Alcohol and Depression

Depression can be referred as a mental state where a person encounters an overwhelming feeling of sadness, despair and discouragement. This illness in the latter stages of life is very different than a temporary feeling of “blue” after a personal loss of some sort. The condition lasts longer and does not leave by itself. It has the potential to hasten a severe disruption among the elderly person’s overall functioning that is both significant, and long lasting.

The person often describes the condition as feeling very different than his or her former self. Among the older people, the observation is that alcohol and depression seems to strike a problem for a majority in this segment bracket. Between 15 to 30 % of persons with major late life depression have alcohol problems.

People who suffer from this illness do not feel good. They go through phases of low energy, insomnia and a general tendency towards lethargy, helplessness, general despair and 0generally low interactivity. Many turn to a process of self medication by taking stimulant drugs. These along with alcohol combined, actually only serve to complicate matters. This is actually the worst possible procedure to deal with the condition. Alcohol and some drugs are depressants. Your mood can be a direct outcome of substance abuse.

Alcohol and depression have been found to be directly related. Alcohol driven conditions are of two types. Transient, which is found among those who had a previous history of alcoholism. They encounter this for a short time as they attempt to withdraw from alcohol or when they stop drinking for the time. This will however subside in due time. Underlying mental problems or morbid disorder symptoms last much longer even though the person has stopped drinking.

It has been understood that three major neurotransmitters in the brain, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine need to be in the correct balance for people to have a normal positive and stable self. When these chemicals are not in the right proportion or balance, the person can become the cause of the condition.

A combination of medication and other forms of therapy like psychotherapy or electroconvulsive therapy is the most effective method of treatment. The medications can put your brain chemistry back in balance. For those who do not respond to currently existing depression therapies, a new therapy called deep brain stimulation may be an answer.

Also read our article about Depression Fatigue