2023-07-30 16:10:15
Depression medication should be careful of side effects, but also pay attention to supplement nutrition and adjust mental state. (123RF)
Text / Wang Jiayi
The 48-year-old Chinese-American singer CoCo Lee committed suicide due to depression and died on July 5 following being sent to the hospital. The news shocked the world. Fox News in the US and The Sun in the UK published the news of Coco Lee’s death on the front page of the international edition with the headline “Fall of a Superstar”. His suicide made people pay attention to depression once more.Singer CoCo Lee’s profile photo. (Photography / Chen Baizhou)
Depression is a common mental disorder. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, in 2019, nearly 1 billion people worldwide suffered from depression, of which 14% were adolescents; suicides caused by depression accounted for more than 1% of deaths, of which 58% of suicides occur before the age of 50; women are regarding 50% more likely than men. In the first year of the pandemic, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%. In addition, depression is also a leading cause of disability. People with severe mental health problems die on average 10 to 20 years earlier than the general population.
The causes of depression are complex, including social, psychological and biological factors. People who have experienced adverse events in their lives (job loss, bereavement, traumatic events, etc.) are more likely to develop depression. Depression, in turn, leads to greater stress and dysfunction, affecting the patient’s life and exacerbating depressive symptoms.
One of the symptoms of depression: Intense feelings of guilt or a denied sense of self-worth. (123RF)
Depression is also closely related to and affected by physical health. Such as physical inactivity or heavy drinking, are also known risk factors for diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases. People with these disorders may also experience depression due to difficulties associated with managing the condition.
Eight Symptoms of Depression
Types of depression are classified as mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the number and severity of symptoms and how they affect bodily functioning. Specifically, there are 8 symptoms of depression:
1. Significant loss of interest in things.
2. Lack of concentration.
3. Intense feelings of guilt or a negative sense of self-worth.
4. Feel hopeless regarding the future.
5. Thoughts of death or suicide.
6. Sleep disturbance.
7. Changes in appetite or weight.
8. Feeling very tired or low on energy.
more prone to cardiovascular disease
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry in 2020 showed that adults with depressive symptoms were directly proportional to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death, and the more symptoms, the greater the risk. The researchers followed 145,862 men and women aged 35 to 70 in 21 countries for an average of 9.3 years. It found that people with four or more depressive symptoms had a 20 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death compared with those with fewer than four depressive symptoms.
One of the symptoms of depression: Having trouble concentrating, being very tired, or having low energy. (123RF)
digestive system
In May 2023, a study in the “Nature” sub-journal “Translational Psychiatry” (Translational Psychiatry) showed that the proportion of patients with depression suffering from digestive system diseases is higher than that of the general population. A meta-analysis of data from 807,553 people in the UK Biobank found that genetic predisposition to depression was positively associated with 12 gastrointestinal disorders, and the associations remained following adjustment for multiple comparisons. Specifically, people with a genetic predisposition to depression are more likely to suffer from irritable bowel disorder, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, gastroesophageal reflux, chronic pancreatitis, duodenal ulcer and chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, and diverticular disease compared with the general population , gallstones, and acute pancreatitis and ulcerative colitis.
Beware of Drug Side Effects
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, treatments for depression include: lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, antidepressant medications, neurostimulation, including: electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, and Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy.
Dr. Yang Jingduan, an expert in integrative medicine in the United States, said in the NTD TV program “Health 1+1” that one should not rush to change a person’s behavior, but should understand the factors behind the patient’s behavior, and treat these factors to get good results.
He further explained that the current medical methods have limitations, usually medication, and the side effects of drugs will increase the suicidal tendency and risk. For example, people with undermethylation, serotonin absorption inhibitors, may be effective, and those with overmethylation may increase the risk of suicide.
In addition, the metabolism and processing of drugs are different for each person’s genetics. People with fast drug metabolism will not achieve the effect; while people with slow drug metabolism will not be able to metabolize even a small dose, and the side effects will be serious. .
Yang Jingduan has seen many patients with depression clinically. He shared: “Nutrients can regulate many mental problems and improve the state. Drug therapy can also provide better options, such as understanding the patient’s body’s metabolic characteristics and biochemical status, and giving appropriate drugs. For patients with trauma , there are more therapies, such as psycho-emotional therapy, spiritual energy therapy, etc., which can minimize the impact of past trauma and change the body’s response to trauma.”
Zhuge Mingyang, an independent writer, said in an interview with The Epoch Times, “People must learn to be open-minded, and there are gains and losses in everything. People must also understand that human life is the most precious. He is composed of material (physical body) and The spirit (thought) is composed of two parts, the two rely on each other, and the other is indispensable. As a person, the most important thing that cannot be underestimated is life, including one’s own life. Therefore, both religious circles and practice circles believe that killing or suicide is sinful .”
Yang Jingduan also emphasized that human life is very precious, and the human soul needs to cultivate in the human body and experience human joy, anger, sorrow, joy, pain or temptation in the human body to transform our spirit. Therefore, the human body cannot be destroyed, otherwise the human soul will have no place to practice. ◇
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