The Clinical Signs of Depression and Panic Disorder

Feeling a bit low from time to time is only human. Sometimes life deals a hard blow or maybe hormones are running rampant. Whatever the reason, most people get over it eventually; be it a day or a week. When the feeling lasts over two weeks, however, then maybe an illness called clinical or major depression is to blame.

 Up to 10% of women and 3.5% of men are estimated to suffer from clinical depression worldwide.  It is the leading cause of disability and the third most important workplace issue after family and stress. In America alone, it is estimated to cost $70 billion to industry in medical costs and lost productivity. According to recent statistics released by the World Health Organization, it will be the second-most debilitating disease by 2010 (the first being cardiovascular disease).

The impact of clinical depression is huge. Yet, despite the fact that it responds very well to treatment, only one third of sufferers receive the proper treatment or seek it in the first place.

 What is Clinical Depression?

 Clinical depression is not the emotion that we feel from time to time when things get us down. It is a mental disorder that affects every aspect of that person’s life. It is a very low mood that persists and is characterized by a lack of joy in anything that was previously enjoyed.

According to the American Psychiatry Associations Diagnostic and Statistics Manual (DSM), five of the following symptoms must be experienced for a period of more than two weeks –

  • Mood – a feeling of being down, sad or depressed. Feeling tearful or overly irritable may indicate these feelings as can physical aches and pains which have no physical cause.
  • Loss of interest – withdrawal from activities once enjoyed as well as from social contact.
  • Weight loss or gain
  • Sleep problems – can be either too much or too little
  • Inappropriate motor activity – can be either too agitated or too slow.
  • Fatigue.
  • Lack of self-worth – a feeling of not being worthy enough, self loathing or inappropriate guilt.
  • Trouble concentrating.
  • Thoughts of death – threatening to or attempting suicide.

 Clinical Depression and Panic Disorder

There is a high comorbidity between these two conditions. Comorbidity means that two or more diseases or illnesses are present at the same time. It is important that each condition be recognized as treating one without the other is ineffective. In some cases it may be that depression is accompanied by panic attacks whereas in others it may be that panic and anxiety disorders result in depression which is the more likely. They are comorbid to such an extent that the DSM has called for further investigation into a disorder it called Mixed Anxiety-Depression.

The presence of both conditions at the same time results in a much more serious illness which usually requires a longer treatment therapy.

Treatment

Treatment options include drugs and psychological therapies. Many studies have concluded that a combination of the two is the most effective.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) have been found to be the most effective drugs for the treatment of comorbid depression and anxiety disorders. The difficulty in treating comorbid conditions is that while one may respond better to lower doses, the other may need higher doses. This would need to be closely monitored by the prescribing doctor.

CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, is the most popular psychological therapy for anxiety disorders and depression at the current time. CBT concentrates on the cognitive or thinking processes first and then focuses on changing behavior. On the other hand, a study to be published in the February edition of the American Psychologist concludes that Psychodynamic Psychotherapy is equally as effective. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a more traditional verbal therapy which focuses on the unconscious workings of the mind with the premise that it is there that the problems lie.