The Biological Aspects of Depression

Video Transcript

"Hi! My name is Rachel Blackston and I am here on behalf of Expert Village and I am a private practice mental health counselor in Orlando, Florida and I work at a private practice called Twelve Stones Counseling Center and it is located in Ovieda, Florida. I am here to talk about how to deal with depression over the holidays. Many people may have the misconception that depression is simply triggered by side events in your life. That's not true. It is conclusive that there is a biological aspect of depression. There is an element that involves the brain chemistry that affects the neuro-transmitters in the brain. This is a lot of reasons why your doctor or psychiatrist may prescribe an anti-depressant. The brain chemistry does control things like appetites, sleep patterns, mood, energy, thinking and decision making skills. I think that I mentioned earlier that biology circumstances and psychology all play into depression. I just want to make it clear that there is a biological aspect of depression. I mentioned earlier that if you think that you may be clinically depressed, that you need to contact your doctor, a psychiatrist or a professional counselor. But I did want to mention that if you are already in treatment for depression, that there are a number of things that may be helpful. The first is to join a support group. It is wonderful to be able to talk to people that have a similar experience, that can talk about the underlying sadness how it affects your life and your family. The second is to do activities that you enjoy. A lot of times when you are depressed, you feel like you are in a cave, in a place of darkness, try to make choices to get out of that, to take a walk. Also, talk to your nutritionist on your diet. There is definitely some coalition between food and mood and so it is important to see if any dietary aspects of depression are occurring in you. And finally, I really recommend this workbook. It is called the Depression Workbook by Mary Ann Copeland and it has this full and wonderful information that looks at the three main aspects of biology. Is there something that has gone through your family tree. Did you have a mother or father that struggled with depression. It looks at circumstantial evidence of depression. What is going on in your life? Some of my clients have gone through a major move, a divorce, a new job and they think why am I depressed and they have a lot of life stressors and then finally a lot of psychological aspects; unresolved emotions, areas of loss and life that haven't really been grieved so this is a great resource if you are undergoing treatment for depression. "