Hi. I’m glad you could join me today on the first blog in a 7 part series entitled “Seven powerful depression self help questions”.
Would you like to uncover the real cause of your depression? Well this series will help you do just that- it’ll help you understand whether there is a physical cause for your depression.
Physical causes of depression often go overlooked- so I encourage you to follow this 7 part series to make sure that you aren’t suffering from an undiagnosed nutrient deficiency, hormonal imbalance, food allergy or toxin that could be contributing to your depression.
I gave you a little sneak preview of question 1 last time- let me remind you what it is.
Question 1: Looking back, when did you experience the first signs of depression? What age were you?
The reason that asking this question is so important is that it can help reveal some of the triggers of depression, especially whether there are any hormonal triggers.
There are obviously a lot of potential answers to this question, but we’ll look at the following general answers.
When did your depression first start?
- over the age of 40
- around puberty
- always had it, or had it as a child
If you’re thinking to yourself- my answer doesn’t fit in with these options- that’s okay. It’s vey possible that age (or stage) is not a significant factor in your journey with depression. That is why we have 7 powerful depression self help questions rather than just 1. Hang in there.
Let’s start with Women: Over 40 years of age.
If women experience their first bout of depression during their forties, it is highly likely that the hormonal imbalances, brought on by menopause (or peri-menopause), is the cause.
Peri-menopause describes the stage in which the first symptoms of menopause are experienced up until at least one year after a women’s final menstrual period. Peri-menopause is usually experienced between the ages of 45-50 and normally lasts for 4 years (but could be felt as early as the age of 35). Menopause is defined as the time in a woman’s life when menstrual periods permanently stop as a result of a loss of ovarian function.
Peri-menopause is characterized by widely fluctuating hormone levels along with an overall decline in first progesterone and then estrogen levels. The hormone levels can be different every single day, and this can go on for years. These hormone deficiencies and fluctuations are often the cause of the depressive symptoms and the other mood changes experienced during the different stages of a woman’s life
The depression that women suffer, because of these hormonal changes, are not just mild. They can lead to major depressive disorder. In an interesting study which followed women with no history of depression over an eight year period, 50% of those going through peri-menopausal had an increase in depressive symptoms, and 26% received a formal diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The good news is that the right hormonal treatments can help resolve the depression in the large majority of patients.
I have a whole chapter in my book about the hormonal imbalances that can lead to depression in females- not just around menopause, but for those that suffer from postnatal depression and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It discusses the symptoms of these hormonal deficiencies, the tests to diagnose the imbalances, treatment options (supplements, herbs and hormone medications), and also provides the scientific evidence that you can give your doctor (so that they will agree to help you and will know how to help you).
Men: Over 40 years of age.
Women aren’t the only ones to suffer from hormonal imbalances as they age. The same goes for men in their forties, fifties, and sixties – men can have their own form of ‘menopause’ which is often known as andropause.
As men age their testosterone levels decrease (testosterone is also known as an androgen hormone- hence the name andropause). When testosterone and the other androgen hormones are too low men can experience depression. Other symptoms of a testosterone deficiency include fatigue, lowered assertiveness, increased body fat (obesity), decreased muscle mass and strength, lowered sex drive and erectile dysfunction.
Recent studies show that men with depression are 2.7 times more likely to have low testosterone levels than men without depression. More exciting is the fact that the latest clinical trials have proven that testosterone supplementation can resolve depression in more than 50% of older males with depression.
There is also a specific chapter in my recent book that is devoted to the topic of testosterone deficiency in men. It will not only show you how to diagnose a testosterone deficiency (and how to make sure that your doctor doesn’t miss the diagnosis), it will also provide the latest medical research on the topic. It’s highly likely that your doctor doesn’t know that a testosterone deficiency can cause depression. To make sure that you get the help you need, I have included the references, the most important studies and the right doses of supplements and medications for treating this hormonal deficiency.
This is becoming a bit of a long blog today. This information is just the tip of the iceberg- there’s so much to share with you. But I’ll leave it there for now, and next time I’ll discuss what it could possibly mean, if you have been suffering with depression since puberty or since you were a child.
I’d love to hear your comments and questions. I pray that this information will help bring you the freedom that you need in your life.
Sincerely
Dr Janelle Sinclair
To download a free report which discusses ALL of the 7 Self help Depression questions (and how to interpret them) visit http://www.breakingfreefromdepression.com
