Depression Health Video

Video Transcript

SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Sue McGladerry. I'm the medical director from the FirstMed Centers in Budapest, Hungary. I would like to give you some information about depression. This is a very common problem. It's a medical illness that involves both mind and the body. Depression causes a variety of emotional and physical problems and it can interfere with your usual daily activities. For some people, they feel as if life isn't worth living anymore. Some people experience only one episode of depression but generally it's a chronic illness that needs long-term treatment in the same way as diabetes or high blood pressure. Most people will have repeated episodes of depression throughout their life that will require treatment. Symptoms of depression can be very variable and include things like a loss of interest in normal daily activities, feeling sad, down or hopeless. There may be crying spells for no apparent reason and problem sleeping, also difficulty with focusing or concentrating and difficulty making decisions that may be irritability, restlessness, a feeling of fatigue or weakness. There may also be physical problems such as back pain or headaches, also a loss of interest in sex. Some people have thoughts of suicide. What causes depression? As with many mental illnesses, it seems to be a variety of biochemical, genetic, and environmental factors and the exact mechanism is not known. What options are there for people with depression? Many treatments are now available including many medications, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy. Medical treatments usually take 2 or 3 weeks to become effective but will be beneficial for most people. When should you see your doctor? Feelings of depression can lead to suicide. If you'd been having any suicidal thoughts, you need to get help urgently, and if you have any symptoms of depression, seek medical help as soon as possible. Depression usually doesn't get better on its own and maybe will even get worse if untreated.