Many people suffer from the crippling effects of depression. it changes your brain and your outlook on life. Researchers are beginning to understand more and more about what causes mental illness and its effects on the brain. Often, people with a history of depression often have a smaller hippocampus, which is strongly correlated to childhood abuse. The hippocampus is a structure in the brain that is largely responsible for the integration of memory as well as spatial navigation. Those who suffer from depression can have a smaller hippocampus due to stress and trauma. This can cause brain damage. Read on to learn more about the relationship between the brain and depression and how Lucida Treatment Center can help you treat your depression.
How Depression Changes The Brain
It is true that depression changes the brain. Furthermore, it is important to understand how. Many people with depression spend years trying to understand why they function differently. Because the hippocampus governs the integration of memory, individuals who suffer from clinical depression often experience problems with short-term and long-term memory. Relaying the events of yesterday or remembering a close friend’s last name may become a consistent problem for the depressed person, even someone who is quite young.
Additionally, depression also changes the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus plays a critical role in endocrine governance and in maintaining the body’s autonomic nervous system. The hormones that the hypothalamus triggers inform the body and brain in a variety of ways including:
- Attachment to loved ones
- The monitoring of thirst and fatigue
- Sleep
- The circadian rhythm
- Body temperature and appetite
People who suffer from depression may experience dysfunction in each of these areas. Many people might not even know that these symptoms are related to depression. If you suffer from depression, you are not alone. Contact Lucida Treatment at 1.866.947.7299 to learn more about the programs and treatments we offer to help you heal your brain from this mental illness.
There Is Hope For Both The Brain And Depression
The great thing about our brains is that they can form and reform throughout our lifetime. There are certain activities that can strengthen the communication between the hemispheres of the brain. Therefore, your brain can grow, change, and adapt to become stronger than ever before. All of this is possible through therapy and treatment.
Depression and Addiction
Studies continue to reveal that depression is more common in addicts than non-addicts. For certain addictions such as alcoholism, the overuse of a substance can lead to reduced serotonin levels, which is directly linked to depression. Addicts are generally more at risk for depression and other mental health challenges. Additionally, they often turn to compulsive behaviors as a means of self-soothing or self-medicating.
It is the nature of addiction to eventually begin to create more pain than pleasure. The more often an addict uses substances, the more the habit becomes wired into the addict’s brain. Soon, they cannot stop using substances on their own. Examining the nature of brain changes caused by major depression does not mean that getting help for depression or addiction is hopeless, though. The same brain science that discovered these changes also recognizes that the brain has the ability to change and heal throughout an individual’s lifespan.
Treating depression is absolutely essential, not only if one hopes to recover from addiction, but also if one has any hope of recovering from the direct effects chronic that depression has on the brain and body. Lucida Treatment Center is available to help. Call us at 1.866.947.7299 for information about our programs. With the help of therapy, diet, exercise, meditation, and medication (if necessary), we can help you get your life and brain back on track.
