Depression: A typical case of mood disorder, characterized by significant and persistent low mood, decreased interest, etc. It is the most common mental disorder with a high clinical cure rate, and suicide is one of the most severe consequences for patients with depression.
Depression is a mental disorder with a high prevalence and high clinical cure rate, but due to insufficient public awareness of the disease, there are relatively few patients who consistently receive formal treatment, leading to low treatment rates and high relapse rates.
It is primarily characterized by significant and persistent low mood, with some patients exhibiting self-injurious or suicidal behavior. It may be accompanied by psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. In severe cases, it can lead to depressive stupor, which can manifest as fixed facial expressions, lack of response to stimuli, reduced speech or even mutism, and reduced movement or immobility.
Health tips from Chengdu Hanfang Hall: Depression generally manifests as low mood, decreased interest, and lack of energy during an episode.
There are currently no clear triggering factors for the disease, but stress-inducing life events, pessimistic personality traits, a history of other mental illnesses, severe chronic diseases, alcoholism, and drug abuse are closely related to episodes of depression.
The manifestations of a depressive episode can be divided into three aspects: core symptom group, psychological symptom group, and physical symptom group.
Past descriptions of a depressive episode are often summarized as the “three lows”: low mood, slowed thinking, and decreased will activity. These three symptoms are considered typical of severe depression, but these characteristic symptoms do not necessarily appear in all patients.
When one feels a prolonged low mood, lacks interest in everything, or experiences decreased interest, and possibly exhibits slow response, slowed thinking, or memory decline that suggests depression, they should seek medical help promptly. Additionally, family members or friends should actively encourage their relatives or friends to seek medical attention if they notice the aforementioned behaviors.
For patients diagnosed with depression, strict adherence to treatment as advised by a doctor is essential, and regular follow-ups should be maintained. Even if the condition is effectively controlled through treatment, if significant changes in life occur or signs of a depressive episode are felt, medical attention should be sought promptly.
Experts from Hanfang Hall explain: Treating depression not only alleviates the patient’s suffering but also reduces the burden on families and society once the patient re-enters society. The treatment of depression primarily includes medication, psychotherapy, and physical therapy.
Antidepressant therapy is effective for both depressive mood and accompanying symptoms such as anxiety, tension, and physical symptoms, with an efficacy rate of around 60% to 70%. Therefore, actively cooperating with the doctor’s treatment and strictly following medication instructions can alleviate most patients’ symptoms and help them return to their pre-illness state.
Depression is characterized by a tendency to relapse, so patients and their families should continuously monitor changes in the condition, adhere to regular follow-ups as advised, and seek medical attention immediately if relapse symptoms appear.
Hou Zhong, Deputy Chief Physician, five generations of traditional Chinese medicine family, member of the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research, expert at Sichuan Research Institute of Modern Difficult Diseases, member of the Rehabilitation Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, and a specially invited expert at Chengdu Hanfang Hall.
Graduated from Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, he has been engaged in clinical work in traditional Chinese medicine for over 30 years. Through years of clinical practice, he has accumulated extensive diagnostic and treatment experience, summarizing various diagnostic methods based on traditional Chinese medical texts including eight principles, organ-correlation theories, qi, blood, body fluids, and meridians, enabling effective identification of the essence and crux of diseases. He has published more than ten papers, with several published in national official publications.
He is skilled in the traditional Chinese medicine treatment of various tumors and cardiovascular diseases, continuously breaking through bottlenecks in the field of traditional Chinese medicine treatment, and applying stage-wise and method-specific treatments according to the types of diseases, achieving significant results; he also specializes in treating internal diseases such as cardiovascular disease, oncology, and nephrology.
