What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell
-
0:08 - 0:11Depression is the leading cause
of disability in the world. -
0:11 - 0:12In the United States,
-
0:12 - 0:16close to 10% of adults
struggle with depression. -
0:16 - 0:17But because it's a mental illness,
-
0:17 - 0:22it can be a lot harder to understand
than, say, high cholesterol. -
0:22 - 0:25One major source of confusion is
the difference between having depression -
0:25 - 0:28and just feeling depressed.
-
0:28 - 0:31Almost everyone feels down
from time to time. -
0:31 - 0:33Getting a bad grade,
-
0:33 - 0:34losing a job,
-
0:34 - 0:35having an argument,
-
0:35 - 0:38even a rainy day can bring on
feelings of sadness. -
0:38 - 0:40Sometimes there's no trigger at all.
-
0:40 - 0:42It just pops up out of the blue.
-
0:42 - 0:44Then circumstances change,
-
0:44 - 0:46and those sad feelings disappear.
-
0:46 - 0:48Clinical depression is different.
-
0:48 - 0:50It's a medical disorder,
-
0:50 - 0:53and it won't go away
just because you want it to. -
0:53 - 0:55It lingers for at least
two consecutive weeks, -
0:55 - 0:59and significantly interferes
with one's ability to work, -
0:59 - 1:00play,
-
1:00 - 1:01or love.
-
1:01 - 1:03Depression can have a lot
of different symptoms: -
1:03 - 1:04a low mood,
-
1:04 - 1:07loss of interest in things
you'd normally enjoy, -
1:07 - 1:08changes in appetite,
-
1:08 - 1:11feeling worthless or excessively guilty,
-
1:11 - 1:14sleeping either too much or too little,
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1:14 - 1:15poor concentration,
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1:15 - 1:17restlessness or slowness,
-
1:17 - 1:19loss of energy,
-
1:19 - 1:21or recurrent thoughts of suicide.
-
1:21 - 1:23If you have at least five
of those symptoms, -
1:23 - 1:25according to psychiatric guidelines,
-
1:25 - 1:29you qualify for a diagnosis of depression.
-
1:29 - 1:31And it's not just behavioral symptoms.
-
1:31 - 1:35Depression has physical manifestations
inside the brain. -
1:35 - 1:37First of all,
-
1:37 - 1:39there are changes that could be seen
with the naked eye -
1:39 - 1:41and X-ray vision.
-
1:41 - 1:45These include smaller frontal lobes
and hippocampal volumes. -
1:45 - 1:47On a more microscale,
-
1:47 - 1:49depression is associated
with a few things: -
1:49 - 1:53the abnormal transmission or depletion
of certain neurotransmitters, -
1:53 - 1:57especially serotonin, norepinephrine,
and dopamine, -
1:57 - 1:59blunted circadian rhythms,
-
1:59 - 2:03or specific changes in the REM
and slow-wave parts of your sleep cycle, -
2:03 - 2:05and hormone abnormalities,
-
2:05 - 2:10such as high cortisol and deregulation
of thyroid hormones. -
2:10 - 2:13But neuroscientists still don't have
a complete picture -
2:13 - 2:15of what causes depression.
-
2:15 - 2:20It seems to have to do with a complex
interaction between genes and environment, -
2:20 - 2:22but we don't have a diagnostic tool
-
2:22 - 2:26that can accurately predict where
or when it will show up. -
2:26 - 2:29And because depression symptoms
are intangible, -
2:29 - 2:32it's hard to know who might look fine
but is actually struggling. -
2:32 - 2:35According to the National Institute
of Mental Health, -
2:35 - 2:38it takes the average person
suffering with a mental illness -
2:38 - 2:41over ten years to ask for help.
-
2:41 - 2:43But there are very effective treatments.
-
2:43 - 2:48Medications and therapy complement
each other to boost brain chemicals. -
2:48 - 2:51In extreme cases,
electroconvulsive therapy, -
2:51 - 2:54which is like a controlled seizure
in the patient's brain, -
2:54 - 2:56is also very helpful.
-
2:56 - 2:57Other promising treatments,
-
2:57 - 3:00like transcranial magnetic stimulation,
-
3:00 - 3:02are being investigated, too.
-
3:02 - 3:04So, if you know someone
struggling with depression, -
3:04 - 3:09encourage them, gently, to seek out
some of these options. -
3:09 - 3:11You might even offer to help
with specific tasks, -
3:11 - 3:13like looking up therapists in the area,
-
3:13 - 3:16or making a list of questions
to ask a doctor. -
3:16 - 3:18To someone with depression,
-
3:18 - 3:21these first steps can seem insurmountable.
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3:21 - 3:23If they feel guilty or ashamed,
-
3:23 - 3:26point out that depression
is a medical condition, -
3:26 - 3:28just like asthma or diabetes.
-
3:28 - 3:30It's not a weakness
or a personality trait, -
3:30 - 3:34and they shouldn't expect themselves
to just get over it -
3:34 - 3:37anymore than they could will themselves
to get over a broken arm. -
3:37 - 3:39If you haven't experienced
depression yourself, -
3:39 - 3:43avoid comparing it to times
you've felt down. -
3:43 - 3:47Comparing what they're experiencing
to normal, temporary feelings of sadness -
3:47 - 3:50can make them feel guilty for struggling.
-
3:50 - 3:53Even just talking about
depression openly can help. -
3:53 - 3:57For example, research shows that asking
someone about suicidal thoughts -
3:57 - 4:00actually reduces their suicide risk.
-
4:00 - 4:04Open conversations about mental illness
help erode stigma -
4:04 - 4:07and make it easier
for people to ask for help. -
4:07 - 4:08And the more patients seek treatment,
-
4:08 - 4:11the more scientists will learn
about depression, -
4:11 - 4:13and the better the treatments will get.
- Title:
- What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell
- Speaker:
- Helen M. Farrell
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-depression-helen-m-farrell
Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world; in the United States, close to ten percent of adults struggle with the disease. But because it’s a mental illness, it can be a lot harder to understand than, say, high cholesterol. Helen M. Farrell examines the symptoms and treatments of depression, and gives some tips for how you might help a friend who is suffering.
Lesson by Helen M. Farrell, animation by Artrake Studio.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 04:29
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell | ||
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Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for What is depression? - Helen M. Farrell |