HHG4M1 - Mrs. Minhas Abzhara Sasikumar Neuroscience News Analysis Inquiry Question: How is the human brain’s structure physically impacted from depression? The article essentially overlooks and goes in depth into what depression is, how depression can affect the brain, and the various treatments to change the brain. One key aspect of the article that is important is the actual definition of depression, which the article states is “a mood disorder that affects the way you think, feel, and behave” (Cirino, 2016). Another key point of the article is it explains an intense form of depression called Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and the symptoms that may arise from it. The text also lists the multiple factors that …show more content…
It delves into the specific sections of the brains, and how depression can impact the production of the hormone, cortisol. This plays a large part of how the brain is negatively impacted by this disorder. Even though the article states which parts of the brain change from depression, I wish the article explained how the other sections of the brain are affected by the increase of cortisol levels, even if they do not play a major role in regards to depression. I would pose the question of why the other parts of the brain do not influence depression in anyway, to give the reader more context of the other structures of brain development. However, this information is not provided in the text, and this may require further research from revised medical journals or published print. Regarding cortisol levels and depression, I am curious to find if are there are any benefits of neutral effects on the brain and it’s development. In neuroscience, is it known that most mood or mental disorders have absolutely no positive impact on our physical development, but I would like to learn more information related to that. In the future, I may have to look into other functions of the brain influenced from MDD. Another question I would ask is how other disorders or detrimental feelings like suicidal thoughts can influence the brain’s structure as a result of …show more content…
This is very interesting to observe, as most people assume and believe that mental conditions cannot impact our physical health, but this is a myth that has been heavily debunked. Throughout learning about physical development, we were taught how the brain is the most important organ and is the control centre for our entire body. This article is relevant to our course because it delves into how a mental illness can physically impact our body, even though we may not see any “visible” symptoms all the time. It also reinforces the fact of how depression affects the hippocampus, amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, all of which store and regulate emotions and feelings. This indicates how depression is not just a form of “sadness” but rather a real health problem that negatively impacts and individuals and damages their brain heavily. I was prompted to research about this issue, as it is something people in my life have faced and I wanted to investigate if they were impacted by this mood disorder in any other rather than mentally or
Depression is considered a mental disorder that can lead an individual to commit suicide, experiment fatal risk that can injure his or her life. Furthermore, an individual feeling depressed lacks motivation to do anything progressive with his or her life. With that said, these individuals sometime gives up interest in activities that were once enjoyable, gets in a phase were he or she loses appetite, begins to overeat, loses concentration on what he or she is trying to complete, and becomes indecisiveness. Moreover, depression is a condition that makes an individual feel miserable, have no motivation to any activity that can influence his or her views, actions, welfare. Furthermore, depressed individuals at times may feel sad, apprehensive, desperate, destitute, useless, awkward, short-tempered, and agitated. In addition, the melancholy of depression is categorized by a greater concentration and length that is attached to severe symptoms. According to Wedding & Corsini (2014) states, “Physical disease, severe and acute stress, and chronic stress area also precipitating factors” (Pp. 240) of an individu...
...l and emotional signals can be influenced at several different levels in the brain, by a myriad of chemicals. The sole cause of depression seems to be the simultaneous breakdown of neurochemical pathways across the nervous systems. It is true that treating depression in all of its forms is much easier today with the advent of new antidepressants, but these drugs are correcting a neurochemical imbalance which is not specific to depression. There may exist and someday be discovered a particular mood regulation flaw which is responsible for depression, but given the research presented today, I would say there is not.
When the cortisol level increases (usually when children are undergoing a stressful situation), it causes other things to stop working or decrease such as her hormones. Thus, increasing her stress and potentially affecting the development of her brain. Family separations and being disconnected from ones parents and/or guardians and other stressors at school including technology (peer websites and social media) are contributing factors that cause stress and depression in adolescent girls. Gurian backs this idea up when he says, “Those of us raising girls should pay particular attention to our culture’s general social overstimulation and hyper-stress” (Gurian 47). Young girls who have been immersed in such stressful situations are more likely to develop depression and/or stress. Girls need to feel safe, especially at home, so that they are able to get through their stress unscathed or rather, more unscathed than they would without the safety of a loved
Major Depressive Disorder, which is also referred to as Clinical Depression, is a disorder caused when low serotonin levels, that suppress pain perception and are often found in the pineal gland at the center of the brain, promote low levels of norepinephrine, a monoamine neurotransmitter that controls cognitive ability. This disabling disorder interferes with a person’s daily life as it prevents one from performing normal functions, such as eating, sleeping, interacting, or enjoying once pleasurable activities. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the common symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder are continued feelings of anxiety, worthlessne...
Depression: Out of the Shadows (2008), is a PBS documentary addressing depression, its effects on the human psyche, and treatment options. Depression affects people differently, depending on the severity and type of depression experienced. There are several different types of depression, ranging from mild depression, which is only experienced over short periods of time, teen depression, experienced during adolescence, hidden depression, when the depression is hidden from others, postpartum depression, experienced after giving birth, and clinical depression, a continued depression lasting several weeks or more. The video also discusses the related illness called Bipolar disorder, which is characterized by extreme mood swings. The symptoms experienced with depression range in severity and vary with each diagnosis. Symptoms may include loss of memory, mood swings, and feelings of anguish, despair, guilt, isolation, and thoughts of suicide. People with depression may experience physiological symptoms such as, heaviness in the bones or chest pain. Depression, in all its forms, has a high hereditary link, but can be triggered by environmental factors such as a death of a loved one or childhood trauma. The treatment for depression is a trial and error process. Some sufferers respond to outpatient therapy, while others may need additional treatment with anti-depressants, in-patient treatment centers, or long-term residential facilities. Recent studies by Neuroscientists, Dr. J. Giedd and Dr. B.J. Casey, have found the frontal lobe of the brain, which controls emotions, does not mature until a person reaches their mid-twenties. This, combined with higher activity in the Amygdala, may contribute to the highe...
Depression is an equal opportunity disorder, it can affect any group of people with any background, race, gender, or age. Depression is a sneak thief that slips quietly and gradually into people’s lives - robbing them of their time, and their focus. At first, depression may be undetectable, but in the long run a person could become so weighed down that their life may feel empty and meaningless. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who commits suicide is depressed, but majority of people who commits suicide do so during a severe depressive episode. There are over 300 million people in the world today who suffer from depression. Depression has affected people for a long as records have been kept. It was first called out by the famous Greek philosopher Hippocrates over 2,400 years ago. Hippocrates called it “melancholia”. Many times we think of depression as one disorder alone, when in fact there are many different types of depression. The different types of depression are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, atypical disorder, adjustment disorder, and depressive personality disorder. All types of depression share at least one common symptom. It is commons from the person who suffers from any form of depression to feel an unshakable sadness, anxious, or empty mood. Major depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression or recurrent depressive disorder is the most severe depressive disorder out of all of the depressive in my estimation. Major depressive disorder is a condition in which affects a person’s family, work or school life, sleeping, eating and general health. It is important to emphasize that we can understand the mechanics of this disorder and how it affects people with major depressive disorder.
Depression is an illness within itself that affects the “whole body”. (Staywell,1998) The body, feelings, thoughts, and behavior are all immensely altered when someone is depressed. It is not a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be wished or willed away. For some people depression is just temporary, but for others it can last for weeks, months and even years.
It’s most likely that every sensible person living in this world has experienced some sort of mild depression, despair, and sadness at some point in their life. As human beings, it is human nature to cope with our short-lived emotional problems. Sadness is an appropriate, normal human emotion for all the numerous situations we encounter daily. However, some people are unable to emerge from such problematic feelings due to chemical imbalances in the brain, which is considered to be a critical factor in what causes major depression. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, major depression is a mental illness that “interferes with one’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat and enjoy life.” Additionally, the Mental Wellness Today magazine states that such symptoms are “typically felt over a period of time by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy.”
The purpose of the research is to evaluate if a correlation exists between depressive symptoms and cognitive impairments on ARMS (at-risk mental state) patients as compared to FEP (first-episode psychosis) patients. The experimental hypothesis predicted that cognitive impairments and depressive symptoms shared an association to ARMS patients, while biological symptoms would relate to the negative symptoms of those with schizophrenia. The research holds importance due to the fact that few studies exist on the correlation between depressive symptoms and cognitive functions. My reasoning to choose this article is depression doesn’t always get taken seriously, and it’s good to have tangible research to show the effects of depression on cognition
The biologic basis of Clinical Depression originates in the brain. Your brain is made up of a complex network of nerve cells, called neurons and of brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters transmit messages from one neuron to another. Two of these neurotransmitters are not produced in sufficient quantities in a depressed person’s brain. Because of this lack, too few messages get transmitted between neurons and the symptoms of depression occur. In Clinical depression the chemicals in the brain are out-of-balance. New technology allows researchers to take pictures of the brain that show activity levels in the brain. These imaging techniques such as f-MRI and PET scan actually create images of how active different parts of the brain are. Some studies with these kinds of techniques have suggested that the patterns of activation in the brains of depressed people are different than those who are not. These tests can help doctors and researchers learn more about depression and other mental illnesses. Since this research is fairly new, it is not yet used to diagnose clinical depression.
Depression is a mental illness, which affects millions of Americans each year. Currently there are many prescription drugs, called anti-depressants that have been proven to successfully treat it. The causes of depression are somewhat of a medical enigma, however, it is known that depression is associated with a change in the brains chemistry involving the function of neurotransmitters (Reichert). This chemical change occurs in healthy brain’s, which experience sadness, but ends after the unpleasant stimulus is removed. In people suffering from depression this chemical change does not correspond to any particular stimulus. Symptoms of depression are often incapacitating and include severe and extended sadness, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of emptiness, irritability and anxiety (Reichert, Spake).
Burton, Neel. "The Anatomy of Melancholy: Can Depression Be Good for You?" Lecture. TEDx. Narodni Dom, Maribor. 12 Nov. 2013. Youtube. 2 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
With the introductions of new technology and the advancements of today's current technology, the field of neuroscience is growing rapidly. neuroscientists have opened up new doors to psychologists because of these many changes. It also gives an understanding of how the brain functions relate to an individual’s behavior. Being able to do research into the brains’ connection with behavior was considered impossible before MRI, but now scientists have the ability to observe brain activity (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2013 p. 131). Neuroscience is a new field of study because technology has opened up many new avenues of research.
Furthermore, people should understand that moods matter, not just to mental health, but to physical health as well. If someone is suffering from emotional illness such as depression or anxiety, they should seek treatment, since evidence is mounting that these conditions can lead to physical illness and a shorter life. Bibliography Books: Martin, P. (1997). The 'Secon The Healing Mind.
Mental health is just as important as physical health in a person’s life. Mental health is critical to a person’s well-being, their ability to live a productive life and to keep a healthy family and interpersonal relationships. Mental health does not just affect the mind it also affects people’s physical health. Some physical health diseases can cause a mental health disorder and vice versa. Mental health disorders are associated with the occurrence, development, and outcome of some of the today’s most chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. When people go untreated from a mental health disorder are at a higher risk for many unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, violent behavior, and suicide.