1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: Lauren vohglah bahm. Here, I wanted to let you know 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: at the top here that we're talking about mental health today, 4 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: So if you're not up for that, take care of yourself. 5 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: But okay, a we as a society don't talk enough 6 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: about mental health. It's totally normal for all of us 7 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: to find ourselves feeling down or worried sometimes with the 8 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:30,639 Speaker 1: state of the world around us. I think it was 9 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: a little strange if you never did. But what about 10 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: if those feelings persist, grow to be overwhelming, maybe affect 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: your work or studies or relationships, or maybe make it 12 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: feel difficult to get anything done. That might be depression. 13 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: Just like any other health issue, depression can manifest differently 14 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: in each of us, varying in severity and symptoms, and 15 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: therefore solutions for it can vary too. Also, as with 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: many things about our weird and wondrous human bodies, researchers 17 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,960 Speaker 1: aren't entirely sure how depression works. Today, let's talk about 18 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: what we do and don't know about this branch of 19 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: mental health. First off, depression is a broad term. Health 20 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: professionals can diagnose different flavors of depressive conditions based on 21 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: a person's age, when and how and how frequently symptoms appear, 22 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: and whether the person has any other mental or physical 23 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: health issues going on. The definition common to all of 24 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: these is a measure of sadness, emptiness, or irritability that 25 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: impedes your capacity to function. More specific symptoms can include 26 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,559 Speaker 1: loss of interest and usual activities, a withdrawal from family 27 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: of friends, feelings of guilt, hopelessness, helplessness or worthlessness, changes 28 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: in sleeping habits like being unable to sleep or sleeping 29 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: too much, fatigue and lethargy or hyperactivity in restlessness, changes 30 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: in eating habits leading to weight loss or weight gain, indecision, 31 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 1: difficulty concentrating or forgetfulness, persistent pains that don't respond to treatment, 32 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: like headaches, stomach aches, or digestive problems, a worstening of 33 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: other conditions like arthritis or diabetes, and or thoughts or 34 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: actions towards self harm or death. That's a lot of 35 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: symptoms and a bunch of contradictory ones, and no two 36 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: people will have the same ones to the same levels 37 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: of severity. But if someone experiences five or more of 38 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 1: these symptoms for over two weeks that might be diagnosed 39 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: as major depressive disorder. If someone experiences just a couple 40 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: of them, but for a couple years running, that might 41 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: be what's called persistent depressive disorder. There are also specifications 42 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: that can help diagnose forms of depression in someone going 43 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: through prolonged grief, or someone who has particular trouble the 44 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: week before their menstrual cycle or during certain seasons of 45 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: the year, or someone with symptoms tied to another medical condition, 46 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: or a child or adolescent who's struggling. You can experience 47 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: depression once in a lifetime, brought on by a single 48 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: stressful event, or it can recur throughout your life. There 49 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: is no single cause for depression, though research does suggest 50 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:29,920 Speaker 1: four factors from which it likely results, often in combination. Genetic, biochemical, psychological, 51 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: and environmental. Scientists haven't found a gene for depression, but 52 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: they have seen evidence based on family histories suggesting that 53 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: there may be a genetic link. Children of people with 54 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: major depressive disorder are more likely to experience depression than 55 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: the general population. Something in the way those children are 56 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: raised could have an influence, but research has shown that 57 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: social and family environmental factors are less important than genetic ones. However, 58 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: because depression also occurs in individuals without family histories of 59 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: the condition, we continue to study additional factors. Other research 60 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: with magnetic resonance imaging has revealed differences in the brains 61 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: of people with depressive conditions. People with depression have abnormal 62 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: levels of sub neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers between cells 63 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: and the brain, in between the nervous system and other 64 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: cells in the body. Having enough of these chemical messengers 65 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: helps us process and regulate our mood and memory and 66 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: behavior in complicated ways that we don't entirely understand yet. 67 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: Researchers have honed in on three in particular, serotonin, neuropinephrine, 68 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: and dopamine. Psychological factors also come into play. People with 69 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 1: certain characteristics such as pessimism and low self esteem have 70 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 1: a tendency to develop depression, and stressful happenings such as 71 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:01,559 Speaker 1: relationship changes, illness, financial problems, or any major life event 72 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: like a move or a job change can trigger a 73 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 1: depressive event. Again, it's not straightforward or simple. The onset 74 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: of depression frequently occurs from a combination of these causes. 75 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,599 Speaker 1: Depression is highly treatable, but one of the complications of 76 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: depression is that you don't always want to talk to anyone, 77 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,719 Speaker 1: or that you feel guilty about feeling sad. Wrapped up 78 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,119 Speaker 1: in all this, there's still some misplaced social stigma about 79 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: mental health, which is why I'm doing this episode. It's 80 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,840 Speaker 1: just part of our health. There shouldn't be any shame 81 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: in it. The first step toward getting help is to 82 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,800 Speaker 1: talk to a health professional. If you have a primary doctor, 83 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,840 Speaker 1: a family doctor, or other medical caregiver who you trust, 84 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: they're a great place to start. Though, if you don't, 85 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: and there are lots of online services and local organizations 86 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: that are designed to get you on a path to 87 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: diagnosis and treatment. There's no easy test like a blood 88 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: panel or X ray. However, doctors may sometimes order lab 89 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: tests for things like thyroid or heart or brain conditions 90 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:12,799 Speaker 1: to make sure that no more immediately serious physical disease 91 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: is causing depression type symptoms that would require its own treatment. Generally, 92 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,039 Speaker 1: a health professional will ask you about your and your 93 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: family's medical history. Then they'll talk with you about your 94 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:30,359 Speaker 1: physical and social and psychological symptoms and your mood, determining 95 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: what symptoms are present when they began, and your general 96 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 1: state of mind. They might use a written or spoken 97 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: diagnostic questionnaire. Researchers have come up with a bunch of 98 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: different ones that can quickly, easily and accurate lea score 99 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: how serious a person's symptoms are, since those symptoms can 100 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: be difficult to self report. Once you have a diagnosis, 101 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: there are lots of different treatment options because mental health 102 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,719 Speaker 1: is highly individual, but what works for any given person 103 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,599 Speaker 1: can vary. It can take some time to determine what 104 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: works for you, but over eighty percent of people who 105 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: are treated experience improvement. Effective and common treatments for major 106 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: and chronic depression are antidepressant medications to relieve symptoms, and 107 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: talk therapy to learn effective coping methods, or a combination 108 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: of the two. Antidepressant medications help to normalize levels of 109 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: those mood regulating neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain. The most 110 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: common medications these days because they tend to be pretty 111 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: effective and not have too many negative side effects, are 112 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 1: SSRIs that stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Basically, they 113 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: work by preventing your body from reabsorbing a molecule of 114 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: serotonin after it's transmitted a message, so that serotonin molecule 115 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: can keep on keeping on in your brain. There are 116 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: other reuptake inhibitors for norbinephrin and dopamine and other antidepressants 117 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: that work in yet other ways. Type of medication may 118 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: work better than another from person to person, and sometimes 119 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: it takes a few tries to find one or a 120 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: combination that works well. Talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy, 121 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 1: can be used in conjunction with medication or solo. It 122 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: involves talking through symptoms, behaviors, and situations with a mental 123 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 1: health professional. There are two main types most common today. 124 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT is meant to teach you 125 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: new ways of thinking and behaving, and interpersonal therapy or 126 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: IPT is meant to help you understand and work on 127 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: personal relationships and social behaviors that may be contributing to 128 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: your depression. Just as with medication based treatments, can take 129 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: a few tries to find a talk therapist or a 130 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: course of therapy that works for you. For a science podcast, 131 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 1: all of this is infuriatingly inspecific, just whibbly wobbly, brainywhiney. 132 00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 1: Lots more research is being done into the complex soup 133 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:04,560 Speaker 1: of conditions that creates our mental health. Hopefully in the 134 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:08,719 Speaker 1: future we'll have more precise answers. In the meanwhile, if 135 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: you're worried about yourself for a loved one, please remember 136 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 1: that even with everything we don't know, depression is real 137 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 1: and clinical and highly treatable. It can get better, and 138 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 1: there is nothing wrong needing a little help. Today's episode 139 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: is based on the article how Depression Works on how 140 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: stuffworks dot Com, written by Maria Tremarky. Brain Stuff is 141 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: production by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuffworks dot 142 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 1: Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts 143 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,479 Speaker 1: from my heart Radio. Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 144 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.