What happens if you don't treat depression?

People who are depressed are far more likely to have other chronic medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, back problems, arthritis, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and to have worse outcomes. Untreated depression can even affect your immune response to some vaccines.
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What will happen if you don't treat depression?

Untreated clinical depression is a serious problem. Untreated depression increases the chance of risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol addiction. It also can ruin relationships, cause problems at work, and make it difficult to overcome serious illnesses.
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What is the last stage of depression?

Depression creates a sensation of isolation as if you are lost in the wilderness with no direction. The final stage is acceptance, which means you have finally made peace with the reality of your mental illness.
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Does untreated depression cause brain damage?

Depression may cause the release of glucocorticoid in the brain, a type of steroid that can damage the hippocampus and other areas of the central nervous system. When this occurs, you may experience symptoms associated with neurocognitive disorder (dementia), such as memory loss.
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Is it OK to live with depression?

Depression is a disorder of the brain that can be treated with a variety of techniques including therapy, medication and lifestyle changes. For many people who live with depression, simple changes to diet and getting sufficient rest can go a long way toward alleviating the worst symptoms of depression.
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What happens if people don't receive treatment for depression?



Is depression a permanent problem?

Major depressive disorder isn't something that eventually “passes.” While most people feel sad at times in their lives, major depression is when a person is in a depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks.
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Is depression a serious thing?

Depression is a serious disorder that can take a terrible toll on you and your family. Depression often gets worse if it isn't treated, resulting in emotional, behavioral and health problems that affect every area of your life.
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Can depression cause sudden death?

Existing research has already linked depression to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac death, especially in women .
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Does depression affect intelligence?

However, there is also a lot of research that shows that depression actively leads to a detrimental development of the frontal lobe, ultimately affecting your intelligence and lowering your IQ because you're simply too depressed to think straight, or can't complete certain cognitive tasks anymore.
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How long do depressions normally last?

So how long do depressive episodes last? Usually, the depressive episode length ranges from six months to eight months, depending on the person. While some people may have depression that fades, others may struggle with depression on and off their whole life.
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What is stage 3 depression?

Stage 3: Lack of Interest in Activities You Once Loved

The first two stages lead up to this stage, where you might start to feel daunted at the thought of engaging in activities that you once really enjoyed.
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What are the symptoms of late life depression?

Symptoms and diagnosis
  • Depressed or sad mood.
  • Anhedonia (loss of interest in pleasurable activities)
  • Sleep disturbance (increased or decreased sleep)
  • Appetite disturbance (increased or decreased appetite) typically with weight change.
  • Energy disturbance (increased or decreased energy/activity level), usually fatigue.
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Do you ever go back to normal after depression?

Each person's recovery is different. Some recover in a few weeks or months. But for others, depression is a long-term illness. In about 20% to 30% of people who have an episode of depression, the symptoms don't entirely go away.
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Is depression permanent or temporary?

Depression ranges in seriousness from mild, temporary episodes of sadness to severe, persistent depression. Clinical depression is the more-severe form of depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder.
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What are the 5 effects of depression?

Depression doesn't just affect the mind; it also affects the body. Some of the physical effects include erratic sleep habits, loss of appetite (or increased appetite with atypical depression), constant fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, and back pain.
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How do you know if stress is killing you?

Warning signs
  • increased tension (e.g., jaw clenching)
  • increased pain (e.g., migraine headaches or back pain)
  • increased soreness (e.g., chronic neck, back, or shoulder pain)
  • low energy.
  • difficulty concentrating.
  • increased blood pressure or heart rate.
  • difficulty breathing.
  • random or sudden changes in appetite.
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When does depression become an emergency?

One of the very first tips we have for you as far as when one should go to the emergency room for depression is if they are having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of hurting themselves, or are actively suicidal or hurting themselves due to their depression.
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How to live without antidepressants?

Several treatments can be used instead of antidepressants for treating depression and other mental health conditions.
  1. Talking therapies. Cognitive behavioural therapy. ...
  2. Exercise. ...
  3. Self-help groups. ...
  4. Lithium. ...
  5. Electric shock treatment.
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Is depression a chemical imbalance?

Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.
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What part of the brain is damaged in depression?

The main subcortical limbic brain regions implicated in depression are the amygdala, hippocampus, and the dorsomedial thalamus. Both structural and functional abnormalities in these areas have been found in depression.
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Is depression curable or just treatable?

There's no cure for depression, but there are lots of effective treatments. People can recover from depression and live long and healthy lives.
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What are the 4 main causes of depression?

Causes - Clinical depression
  • Stressful events. Most people take time to come to terms with stressful events, such as bereavement or a relationship breakdown. ...
  • Personality. ...
  • Family history. ...
  • Giving birth. ...
  • Loneliness. ...
  • Alcohol and drugs. ...
  • Illness.
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What percentage of depression is curable?

Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80% and 90% percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. Almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms.
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