Causes And Signs Of Depression

Depression can occur in various forms and severities from severe clinical depression, mild depression (dysthymia), to depression triggered by situational events such as death of a loved one, loss of a loved one or some personal crisis.

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION:

1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
2. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities
3. Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day
4. Insomnia or sleeping too much (hypersomnia) nearly every day
5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day
6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt
8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness
9. Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

Depression is fairly common and is experienced by 17% of the people in our culture. I see it checked on most people’s intake forms when they come to see me for the first time. There are varying degrees of what people consider to be depressed. If you consider yourself depressed, it is worth exploring the underlying imbalances that may be causing it.
In order to know the best treatment for depression, it is important to explore the various hormonal and chemical causes of depression.

If you suspect that you might suffer from depression,
complete the self-test enclosed in this brochure.

Keep in mind: depression is a treatable condition.

Click to download this brochure and depression self-test from NeuroScience Labs.

CAUSES of DEPRESSION:

The actual basis of depression is unknown but it is widely accepted that it is influenced by genetic, environmental and neurobiological factors. Depression does run in families. but whether this is genetic or simply reflects the kind of parenting a depressed person is able to offer their child is difficult to determine. In addition there are many environmental factors, such as loss of a loved one, unemployment, an unexpected medical illness, that appear to increase the likelihood of depression.

There are many neurochemical and hormonal factors that may influence depression and symptoms of depression. Hormonal factors include low thyroid function, low progesterone, high cortisol, and adrenal fatigue or exhaustion. The neurotransmitters associated with depression include low levels of the excitatory neurotransmitters such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. This will give you symptoms such as fatigue, apathy, withdrawal, and aloofness. The other neurotransmitter associated with depression is serotonin. This is the most famous neurotransmitter usually low levels are accompanied by a heavy dark feeling, pessimism, negativity, burn out, insomnia and anxiety.

The perception of Stress can cause several hormonal and neurochemical factors that may lead to depression as well. When people perceive stress there can be an increase in cortisol, which can then affect the epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, and thyroid hormones. Note that I say the perception of stress. Usually, people will perceive themselves in a high stress situation if they feel that they are in a situation that they are trapped in and can’t get out of. The perception of feeling trapped creates a lot of the stress hormones to be secreted.

CAUSES OF NEURO-ENDOCRINE IMBALANCES:

• Genetics
• Acute Stress
• Chronic Stress
• Poor diet
• Low protein diet
• Digestive symptoms
• Trauma
• Surgery
• Infection
• Addictions
• Environmental toxins
• Disease and poor health conditions
• The list goes on…..

EVALUTATION OF NEUROENDOCRINE BALANCES ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSION

If you are experiencing depression and you feel there may be a hormonal or chemical basis to it, then have your doctor evaluate the following things:

• Adrenal function ( dhea, cortisol)
• Thyroid function (T3, T4, TSH)
• Neurotransmitter levels (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin)
• Sex Hormone levels (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone)

Dr. Francis does Neurotransmitter and Hormone testing through Neuroscience. Each patient can see his or her personal hormonal and neurotransmitter profile. From there we are able to balance you. If you are a patient of Dr. Gabrielle Francis, you can have her do some testing with Neuroscience to see where you are. If you are not a patient of Dr. G but would like to find a doctor near you, you can call neuroscience to get the name of doctor in your area that is working with them. The Neuroscience contact is 888-342-7272.

TARGETED AMINO ACID THERAPY:

Targeted amino acid therapy is the use of amino acid, vitamin, mineral and herbal formulas to restore Neurotransmitter Balance. Specific formulations are given to the patient to provide the building blocks necessary to rebuild the particular neurotransmitters that they are depleted in.

Each patient is given individual formulas to treat their particular condition. The treatment is designed to be curative and restorative. It can take anywhere from 2 months to 1 year depending on the person and the current level of stress and medication that they are taking. After the Neurotransmitter levels are restored to normal, the levels can be maintained with the proper lifestyle and diet. Some people choose to stay on a maintenance level of supplements to support a stressful lifestyle.