1. DEPRESSION
What it is and how it Affects the brain.
By Hannah Adams

2. What is Depression?
“Depression is a common mental disorder that presents
with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure,
feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or
appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. These
problems can become chronic or recurrent and lead to
substantial impairments in an individual's ability to take
care of his or her everyday responsibilities. At its worst,
depression can lead to suicide, a tragic fatality associated
with the loss of about 850 000 lives every year.”
- The World Health Organization 1

3. What depression looks like:
• Feeling worthless
• Constantly thinking negative
• Distant from others
• Ignoring friends phone calls or canceling
plans to be alone
• Forcing yourself to sleep or lack of sleep
• Crying
• Sad
• Feeling alone

4. Depressed vs. Normal Brain
•Normal brain has regular sized Hippocampus while the
depressed brain has shrinkage in size of the hippocampus.
•Depressed brain has an abnormal number of
neurotransmitters.

5. Main Causes Of Depression:
•Death or a loss
•Abuse
•Certain Medications
•Conflict
•Genetics
•Major events
•Other personal problems
•Serious illnesses
•Substance abuse
•Being around someone else that is
depressed.

6. Best Ways to Cure Depression:
• Learn as much as you can about your depression.
• Keep trying to overcome it. It’s not going away
overnight .
• Seek therapy.
• Don’t ever rely on medications alone.
• Talk to friends and family your closest to.

7. Interesting Facts About Depression:
• Depression is common, affecting about 121 million
people world wide.
• Depression is among the leading causes of disability
worldwide.
• Can be reliably diagnosed and treated in primary care.
• Fewer than 25% of those affected have access to
affective treatments.
The World Health Organization 1

8. Interesting Facts Continued:
• Depressed people suffer the most in the early
morning, which is also the common time for
suicide.
• Taking the decisive action can help bring
about change and restore emotional balance,
but one of the symptoms of depression is
lethargy, which severely dampens the ability
to take such action. (Pg 233 of BRAIN: The
Complete Mind) 2

9. States Rates of Depression
Having At Least One
Major Depressive Episode
in Past Year among Youths
Aged 12 to 17, by State:
Percentages, Annual
Averages Based on 2004
and 2005 NSDUH *
Source: SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies,
National Survey on Drug Use and
Health, 2004 and 2005.

10. Ever Feel Depressed?
• Do you wonder if you are depressed?
• A good way to find out is by talking to a shrink or if that is
not an option you are willing to take, pause this power
point and take the depression test below. When you are
done with the test, come back to watch the rest of the
power point. Take a depression test
[e.g., http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/MH00103_D
• If you are depressed or know someone that is, and feel
that you/ they need help, or any thoughts of
suicide, contact your doctor or make a phone call to the
depression helpline for Seattle WA (425)-453-HELP.
Depression can be treated.

11. Alcohol & Depression:
•Alcohol can make you feel less stressed, after
it wears off, people most often feel worse.
•Drinking alcohol while medicated for
depression, is very dangerous
•Alcohol is a depressant and can make
depression worse Copyright 2011-2012 Addicted-ToSobriety.com

12. Depression & Suicide:
• Depression carries a high risk of suicide
• Suicide is a potentially preventable public health
problem. In 2006, suicide was the 11th leading cause
of death in the U.S.
• In the same year, there were more than 33,000
suicides -- about 91 per day. Men take their lives
nearly four times the rate of women and account for
79% of all suicides in the U.S.
©2005-2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

13. Depression and Suicide Continued:
If you or someone you love has clinical
depression, it's important to recognize the
warning signs of suicide.

14. Signs of depression:
- Feeling hopeless and helpless
- Loss of interest in normal day to day activities
- Loss of feelings of joy and pleasure
- Weight loss or weight gain. Change in appetite
- Difficulty sleeping or excessive sleeping
- Irritable, restless, low tolerance, agitated or on edge
-Fatigue, feeling incapable of doing even simple things
- Feeling worthless
- very critical of self
- difficulty concentrating
- difficulty making decisions
- forgetfulness
- headaches, stomach pain, back pain, painful muscles
Copyright 2011-2012 Addicted-ToSobriety.com

15. Stressor
Stress perceived by the individual
Hypothalamus Pituitary Gland
Increase in:
Activation of the •Heart Rate
Release of
Sympathetic Nervous •Blood Pressure Catecholamines from
System •Blood Glucose Adrenal Glands
•Blood Flow to Active
Muscles and Brain
•Oxygen Uptake
•Strength
•General Awareness
Stress Release No Stress Release
Body Relaxation Decrease in Health & Performance

16. Bibliography
1The World Health Organization provides information about health in the United
Nations system. It also keeps up to date with health issues and diseases for best
accuracy. Is a wonderful site for information to most health related topics and
provides many facts about the topic depression. On the website below, I found
information about what depression is and other facts about depression on slides;
1, directed by Dr. Margaret Chan since Nov 9 2006 who was known for defeating
(SARS) Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Hong Kong, 2003.
http://www.who.int/mental_health/management/depression/definition/en/
The depression test on slide 10 was found on the website below. How did I find this
website? I remembered how Christine Moon (our teacher) has tests for us to do
that are very interesting. So I typed depression tests into Google and this was the
one that I found most accurate.
http://depression.about.com/cs/diagnosis/l/bldepscreenquiz.htm
Map on slide nine.
http://www.nmha.org/go/state-ranking
2 Slide eight, the second bullet was a fact from the textbook called BRAIN The
Complete Mind, this textbook was written by Michael S. Sweeney. It is packed full
with diagrams, pictures, studies, fast facts and information on everything there is
to know about the brain. How we think, remember, sense, move, feel, how the
brain develops, how it functions and so much more. Great source for any topic
about the brain.

17. Bibliography Continued
• Compact Research-Mood disorders By Carla Mooney- Compact Research is
a series that organizes and collects information on Current Issues, Drugs,
Energy and the Environment, and Mood disorders. This was an excellent
book filled with objective overviews, primary source quotes, illustrated
facts and statistics.
• The Ultimate Prescription by Dr. James L. Marcum, MD. – Strips back what
makes us sick and how to help cure the sickness but not by some powerful
drug or expensive procedure. Explains ways to make healthy lifestyle
changes at home, work, and at the grocery store.
• Depression, by Wendy Morange- This book has stories of different people
and how depression entered their lives in different situations. Includes
information about the symptoms and signs of depression. How depression
leads to other problems, helping people realize that depression effects
everyone at some time either in a small or big way, and can be cured.

18. Bibliography Continued
• Stress Relief For Life, is written my Mike Ronsisvalle, PsyD. TV host of Dr.
Mike: Changing Your Reality and seen on TBN’s Doctor to Doctor. This book
he wrote is mainly about stress and how it can take over your life. Teaches
how chronic stress dramatically effects our physical health, mental health
and our relationships. He gives strategies and a 21 day program that will
help any stressful position.
• The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook For Depression- A step by step
program By, William J. Knaus, ED.D. and Albert Ellis, PH.D. This Is more
than just another book about depression, It teaches about depression,
what it is, how to notice it, how to work with it and so much more. It
includes charts for the owner of the book to fill in to help keep track of
what they are doing to help overcome depression and if those steps are
working, also teaches how to use cognitive behavioral therapy by doing
step by step programs.