When does depression cross over into being a chemical imbalance?

Question

What are the symptoms of someone who is clinically depressed and needs treatment?

Answer 1

There is no way to know as there isn't any tests to see if a chemical imbalance is occurring. So with that and the fact they have no other evidence to prove that depression is caused by a 'chemical imbalance' i wouldn't worry about it. If you are feeling depressed however i would suggest going to see a councillor to get the proper help you need.

Answer 2

Usually it is determined that is a chemical imbalance if the person has suffered from depression for a long period of time with no good results. The doctor will prescribe medication that will balance out those chemicals in the brain, and if that works then that clinical judgement is made. Some symptoms can include, being incredibly moody, withdrawn from other people, and not getting enough sleep. There are plenty more symptoms out there.

Answer 3

I think it starts out as an imbalance and eventually gets worse, and some people just have short bouts. This is what I found on Yahoo Health, hope it helps.


Depression affects people differently. Some feel down for extended periods of time; for others the feelings of depression come and go. If you have short episodes of mild depression, you may be able to continue to work and take care of daily activities. However, if you do not seek some form of treatment for your depression, you are at risk for getting more depressed or becoming physically ill. In severe cases, depression can cause people to become incapable of communicating, unable to do routine activities, or suicidal. In these cases, it is essential to seek medical attention.

People with depression may be reluctant to seek help because they feel that it is a sign of personal weakness or a character flaw or that they should be able to "pull out of it" on their own. We now know that depression, like other medical conditions, has a chemical and biological basis. Treatment for depression is safe and usually effective even for severely depressed people.

Common symptoms include:

Depressed mood.
Inability to enjoy activities.
Problems concentrating.
Changes in eating habits or appetite.
Weight gain or weight loss.
Changes in sleeping habits.
Difficulty going to work or taking care of your daily responsibilities because of a lack of energy.
Feelings of guilt and hopelessness; wondering if life is worth living (common).
Slowed thoughts and speech.
Preoccupation with thoughts of death or suicide.
Complaints that have no physical cause (somatic complaints) such as headache and stomachache.
All of these symptoms can interfere with your quality of life. Even if you don't have major depression, if you have experienced a few of these symptoms for at least 2 weeks you may have a less severe form of depression that still requires treatment.

Answer 4

For every thought there is a corisponding chemical reaction, doctors, shinks and scientists have a saying " synapes that fire togehter wire together" meaning if you continue on a particular thought pattern your brain is kind of on auto pilot and keeps those feeling blue chemicals going in small doses all the time. Most people, feeling this way will simply get lost in feeling bad and then it starts to snow ball.When I got divorced my whole world was ripped from me, I wasn't able to see my kids but on the wekend, I lost the woman I loved , I had to move from a nice house in a nice section of town to a one bedroom apartment in a crime ridden section of town, we only had one car so I had to give that to her and invest in a bike and shortly after that it was my best friend who moved in with my wife 2 weeks after she booted me out.I was so down and stressed that one day I called a cab to take me to work and when the cab showed up he asked me where I was going and I honestly couldn't remember, anyway I have always believed in the power of the mind and I started to act like life could not get any better just to see if I could trick those feel good chemicals into reaction, when ever I started to feel sad I would simply but persistantly change the thought, sometimes I would have to yell, STOP. sounds silly I know but the fact of the matter is if you don't controll your thoughts your thoughts will control you. Within a month there were days I was euphoric for no reason, it just felt good to be alive and my attitude had a huge impact on my circumstances, I went to college, got a great job I have a nice house with a small recording studio in it and I am recording my 2nd CD. The reason I am telling you all this is because I work in the medical field and some drugs work some of the time and counseling works some of the time( I see it all the time)but if you put your mind to it , really put your mind to it you win all the time. There is a movie / documentary called " what the bleep" thats really the name invest in it, it will definately help you.Sorry that was so long but that is my answer and I really wanted to help, what ever you decide to do I really wish you the very best, Peace

Answer 5

Hi Lindsey,

Your asking a whole list of very interesting questions. I am very interested in the answers that you get.

What I notice is that there is a debate going on about the use of the word chemical imbalance. It may be too simple to typify depression on neurotransmitters alone:

http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-19990301-000031.html

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Some symptoms of "clinical" depression include:
- For weeks having very little interest in anything and unable to find pleasure in things.
- There is no apparent reason for the depression. Often the person does not know him/herself why they are depressed


"Depression appears to hold the very soul hostage, with total lack of energy, disturbed sleep, loss of interest in food and sex, inability to experience pleasure, difficulty concentrating and thinking clearly, impaired short-term memory, self-blame, and inability to see alternatives."-source

Answer 6

one doctor was presenting a depression case...another one discretly told that it is not good to treat it as a "chemical imbalance" as a first step

Answer 7

1. when you want to be alone most of the time
2. when you are thinking deep, trying to figure out what life is
3. lack of appetite