide, clinical depression is a top reason why people are unable to attend school, go to work, and live the life they want to live. In this video, psychiatrist Dr. Paula Tran explains what major depressive disorder (MDD) is, how to recognize it, and what causes it.
Many people wonder “What is depression? How to know if you have depression? How can I help someone with depression? How to overcome depression?” Watch as Dr. Tran answers these questions and more.
MDD is treatable, and the right combination of social support, lifestyle changes, and professional help can help people with MDD regain control of their lives.
0:00 Introduction
0:47 Changing moods and emotions
1:54 What is major depressive disorder? What are the symptoms?
4:51 What causes major depressive disorder?
6:01 Support and treatment
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
1-800-273-TALK
1-800-273-8255
Dr. Paula Tran is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist at Stanford University.
The information in this video was accurate as of the upload date, 6/28/2022. For information purposes only. Consult your local medical authority or your healthcare practitioner for advice.
This video is a production of the Stanford Center for Health Education team, in collaboration with Stanford Medicine and the Stanford Center for Professional Development.
At the Stanford Center for Health Education, we believe that expanding access to engaging education has the power to change behaviors, improve health, and save lives.
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Do you, or someone you know, struggle
to get out of bed in the morning or accomplish the things you set out to do
because of feeling depressed? You're not alone. In the United States, in 2020, 1 in 12 adults and 1 in 6 adolescents
had major depressive disorder amounting to a staggering
25 million people. This number is likely increasing,
especially in the younger population. Worldwide, clinical depression
is the top reason people are unable to attend school, go to work
and live the life they want to live. Hello everyone,
I'm Doctor Paula Tran and I am a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist
at Stanford University. In this video, I will introduce you
to Major Depressive Disorder or MDD. I will talk about how to recognize MDD
and what causes it. Before we dive into the specifics of MDD,
let's take a look at how our moods change with time. On any given day, you may experience many different moods,
represented here by different colors. The horizontal axis represents time
and the vertical axis represents how intense the mood is. Today, you might have woken up feeling
excited to try something new like surfing. Afterwards,
you thought about an upcoming test or meeting to prepare for,
and you started to feel nervous. Later in the day, you might have felt
sad and angry after an argument. Emotions can change and even exist
together throughout the day and week, but it becomes concerning when an emotion like
sadness takes over the other emotions. We all feel sad sometimes,
but when sadness stays and becomes a main emotion
for more than two weeks, then you might have major depressive
disorder. Feeling sad is a normal emotion. It's part of being human. But when you feel consistently sad
and it starts to get in the way of things you want to do
and how you function at home and at work and in your relationships,
then it becomes a clinical disorder. What is major depressive disorder? Major depressive disorder describes
a set of mental and behavioral changes that get in the way
of a person's everyday life, How they do at school, at home, at work,
and in relationships. These symptoms can be different
from person to person, but at least five of these need to be present
for at least two weeks. The first symptom is mood. Individuals with MDD can feel down or sad for most of the day,
for most days of the week. The second symptom is interest. Often, there is disinterest
in things that once brought a lot of joy. The third symptom is appetite. Appetite is often affected. MDD can cause people to eat
a lot more or eat a lot less. Sleep. Sleep changes are seen as well. MDD can cause people to sleep a lot
more or sleep a lot less. Activity
level MDD can cause people to feel like they need to move around a lot,
be really restless and even agitated, or they might feel that it's difficult
to move at all. Energy. There are often reports of feeling really
tired with low energy throughout the day. Guilt. People with MDD can have a lot of guilt
without a clear reason. Concentration. There is often trouble
concentrating or making decisions. Thoughts of death. MDD can cause people to have recurrent
thoughts about death and dying. Suicidal thoughts and attempts can occur. Major depressive disorder in adolescents
sometimes presents similarly as in adults, but oftentimes, instead of a sad mood,
there might be an irritable mood. Parents
sometimes report that their teenager is really grumpy throughout the day,
no longer interested in things they once enjoyed,
isolating a lot from their friends. And in the teenage years,
a lot of identity revolves around socializing with peers. So if a parent notices that their teenager
is isolating a lot more, not doing things
that they once enjoyed doing, that might be an indication
that the child is depressed. Children and teenagers who are depressed
may experience mainly physical symptoms like body pain, a tummy ache or headache
that cannot be explained by a medical reason. Observation from the school
is also really important because kids and teenagers
spend so much time at school. If untreated, depression
symptoms in teenagers can continue into adulthood,
affecting them socially and academically. The risk of suicide
also increases in all age groups. The symptoms of MDD can come and go, and they can also vary in how severely
they affect a person's functioning. Untreated depression
puts an individual at risk of suicide. Having access to a firearm, or anything that can be used to hurt themselves,
is also a risk. Not having social support, isolation,
loneliness are also risk factors as well. What causes MDD? If you or a loved one has MDD, you're probably wondering what causes it. The answer is not so simple. MDD is rarely due to just one cause,
and often it is difficult
to figure out what exactly caused it. Things that a person is born
with, like their genetics and personality, can play important roles in increasing or decreasing a person's
risk of developing MDD. Things that happen to a person, like loss
or trauma, can also be risk factors. Things that a person is surrounded
by, like the influence of their friends, their family, their community can also
affect how likely they will develop MDD. All of these things together
contribute to MDD risk. It is important to know that sometimes
medical conditions can cause a person to feel depressed. For this reason, let your doctor know
if you are noticing any mood changes so that your doctor can make sure
you do not have a medical problem that needs to be addressed. Many times people self-medicate
with alcohol to address their depressive symptoms,
but it's important to understand that self-medicating that way can sometimes
make the depression symptoms worse. Depression is not a personal choice,
and people can't just choose to stop being depressed. Understanding this can really help
support loved ones with MDD. Following a regular schedule
that includes spending time outdoors, exercising, sleeping, and eating
well can also help. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT,
can teach people with MDD how to closely look at their thoughts, their feelings,
and their behaviors, and change them. Children and teenagers and adults with MDD
can all benefit from participating in CBT. In some cases of MDD, antidepressant medications
may be necessary to improve symptoms. If there is concern about either
you or someone you know having MDD, it's really important to talk to your doctor
so that you guys can sit down and talk together and figure out,
is this what I'm dealing with? Are there labs
that need to be checked to make sure you don't have a medical condition
that can be reversed? Your doctor should be able to refer you
to the appropriate resources, get you connected to mental health care. Early intervention is important to
make sure that there is the best outcome, and that it interferes with your
life as little as possible. Major depressive disorder is treatable,
and the right combination of social support,
lifestyle changes, and professional help can help people
with MDD regain control of their lives. Talk to your doctor and seek professional help if you think
you might have major depressive disorder. If you or someone you know
is thinking about suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
at 1-800-273-TALK. That's 1-800-273-8255 or text “hello”
to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
#Depression #Understanding #Intense #Moods #Treatment #Stanford
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