Publication date: July 12, 2021
Apathetic depression, which requires mandatory treatment, in medicine is understood as a mental state that occurs with oppression of the volitional and emotional spheres of a person.
Main manifestations:
- excessively low mood;
- passivity of volitional activity;
- thoughts about futility and one’s own insignificance;
- a sharp depression of the general tone of the body.
Apathetic depression can occur:
- against the background of diseases of internal organs – somatic;
- against the background of mental pathology in schizophrenia, epilepsy, manic-depressive psychosis, etc. – endogenous;
- against the background of neuroses, personality accentuations (extreme types of behavior), psychopathy - psychogenic.
The classification of depression is very comprehensive. We will touch upon only one variant of its course - the development and apathetic depression, the treatment of which is sometimes difficult.
In everyday understanding, depression is most often understood as apathy - a low background mood.
Apathetic psychopathy is a fairly common condition. The main difference from other types of this ailment is the resulting indifference to doing anything, lack of desires. At the same time, the awareness of the need to do something (“I want to want”) remains. But apathy fetters a person, gives rise to depression, and the patient at the same time plunges into his own internal state, in which a state of anxiety increases.
A painful feeling of hopelessness gradually develops, reaching the point of despair. Outwardly gloomy, self-absorbed, the person continues to lead his usual life, in which rarely anyone pays attention to his changed state.
Many patients with apathetic psychopathy successfully hide their problems under the guise of indifference. Treatment of apathetic depression is long and complex.
How to determine if you have depression?
Pathology may appear after experiencing stressful situations. If there is no disorder, after the problem is resolved, the person returns to a good mood. But when the cause has been eliminated, and the person continues to feel apathy, depression and loss of strength, it is necessary to seek help from a specialist. Performance may also decrease.
You can determine the presence of depression yourself, but you should not self-medicate even at an early stage of development. This should be done by a doctor, since self-medication can only make things worse.
Depression in women often occurs postpartum, as their lives change dramatically, and sleepless nights add to their fatigue. This is where breakdowns and apathy appear.
When the pathology is in an advanced form, a person experiences the following symptoms of depression - not only bad mood and impotence, but also persistent disorders of the nervous system. There are also symptoms such as: a significant decrease in self-esteem, maladjustment in society, despondency and loss of interest in any events.
Physiologically, appetite changes, intimate needs and energy decrease, sleep and intestinal functions are disturbed (constipation, weakness, fatigue during physical and intellectual stress are observed), pain in the body (in the heart, in the muscles, in the stomach).
The patient exhibits signs of depression such as loss of interest in other people, a tendency to frequent solitude, refusal of entertainment, use of alcohol and psychotropic substances.
Mental signs of depression include difficulty concentrating, concentrating, making decisions, slowness of thinking, a pessimistic view of the future with a lack of perspective and thoughts about the meaninglessness of one's existence, suicide attempts, due to one's uselessness, helplessness, and insignificance.
Clinical picture
The condition of apathetic depression differs from that of other types of depressive disorders. It seems that the person does not feel anything and completely loses interest in any activities, including those that previously aroused interest. Loss of motivation to perform tasks necessary for survival, including eating, drinking, sleeping, going to work, getting food and being with others.
Someone seemed to have pulled the plug from the socket, and the person was cut off from life energy. The universe, family, home, the world around - everything doesn’t matter. Doesn't care about the past or the future. And it’s good if somewhere deep down a person knows that he really feels something, that he wants to feel motivated again and get his old life back.
Causes of depression
The appearance of the disorder is not affected by age category or social class. Most often, depression appears against the background of stressful negative situations, with constant failures - then a person falls into despair from the inability to somehow influence the course of events.
But in addition to the social factor, severe psychological trauma can also lead to the development of depression, for example: family breakdown, death of a loved one, serious illness that affects not only the patient himself, but also his relatives. In this case, depression is called reactive.
The likelihood of depression increases with hormonal changes: during adolescence, after childbirth, with the onset of menopause, and also in old age. Can affect you emotionally and physically.
Another factor is brain damage and somatic pathologies. Patients who have suffered a stroke, suffer from a chronic lack of blood circulation in the brain, or after a traumatic brain injury often suffer from depression.
The causes of depression can manifest themselves as a result of side effects of medications (benzodiazepines, corticosteroids). Often this condition disappears on its own after stopping the medication.
Lifestyle change
To eliminate the disease itself, it is important to improve your overall physical condition. Without this, coping with the disease will be very problematic. You need to organize your time so that work alternates with activities “for the soul.” To do this, you can devote the first half of the day to work, and in the evening do what you love. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have your own hobby. It is enough to devote one evening to yourself, your thoughts, and you will definitely find your favorite activity.
To eliminate apathetic syndromes, it is very important to get up and fall asleep on time. An adult needs at least nine hours of sleep a day. However, oversleeping will not benefit patients. It's good if you have the opportunity to rest during the day. To do this, you can use not only sleep, but also meditation. Quiet, calm music will help you relax and temporarily step away from pressing problems. During an exacerbation of the disease, it is advisable to normalize your diet. Preference should be given to fruits, vegetables, and sweets. But it is better not to abuse sweet confectionery products, otherwise depression may develop due to excess weight.
Some sports, such as swimming, will help eliminate negative symptoms. Swimming with dolphins will be especially beneficial. This direction is quite relevant in our time, and it is called dolphin therapy. Once your mental state begins to improve, you can move on to more intense sports. Thus, jogging or aerobic exercise stimulates the production of natural antidepressants, which are released into the blood and help improve the patient’s mental state.
Types of depression
- Neurotic – people with low self-esteem, insecure, and straightforward people often suffer. They constantly experience a sense of injustice, and this is where apathy arises.
- Clinical – bad mood, loss of energy, problems with appetite and sleep. Suicidal tendencies are often observed. This clinical picture can last at least 2 weeks.
- Vegetative – manifested by such symptoms as tachycardia, drop in blood pressure, tinnitus.
- Psychogenic - develops after severe psychological trauma - divorce, loss of a loved one, dismissal from work, betrayal, etc. Accompanied by mood swings, anxiety, and excessive sensitivity.
- Masked - often the disease manifests itself secretly. Apathy, solitude and decreased interest in life can only appear as negativity and fatigue accumulate.
- Asthenic – the condition is manifested by fatigue, sleep disturbance, emotional imbalance due to accumulated difficulties, stress, physical and psychological stress.
- Postpartum – usually occurs 10-14 days after delivery. The young mother shows an increased sense of excitement for the baby, and constant lack of sleep and fatigue further worsens the situation. In addition, the mother's condition is also affected by hormonal levels.
- Somatogenic – attacks occur due to disturbances in the endocrine system, the formation and proliferation of neoplasms, both benign and malignant.
- Alcoholic depression – depression is accompanied by excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. The post-alcoholic state is accompanied by an uncontrollable craving for alcohol and an increase in withdrawal symptoms when giving up alcohol.
- Bipolar – the patient experiences a change from euphoria to a depressive, manic disorder. But in the period between these phenomena, caused by various factors: stress, loss of means of popularity, etc., a person lives a normal life and does not show symptoms of the disease.
ethnoscience
Her remedies are used as an additional method. A good effect is provided by:
- Myrtle flowers , the healing properties of which were noticed by famous doctors of antiquity. Usually, infusions and bath balms are made from them. You can make sachets from dry inflorescences, since the smell of myrtle can eliminate unfavorable symptoms and significantly improve your mood.
- Melissa and mint , which contain menthol, have long been used to relieve depression. These plants can be grown on a windowsill using the leaves as seasonings. Dried mint or lemon balm can be brewed and drunk in the evenings. It is recommended to drink this tea shortly before bedtime. You can make bath infusions from lemon balm. In combination with oak bark, this infusion is a sedative for the nervous system and skin.
Positive emotions play a big role in eliminating apathetic depression. But don’t forget the main thing: self-medication for this disease is unacceptable, as it can only aggravate the situation and even lead to suicide. When the first signs of apathy occur, simply dial 8(969)060-93-93.
How does depression develop in stages?
At first, the patient experiences a depressed state, which he himself attributes to fatigue, a hard work week, drinking alcohol and other reasons. At the same time, he wants to retire from others and at the same time is afraid of being left alone.
Then the stage of acceptance occurs: awareness of a dangerous condition occurs, the problem gets worse, the intensity of negative thoughts increases, the body and immune system malfunction.
The third stage - in the absence of adequate therapy, the patient loses control over himself, aggression increases.
Diagnosis and treatment of depression
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To identify the disease, experienced specialists use short questionnaires - screening tools to identify symptoms: anxiety, anhedonia (loss of pleasure in life), suicidal tendencies. Thanks to this, it is possible to determine whether the patient has chronic depression, symptoms and methods of treating depression, what form it is and its severity.
To fully understand the picture of the disease, the doctor needs to become familiar with the symptoms that indicate depression, and not another psychological disorder.
To treat depression, you can contact the following specialists:
- Psychiatrist - treatment of depression with hypnosis, medications for acute mental pathologies - schizophrenia, mental retardation, epilepsy, as well as other less severe illnesses - neuroses, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.
- Psychotherapist - treatment is carried out through special therapy, which involves explanations, conversations, and searching for solutions to problems together with the patient.
- Psychologist – advises the patient, cannot prescribe medications or examinations. Clinical psychologists use modern testing methods to identify problems that cause psychological disorder.
The main directions of therapy in treatment are psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, social therapy.
Cooperation and trust in the doctor are noted as a necessary condition for the effectiveness of treatment. It is important to strictly follow the prescribed treatment regimen, visit your doctor regularly, and give a detailed report of your condition.
Drugs to treat depression
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To treat the disorder, antidepressants are used for anxious depression or when the pathology is accompanied by lethargy. Antidepressants are prescribed directly by a doctor and are not recommended to be taken on your own. The effect of many antidepressants appears two weeks after administration; their dosage for the patient is determined individually.
Bipolar depression is treated with insomnia. While it has a negative effect on a healthy person, in a patient with a psychological disorder, sleep deprivation, on the contrary, brings the psyche back to normal.
Moderate or mild forms of depression require the prescription of drugs on a light, natural basis (herbal).
