Depression affects a significant number of people all around the world. Here are 9 facts research has found out about depression.
1. Jobs with highest depression rates
Bus drivers rank first as the occupation with the highest depression rates, followed by real estate agents and social workers. So what do these jobs have in common? The study’s authors explained that these jobs are all in the service industry, which require interactions with people. This may suggest that the stress of emotional labor could lead to depression.
2. Forgetting how to be happy
It has been found that people who are depressed are unable to imagine themselves not being depressed. However, non-depressed people can imagine what it feels like to be depressed and can recall their depressed state better than non-depressed people. This may be due to the fact that people do not start out being depressed and that depressed people may have lost the capability to feel emotions.
3. Saffron beats antidepressants.
Saffron, the exotic spice serves to be a safer alternative to antidepressants in mild to moderate depression. This is because saffron has fewer side effects and is as effective as antidepressants in some cases.
4. There are four types of biological depression
The four types of depression show different types of brain activity.
- Biotype 1 is characterised by anxiety, insomnia and fatigue.
- Biotype 2 is characterised by exhaustion and low levels of energy.
- Biotype 3 is characterised by the inability to feel happiness as well as slower movements and speech.
- Biotype 4 is characterised mostly by anxiety with insomnia coupled with the inability to feel happiness.
5. Generalised goals
It has been found that people who are depressed have more generalised goals than others. They are more likely to have goals such as “I want to be happy.’ which may serve to be a problem as general goals are tougher to achieve.
6. Cause of depression in the brain
Research has shown that a part of the brain which is linked to sadness at not receiving a reward is linked to depression. The part of the brain, known as the lateral orbitofrontal cortex becomes active when people fail to get a reward they were expecting and in people who were depressed, this area seems to be more connected to the other areas involved in our sense of self and personal loss. Therefore, depressed people are more likely to have self-esteem issues and a feeling of loss if they do not get the rewards they are expecting.
7. Vitamin D deficiency
It has been found that a lack of Vitamin D may be linked to depressive symptoms and more pessimistic thoughts. Moreover, Vitamin D deficiency may also be linked to cognitive impairments in young people. Food that have high levels of vitamin D include oily fish and eggs but most people get their source of vitamin D from the exposure to sunlight on the skin.
8. Why antidepressants don’t work for 50%
Research suggests that the environment that the people are in affect whether or not the antidepressants work. Antidepressants may help our brain recover from depression but more is needed, such as relatively low levels of stress.
9. The correct sleep schedule
One way to help antidepressants work more effectively is to sleep for eight hours. Of those who spent eight hours in bed, more than half saw improvements in their symptoms and for those who only spent six hours in bed, only one-third saw improvements.
Category(s):Depression
Source material from Psyblog
