{"id":2686,"date":"2022-07-18T06:08:20","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T06:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/minyangmaomd.com\/?page_id=2686"},"modified":"2022-07-21T01:50:27","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T01:50:27","slug":"depression","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/minyangmaomd.com\/?page_id=2686","title":{"rendered":"Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Depression\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is estimated that in any given year, 6.7 percent of the U.S. population has Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), the clinical name for what people generally refer to as depression. A medication used to treat depression is the third most prescribed medication in the U.S., behind only cholesterol-lowering medication and asthma medication. Although everyone has ups and downs in their moods, people with MDD have such severe downs that it significantly affects their daily function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main symptom of MDD is depressed mood, plus additional common symptoms as described by the mnemonic SIGECAPS:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S: Sleep (decreased or increased)
I: Interest (decreased, also known as anhedonia)
G: Guilt (feeling worthless, hopeless, helpless)
E: Energy (decreased)
C: Concentration (decreased)
A: Appetite (decreased or increased)
P: Psychomotor retardation or activation (feeling slowed or feeling restless)
S: Suicidal thoughts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diagnosis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with most mood disorders, MDD is diagnosed clinically, based on history. There is no blood test or imaging test that is diagnostic for MDD. However, if there are clinical signs that suggest a medical problem may be contributing to your depression, your doctor may order blood tests to check for infections and check your thyroid, liver, kidneys, and vitamin B12 and folate levels to see if there are any other factors contributing to your depression. At times, brain imaging may be helpful to make sure there are not any underlying brain abnormalities that are contributing to your depression. Before initiating medication treatment of MDD, it is important that your doctor screen you for Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD), as many anti-depressant medications that can help people with MDD can actually make people with BPAD much more unstable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatment can involve psychotherapy, medications, or combined treatment, depending on patient preference and severity of symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n