Posted by Mr. SadPuppyDog on September 27, 2002, at 12:30:08
In reply to physicaldepression, posted by wsj on September 26, 2002, at 13:02:29
> you see articles published everywhere about depression causing lack of energy, fatigue. i never see anything written about an actual physical problem causing lack of energy, fatigue, that leads to depression.
There are a good number of medical conditions that can mimick or lead to development of major depression. Probably the most common are thyroid problems, obstructive sleep apnea, low testosterone levels, vitamin B deficiency (rare in our modern food enriched society), Parkinsons disease and lupus. There are many others as well.
Getting the thyroid tested is a basic thing to do for depression. So is checking vitamin B levels, especially B-6 and folate levels. If you can afford it, an overnight sleep study at a sleep lab can rule out obstructive sleep apnea. This is especially a good idea if youve been told you snore a lot or you are significantly overweight. If you are male and have depression that doesnt respond good to antidepressants, getting a testosterone test and associated blood work is a good idea. Particularly if you are an older male. Testosterone is being used some in clinical trials to treat resistant depression.
Lupus is well associated with depression. And finally, parkinsons disease is associated with depression. I even read an article recently that said that a percentage of depression cases are actually the first signs of parkinsons disease. The depression shows up first for a few years, then bam you get hit by full blown parkinsons.
The human body is weird and psychiatrists hardly understand this stuff up to par. Its mostly a fly by night operation, a lot of semi-guess work, intuition, etc. Not exactly the most scientific of branches of medicine. Its pathetic that psychiatry is the best we have to treat severe mental illness.
Mr. Sad PuppyDog
poster:Mr. SadPuppyDog
thread:121128
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020922/msgs/121233.html