By: Juan Fernando González G. 

If we look at a classic definition, it can be said that depression is an affective disorder characterized by sadness and loss of interest or the ability to experience pleasure. The term mental depression was first used by the Scottish psychiatrist Robert Whytt (1714-1766), one of the founders of neurophysiology.

Recent data indicate that, in Mexico, 15 out of every 100 inhabitants suffer from this disease, although it is believed that the figure may be much higher because some people have never been diagnosed and live, incredible as it may seem, up to 15 years without knowing they have this condition.

An extremely interesting piece of information is that produced by a study carried out by the Faculty of Psychology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in 2019. According to this research, almost six million children and young people aged 12 and the 22 year old could be mired in depression. Another vulnerable group is adults over 65, who are prey to a sense of hopelessness due to lack of employment, a change in life, or the loss of a partner.

And the pandemic?

According to Patricia Guízar Sánchez, an academic at the UNAM Faculty of Medicine, mental health in the world has been out of control for some years, a situation that has been aggravated by the situation linked to covid-19.

The pandemic, points out the specialist, has generated several challenges for health workers, who are susceptible to experiencing stress or burnout syndrome (physical and mental exhaustion, in addition to lack of motivation to perform), as well as periods of anxiety caused due to the amount of work, the uncertainty about the most appropriate treatment to treat covid-19 and the death of patients.

The social distancing to which we have been subjected, explains the expert, has generated an increase in feelings of loneliness and hopelessness, as well as anxiety and depressive disorders in children and young people. The causes? Not knowing when we will be able to return to normalcy, the sudden change in our routine and the impossibility of “saying goodbye” to a family member or friend who died at the hands of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

If possible

A person who admits to having the symptoms of depression (deep sadness; loss of interest in things and activities that they used to enjoy; feelings of emptiness and / or guilt; overeating or losing their appetite; sleeping much more than usual, or suffer insomnia, as well as a constant feeling of tiredness, apathy and fatigue, and difficulty concentrating), you will feel comforted by the support of your family and friends, for which you can take advantage of the technological advantages that we have today.

If you consider it necessary, you can go to a mental health specialist (either a psychologist or a psychiatrist), who can help you overcome this condition through ─individual, group or combined therapy─ and the eventual prescription of some medication.

Homeopathic doctors, renowned for caring for their patients in a comprehensive manner, could be of great help in overcoming these types of conditions. In the same way, you can resort to natural homeopathic over-the-counter products that are very effective against some symptoms associated with depression, including those that contain active substances from Passiflora, Ignatia and Valerian, plants that for a long time many have been shown to have a calming, relaxing and sleep-inducing action.

Valerian, specifically, increases the amount of the brain neurotransmitter known as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), vital for brain balance. It also contains some antioxidants such as hesperidin and linarin, whose properties provide a state of serenity and well-being.

References

-UNAM Newsletter. General Directorate of Social Communication. DGCS-455. University City.
Alternating current. UNAM. https://corrientealterna.unam.mx/
-UNAM Gazette. https://www.gaceta.unam.mx/salud-mental-tan-importante-como-la-corporal/
-Psychiatria.com. https://psiquiatria.com/index
-Bayer Laboratory, Spain. https://www.bayertecuida.es/
-Online physiotherapy. https://www.fisioterapia-online.com/