Depression is the leading cause of disability in the world. In the United States, close to 10% of adults struggle with depression. But because it’s a mental illness, it can be a lot harder to understand than, say, high cholesterol①.①cholesterol：[kəˈlestərɔːl]n. a chemical substance found in your blood. Too much cholesterol in your body may cause heart disease. 膽固醇
One major source of confusion is the difference between having depression and just feeling depressed. Almost everyone feels down from time to time.Getting a bad grade, losing a job, having an argument, even a rainy day can bring on feelings of sadness. Sometimes there’s no trigger② at all. It just pops up out of the blue. Then circumstances change, and those sad feelings disappear.②trigger: [ˈtrɪɡər] n. the thing that quickly causes a serious problem. 起因；誘因Clinical depression is different. It’s a medical disorder, and it won’t go away just because you want it to. It lingers③ for at least two consecutive weeks, and significantly interferes with one’s ability to work, play, or love.③linger: [ˈlɪŋɡər] v. to continue to exist, be noticeable etc for longer than is usual or desirable. 持續 Depression can have a lot of different symptoms: a low mood, loss of interest in things you’d normally enjoy, changes in appetite, feeling worthless or excessively guilty, sleeping either too much or too little, poor concentration, restlessness or slowness, loss of energy, or recurrent thoughts of suicide. If you have at least five of those symptoms, according to psychiatric④guidelines, you qualify for a diagnosis of depression. ④psychiatric: [ˌsaɪkiˈætrɪk] adj. relating to the study and treatment of mental illness. 精神疾病的And it’s not just behavioral symptoms. Depression has physical manifestations⑤ inside the brain. First of all, there are changes that could be seen with the naked eye and X-ray vision. These include smaller frontal lobes⑥andhippocampal volumes⑦. ⑤manifestation: [ˌmænəfɛˈsteɪʃən] n. a very clear sign that a particular situation or feeling exists. 表現⑥frontal lobe: [ˈfrʌntl loʊb] n. the anterior portion of each cerebral hemisphere, situated in front of the central sulcus. 額葉⑦hippocampal volumes: [ˌhɪpə’kæmpəl ˈvɑːljuːm] n. hippocampal volume refers to the overall size of the hippocampus, a brain structure below the cerebral cortex of the brain. 海馬躰積On a more microscale, depression is associated with a few things: the abnormal transmission or depletion of certain neurotransmitters, especially serotonin⑧,norepinephrine⑨, and dopamine⑩, blunted circadian⑪ rhythms, or specific changes in the REM and slow-wave parts of your sleep cycle, and hormone abnormalities, such as high cortisol⑫ and deregulation of thyroid⑬hormones.⑧serotonin: [ˌserəˈtoʊnɪn] n. a chemical in the body that helps carry messages from the brain and is believed to make you feel happy. 血清素⑨norepinephrine: [ˈnɔ:repiˈnefrin] n. a catecholamine precursor of epinephrine that is secreted by the adrenal medulla and also released at synapses. 去甲腎上腺素⑩dopamine: [ˈdoʊpəmiːn] n. a chemical found in the brain that acts as a neurotransmitter and is an intermediate compound in the synthesis of noradrenaline. 多巴胺⑪circadian: [sɜːrˈkeɪdiən] adj. relating to a period of 24 hours, used especially when talking about changes in people’s bodies. 晝夜節律的⑫cortisol: [ˈkɔrtɪˌsɔl] n. an adrenal-cortex hormone (trade names Hydrocortone or Cortef) that is active in carbohydrate and protein metabolism. 皮質醇⑬thyroid: [ˈθaɪrɔɪd] n. an organ in your neck that produces substances that affect the way your body grows and the way you behave. 甲狀腺But neuroscientists still don’t have a complete picture of what causes depression. It seems to have to do with a complex interaction between genes and environment, but we don’t have a diagnostic tool that can accurately predict where or when it will show up.And because depression symptoms are intangible, it’s hard to know who might look fine but is actually struggling. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it takes the average person suffering with a mental illness over ten years to ask for help. But there are very effective treatments.Medications and therapy complement each other to boost brain chemicals. In extreme cases, electroconvulsive therapy⑭, which is like a controlled seizure⑮ in the patient’s brain, is also very helpful. Other promising treatments, like transcranial⑯ magnetic stimulation, are being investigated, too.⑭electroconvulsive therapy: [ɪˌlɛktrəʊkənˈvʌlsɪv ˈθerəpi] Electric Shock Therapy, the treatment of certain psychotic conditions by passing an electric current through the brain to induce coma or convulsions. 電休尅療法⑮seizure: [ˈsiːʒər] n. the act of suddenly taking control of something, especially by force. 控制⑯transcranial: [trænzˈkreɪnɪəl] adj. across or through the skull. 經顱的So, if you know someone struggling with depression, encourage them, gently, to seek out some of these options. You might even offer to help with specific tasks, like looking up therapists in the area, or making a list of questions to ask a doctor.To someone with depression, these first steps can seem insurmountable⑰. If they feel guilty or ashamed, point out that depression is a medical condition, just like asthma⑱ordiabetes⑲. It’s not a weakness or a personality trait, and they shouldn’t expect themselves to just get over it any more than they could will themselves to get over a broken arm.⑰insurmountable: [ˌɪnsərˈmaʊntəbl] adj. an insurmountable difficulty or problem is too large or difficult to deal with. 無法尅服的⑱asthma: [ˈæzmə] n. a medical condition that causes difficulties in breathing. 哮喘⑲diabetes: [ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz] n. a serious disease in which there is too much sugar in your blood. 糖尿病If you haven’t experienced depression yourself, avoid comparing it to times you’ve felt down. Comparing what they’re experiencing to normal, temporary feelings of sadness can make them feel guilty for struggling.Even just talking about depression openly can help. For example, research shows that asking someone about suicidal thoughts actually reduces their suicide risk. Open conversations about mental illness help erode stigma⑳and make it easier for people to ask for help.⑳stigma: [ˈstɪɡmə] n. a strong feeling in society that being in a particular situation or having a particular illness is something to be ashamed of. 羞恥And the more patients seek treatment, the more scientists will learn about depression, and the better the treatments will get.
(Credit: bilibili.com)
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