Depression
Just because you are depressed does not mean you have depression nor does it mean that you have a psychiatric disorder.
Many people have been diagnosed and treated for depression without having a thorough physical and medical evaluation. There are many medical conditions that can cause a person to feel depressed. Many people have been treated for years with psychiatric drugs when they actually had undiagnosed health problems such as a thyroid disorder, a nutritional deficiency, allergies or a hormone deficiency. Everyone deserves a thorough evaluation to find the real underlying causes of their depression.
An acquaintance of mine who was initially diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and medicated accordingly became steadily worse during his “treatment.” Finally he received the work-up that should have been done at the beginning. An MRI showed the presence of a brain tumor. It was removed and his symptoms resolved. Had his doctor provided a differential diagnosis, a brain tumor, among other possibilities, would have been explored. The tumor would have been found earlier and the prognosis would have been better.
The basic and fundamental way my professors taught me to practice medicine involved specific steps: thorough history, complete physical exam, differential diagnosis, and informed consent. A differential diagnosis refers to all the possible problems that might cause a set of symptoms. Informed consent means that the doctor must tell the patient of all possible causes and treatments for the symptoms and of any possible side effects of the recommended treatments. If a doctor does not have the time or does not know how to rule out various conditions the patient should be referred to someone who can do those things. Above all, however, the temptation to rely on a simple psychiatric diagnosis should be rejected.
I believe hypothyroidism to be one of the most commonly overlooked medical problems. Individuals have come to me with a prior diagnosis of depression. They report having taken antidepressants, feeling better for a short while, and then experiencing all the same symptoms again with greater intensity.
A good case to illustrate my point involved a patient who had seen various doctors over a thirty-year period, had been prescribed various antidepressants, but continued to suffer from the same symptoms. I performed a thyroid test and found the real cause of the symptoms – with one test – after thirty years.
Some doctors will order tests, such as lab work for thyroid problems, and when the results are negative then assume the symptoms are “all in your head.” I have found that the TSH, a single thyroid test does not constitute a thorough enough evaluation.
Psychiatry refers to many disorders as a “chemical imbalance.” Both they and the pharmaceutical companies seem to imply that chemical imbalances validate the existence of psychiatric disorders. The chemicals to which they are referring, neurotransmitters, function in the body to communicate information nerve to nerve. Their levels normally fluctuate. We change the balance of our neurotransmitters every time we smile or frown. They are different when we are angry, frustrated, sad or happy.
If we do have too much of one neurotransmitter or too little of another, it does not mean we have a psychiatric disorder. These chemicals can become imbalanced as a result of thyroid or adrenal problems, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, low blood sugar, pain or any other medical problem or from a medicine side effect.
The reasons a person can become depressed are too numerous to list. Sometimes specific situations such as the loss of a loved one or some other tragic event trigger the depression. Some times people feel depressed because their bodies don’t work properly. Depression is a normal response to death or loss, not a psychiatric disorder warranting medication.
.
A woman’s hormones change dramatically while she is pregnant. It should come as no surprise that the hormones would change dramatically again after the baby is delivered. This hormonal imbalance is often referred to as Postpartum Depression. However, this condition is not, as is commonly believed, a psychiatric disorder. It is a hormonal imbalance.
The connection between feeling depressed and hormone problems is very strong. I have seen many women in my practice that became depressed soon after a significant hormonal change. A common story is that shortly after starting menstruation in their teens these women began feeling depressed. Menopause and peri-meopause can also cause the depressed feelings. Many of these women have been prescribed different antidepressants over the years. None fixed their symptoms and in some instances the drugs made them feel worse.
More than 350 biochemical processes require the nutrient magnesium. Deficiencies can cause depression, asthma, cramps, calcification of small arteries, EKG changes, migraines and other headaches, kidney stones, muscles weakness, muscle tremors, muscle tics, heart attacks, neuromuscular problems, PMS and vertigo and many other symptoms. A deficiency in magnesium may be the cause of feeling depressed.
The antidepressants and other drugs often prescribed for depression have some serious side effects listed by the manufacturer. To read the side effects of any drug you take or are considering taking, you can read the drug insert from the pharmacy or look up the drug in the Physician Desk Reference.
A list of side-effects for psychiatric drugs used to treat depression is included in Dr. Block’s upcoming book, Just Because You’re Depressed Doesn’t Mean You Have Depression—Depression is a Symptom Not a Disease.
Many of the drugs have potentially fatal side effect such as heart attack, sudden death, cardiac arrest or heart failure. The only way to make good, educated decisions about your treatments is to know what your options are and the risks of those options.
Lifestyle changes may be in order. Long-term resolutions mean receiving real medical evaluations and developing a commitment to making necessary and recommended changes.
|
is a Symptom Not a Disease
