The psychiatrist listed three main factors for the development of depression

Psychiatrist Tatiana Yazykova talked about the causes of depression and how to recognize it.

In an interview with the Health Mail on Friday, January 30, she noted that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is a common mental disorder, the main signs of which are persistent low mood, loss of the ability to enjoy and constant fatigue. These symptoms are often accompanied by sleep and appetite disorders, feelings of guilt, decreased concentration, and a pessimistic outlook on the future. The key criterion is considered to be their retention for more than two weeks, when they begin to noticeably interfere with work and social life.

Experts note that depression has no single cause and develops against a combination of factors. These include a biochemical imbalance of neurotransmitters responsible for mood, motivation, and energy, which reduces signal transmission between neurons. Cognitive distortions also play an important role: a person develops a consistently negative perception of himself, the world and the future, which closes the vicious circle of apathy and social isolation.

Risk factors include chronic stress, an individual predisposition to a strong reaction to it, concomitant diseases and injuries, and in some cases, internal disruptions in the brain for no apparent external reason.

At the same time, the specialist emphasized that depression can and should be treated. The first step to recovery is to consult a psychiatrist or psychotherapist, and the most effective approach is considered to be a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

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Researchers at the University of Lancashire concluded on January 12 that regular physical activity can reduce symptoms of depression almost as effectively as psychotherapy. When comparing exercise with antidepressants, a comparable effect was noted, but the degree of reliability of these data was lower.

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