Symptoms of depression in women, methods of treatment

Depression in women is not uncommon. May be caused by a variety of reasons. But in order not to aggravate the disease, it is important to consult a psychiatrist in time. To do this, it is necessary to study the causes of depression, its main symptoms in women.

What is depression?

Depression is a mental disorder due to which the so-called depressive “triad” occurs: bad mood and lack of ability to feel happiness, impaired mental functions, motor inhibition.

As a result of the disease, the patient's self-esteem is underestimated, interest in what is happening is lost. Some women during this period begin to drink alcohol or psychoactive substances. Most often, this condition develops in women after the age of 40 years.

This is usually due to hormonal changes, the early onset of menopause, due to the relationship with the spouse.

To lead to this disorder can be a variety of factors that have a negative impact on the psyche. Separately, mention should be made of the development of depression after childbirth, since the birth of a child is accompanied by serious changes in life, it is also associated with hormonal changes, with new responsibilities, fears.

In addition, psychiatrists refer to such causes of depression as:

• job loss;
• parting with a loved one;
• the discrepancy of personal values ​​with the far-fetched society;
• chronic stress;
• unrequited love;
• financial expenses;
• taking synthetic hormones glucocorticoids, antibiotics, drugs for chemotherapy;
• chronic alcoholism;
• a number of diseases, such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease;
• severe chronic diseases that cannot be cured to the end;
• lack of thyroid hormones.

The feeling of depression most often occurs in suspicious, insecure or restless people, who feel responsible for others and strongly empathize. People with high or too low incomes, introverts, those who are deprived of the support of family and friends since childhood, are more prone to such a state.

Stress, cloudy weather, and permanent presence in dark rooms can provoke the appearance of such a state. In rare cases, depression can develop after a long wait for a joyful event, for example, marriage, enrollment, and so on. In this case, this pathology is called the achieved goal syndrome.

There are a number of internal factors that can lead to depression:

• lack of certain substances that the body produces;
• deficiency of thyroid hormones;
• imbalance of female sex hormones;
• genetic predisposition.

Despite the fact that depression in men occurs 5 times less frequently than in women, it is harder for them. Among suicides only 2% of women. Psychiatrists explain this difference in self-treatment: women prefer to use more food, especially chocolate, which contain endorphin in their composition. Men, on the other hand, most often eliminate the feeling of depression by alcohol or psychotropic substances.

Main symptoms of depression

Depression is most often similar in symptoms to women and men. Signs can be divided into four groups: emotional, physiological, behavioral, mental.

In some cases, deep depression develops, with the following symptoms:

• daily depressed state, which increases in the morning;
• difficulty communicating with loved ones;
• impairment of self-care skills;
• ideas of culpability;
• decreased appetite;
• loss of libido;
• suicidal tendencies;
• lethargy;
• presence of hallucinogenic syndromes.

In this case, the person ceases to critically assess their condition, does not want to be treated.

Types of pathology

At the moment, psychiatrists distinguish several types of depression, each of which has its own causes, mechanisms of appearance, symptoms.

After childbirth

Most often, postpartum depression develops in the first two weeks after the baby is born. It is unlikely that she will affect a calm woman, whose pregnancy was calm, smooth, without scandals. But if:

• relatives had episodes of depression;
• pregnancy proceeded with complications;
• the woman herself was distinguished by increased vulnerability;
• after the birth of the child, the financial condition deteriorated;
• there was a divorce from her husband or a major quarrel.

In such cases, there is a high risk that a woman may show signs of depression after giving birth. It is mainly associated with jumps of prolactin and female genital hormones during gestation, during and immediately after delivery. Temporary sleep disturbance, loss of appetite is depression, not depression.

A similar diagnosis can be made if at least one of the following symptoms persists for several weeks:

• sleep disturbance;
• decreased appetite;
• there are suicidal tendencies.

Spring depression

It is a serious disorder, the causes of which are still not clear. Some doctors hypothesize that the reason is an increase in the illumination time, which leads to a change in the level of melatonin, serotonin, sex hormones.

Another group of scientists believes that this condition is associated with hypovitaminosis, which is typical for this time of year. It is possible to understand what developed this state, by the appearance of drowsiness, sadness, feelings of hopelessness. In addition, women have increased premenstrual pain and appear extra pounds.

Anxiety Depressive Disorder

Masked depression. Hidden depression is a condition in which the symptoms of a disease of internal organs come to the forefront, for example, itchy skin, abdominal pain or heart pain, high blood pressure. These symptoms are so diverse, quickly replace each other, that the therapist is almost unable to make an accurate diagnosis. Depressed mood, anxiety, problems with self-esteem on a similar background are almost imperceptible.

This condition is most often the cause of a late visit to a doctor. Sometimes they do not turn to a psychiatrist at all, considering that there is no depression, and all manifestations are signs of somatic pathologies.

Distinctive features of latent depressive disorder include:

• no improvement on the background of medical treatment of diseases of internal organs;
• the appearance of symptoms after the onset of a psycho-traumatic situation.

Depressed state

It is a depression that can last for years. Most often it occurs on the background of severe pathologies: oncological, tuberculosis, stroke or heart attack. The reason is that with such severe diseases that directly threaten life, a person is constantly under stress, to which his nervous system reacts.

Dysthymia, or chronic depression

This is a mild form of depressive state, when people do not give up their activities, they normally exist in family and society, but at the same time they seem constantly sad. A person may suffer from such depression for two years or more.

The culprit is considered the hormone serotonin, which causes a special reaction of the brain. It is also believed that chronic pathologies, the constant intake of certain medications can also lead to a similar condition. The fact that a person is depressed, a person can be guided by the following features:

• change in appetite;
• constant guilt and sadness;
• sleep problems;
• loss of interest in yourself and others;
• frequent headaches;
• slowing mental and physical reactions.

Diagnostic measures for depression

For the selection of the optimal method of treatment, you must first make a diagnosis. It is put by a psychiatrist after laboratory and instrumental studies after the exclusion of diseases of internal organs.

Also, depression is diagnosed if a person has two of the three main symptoms, or three or more, which are described below.

Main symptoms:

• 2 weeks or more lasts a bad mood, which does not change under the influence of circumstances;
• there is a loss of interest in activities that were previously pleasant;
• for two or more weeks there is a breakdown and fatigue.

Additional symptoms include:

• suicidal thoughts;
• constant sweet taste in the mouth;
• change in sleep rhythm;
• guilt, worthlessness, fear;
• unstable appetite.

How is the treatment?

Without proper therapy, a person can end his life by suicide; therefore, a psychiatrist or psychotherapist treats this pathology.

Hospitalization in this case is not mandatory or compulsory, but it is prescribed if there is a tendency to suicide or there are fears that the patient will not take the necessary drugs.

The treatment regimen is selected individually after an examination by a doctor and the necessary research.

What drugs can I use?

Drug treatment of depression is a reception of various antidepressants:

1. Stimulating action. They are used to treat a condition that is accompanied by melancholy, apathy. For example, Imipramine, Bupropion.
2. Sedative action. They are used in anxiety, irritability, the presence of suicidal thoughts. Most often prescribed Sertralin, Paroxetine. For the treatment of mild to moderate depression, herbal medicines are prescribed, for example Hypericin. When anxiety and lethargy is combined, Sertralin is prescribed, supplementing with Phenazepam.

Effective treatment in some cases is a combination of drugs. Sometimes a good combination of two antidepressants, sometimes only antidepressants and lithium salts or atypical antipsychotics.

The antidepressant effect does not appear immediately - approximately a few weeks after the start of medication.

Psychotherapy

For depression, the following types of psychotherapy are effective:

1. Interpersonal. It is aimed at the connection between mood, situations in society, helps to smooth the patient’s frustration, reduce conflict with other people.
2. Role-playing.
3. Behavioral. She is recognized to reduce a person’s negative perception of herself and others.
4. Suggestive.
5. Group.
6. Rational. Any type of psychotherapy will reduce the dose of drugs used, therefore it is relevant for the prevention of relapse.

Other treatments

In the treatment of depressive disorders are quite effective:

• electroconvulsive therapy;
• physical exercise;
• sleep treatment;
• transcranial magnetic stimulation;
• massage and hypnosis.

In some cases, help: yoga, meditation, art therapy, music therapy, zootherapy, balneotherapy.

The main thing for a person who suffers from such disorders is not to listen to the advice of friends and acquaintances about what you need to "distract", "pull yourself together." If you feel the first symptoms of impending disaster, you should immediately consult a doctor who will prescribe a proper treatment.

How to get out of depression yourself?

At the initial stages of this pathology can cope on their own. But the main condition is that the woman should be aware of the problem, be willing and act.

Basic tips for self-treatment:

1. Take enough time to sleep and rest. Insomnia, fatigue are often the trigger that leads to mental health problems.
2. Learn to express your negative emotions and thoughts. If a woman constantly keeps in herself malice, anger, sadness, the process of self-destruction begins.
3. To eliminate the negative, you need to do dancing, sports, ride bicycles, do everything that will allow to throw out emotions.
4. Spend more time outdoors, walk on foot. Yoga classes will help you learn the technique of meditation, which will allow to bring thoughts in order.
5. Keep a diary to record the past day, completed cases, achieved results.
6. Limit the viewing of news programs: often on TV broadcast serious accidents that adversely affect the psyche. Better give preference to meetings with friends, close people, reading.
7. Learn to respond to compliments, praise, criticism.
8. You are treated with folk remedies, for example, with soothing herbal decoctions, give preference to therapy with aromatic oils.

In addition, there are several medical recommendations that will significantly improve the situation:

1. Self-analysis. It will allow you to understand the main cause of the development of depression. A woman needs to think about when the life changes began to arise, which led to apathy. After thinking about the reasons, try to answer the questions why it happened, get rid of the destructive feeling that prevents you from enjoying life.
2. Eliminate unpleasant people and moments from life. Think about your environment, if a person does not bring a positive in your life, but only has a negative effect, stop communicating with him.
3. Learn to let go and forgive old grievances. Such feelings cause a lot of negative thoughts, sadness, and constant memories of bad situations have a destructive effect on the psyche. To get rid of these feelings, analyze what happened, soberly assessing the situation, also remember that the negative thoughts of another person should not affect you.
4. Meditation will allow you to balance your thoughts, improve your mood, and strengthen your faith in yourself.
5. Get a pet, because many animals need care and attention. In addition, they can improve mood.

Depression after 40 years - what to do?

In women after 40 years, there comes a difficult period in life associated with both hormonal changes and the lack of diversity in life. It is recommended to treat mental disorders after 40 years with the help of professional psychotherapists.

Thanks to joint efforts, it is much easier to understand the essence of the problem, to draw up a treatment plan. Often, in adulthood, folk methods are used, which consist of taking soothing herbal preparations and baths with the addition of aromatic oils. Many women like dancing classes, especially today you can enroll in any school that is suitable for age.

Watch the video: Coping with Anxiety and Depression During Pregnancy (May 2024).