INVESTIGATORY PROJECTBIOLOGY

DEPRESSION; CAUSE AND EFFECT ONBODY SYSTEMS

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certificate

THIS IS to CERTIFy tHAT THIS

BIOLOGY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT on tHE TOPIC “DEPREssIOn; CAUSE AND effect on BODYsysteMS” HAS been SUCCESSFULly coMPLETED by --------OF XII UNDER THe GUIDANCe of IN PARTICULAR FULFILMENT OF THE

CURRICULUM OF CBSE LEADING TO AN AWARD OF ANNUAL

EXAMINATION OF

TEACHER IN CHARGE PRINCIPAL EXTERNAL

EXAMINER

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ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

I USE THIS OPPORTUNITY to convey MY SINCERe GRATITude TOWARDS

OUR BIOLOGY TEACHER, MY PAREnts, GUIDELINES on MY TOPIC :- “DEPRessION AND Its effect on

BODY SYSTEM “. AND Also CBSE foR ARRANGING SUCH AN ENLIGHTENING PROGRAM to ENGAGE

THE cHILDREn. I LIKE to convey MY HEARTY THANKS -------------foR HELPING MECOMPLETE THE PROJECT WITH

UTMOst PRecISION.

SNO.

CONTENTSPG.

1. CERTIFICATE2

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3

3. AIM 54. METHODOLOGY 65. EXPERT ANSWERS 196. CONCLUSIONS 287. REFERENCES 298. THANK YOU 30

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INDEX

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AIM ;TO FIND THE CAUSE

OF DEPRESSION AND ITS EFFECT ON THE BODY SYSTEM.

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ABOUT THE SUBJECT

DEPRESSIOn IS A COMPlex MENTAl HEALth conDITIOn THAT CAUSes A PERSOn to HAve low MOOD AND MAy leAVe THEM A fEELING

PERSIStently sAD OR HOPELESs.

DEPRESSIVe SYMPTOMS CAN be teMPORARY EXPERIence IN ReSPOnse to GRIEf oR tRAUMA. BUT WHEn THe SYMPTOMS lAST LONGER THAN 2 WEEKS IT CAN be A SIGN of SERIOUS DePRESSIVE DISORDER.

THE sAME sYMPTOMS CAN ALso be A SIGN of AnOTHER MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIOns ,

SUCH AS BIPOLAr OR POST tRAUMATIC STREss DISORDER (PSTD) .

THE sYMPTOMS VARY between InDIVIduals. FOR A DOCTOR to DIAGnose DEPression A PERSon MUST HAve 5 oR MORE syMPTOMs

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SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

DEPRessED MOOD ON MOST DAYs INCLUDINg FEELINGS OF SADNess OR EMPTINESS

Loss of PLEASURE IN PREVIOUSly enjoyED ACTIVITIES

Too LITTLe OR too MUCH SLEEP MOST of tHE DAYs

UNINTENDED WEIGHT loss oR GAIN oR CHANGE IN APPETITE

PHYSICal AGITATion OR feELING of SLUGGISHNEss

Low eneRGY OR FATIGUE

FEELING WORTHLEss OR GUILTY

TROUBLE conceNTRATING OR MAKING DecISIONS

IntRUSIVE THOUGHTS of DEAth OR SUICIDE

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PHYSICal SYMPTOMS OF DEPResSION

ReseARCH HAS DOCUMENTED MANy WAYS THAT DEPRESSION

CAN ALSO AFFECT PHYSICalHEALTH

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WEIGHT GAIN oR loss PEOPLE WITH DEPResSION MAY EXPERIence APPETITE cHANGES WHICH CAn CAUSE UNINTENDEd

WEIGHT GAIN OR loss CHRONIC PAIN

PEOPLE exPERIEnceUNEXPLAINED ACHES OR PAINS

INCLUDINg JOINt OR MUSCLE PAIN AND HEADACHEs

HEART DISEASE DEPResSION CAN REDUCE A

PERSON’S MOTIVATION to MAKE A POSITIVE LIFEStyle cHOICEs.

THEIR RISK Of HEARt DISEASE INCReases WHEN THEY eAT A POOR DIET AND HAVE seDENTARY

LIFESTYLE. AccORDING to HEART FAILURE OR CORONARY ARTERy DISEASE HAS DEPresSION

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InfLAMMATIOn

ReseARCH INDICATEs THE

CHRONIC STREss AND DEPResSION ARE LINKED to

INFLAMMATION AND MAy CHANGE THE IMMUNe sYSTEM OTHER REseARCH SUGGESTS tHAT

DEPResSION COULD be DUE to CHRONIC INFLAMMATION.

PEOPLE HAVING DEPResSION IS MORE LIKELY to HAveINFLAMMATORY coNDITIOn SUCH AS IRRITABLE bowel SYNDROME ,

TYPE 2 DIABETEs AND ARTHRITIS

WoRSENING CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIons :-

PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAVE CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIon MAY

FIND tHEIR SYMPTOMs ARE woRSe IF THEY DEVEloP DEPRESSION .

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CHRONIC ILLNESS MAY ALREADY feel ISOLATING AnD DEPRessionMAY EXACERBATE tHEse feelINGS.

TROUBLE SLEEPING PEOPLE WITH DEPResSION MAY exPERIence INSOMNIA ORTROUBLE sleePING. THIS

CONDITION CAN LEAVE THEM feeLING EXHAUSTED MAKING IT DIFFICULT to MANAGE bOTHPHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

GASTROINTESTINAl PROBLEMS PEOPLE WITH DEPResSION often REPORT stOMACH OR DIGESTION PROBLEMs, sUCH AS DIARRHEA,

VOMITING ,NAUSEA, coNSTIPATIOn.SOME ALSO EXPERIENCE CHRONIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS IBS.ACCORDING to REseARCH bRAINS

RESPONSe to STREss IS SUPPRESSING THE ACTIVITIES IN

THE HYPOTHALAmus AND

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PITUITARY GLANd , AND ADRENAL GLANds.

OUTLOOK RecOGNISING THAt DEPResSION CAN CAUSE

PHYSICAL HEALTH PROBLEMS CAN HELP A PERSOn to seEK TREATMent AND MAKECHANGES to HELP MANAGE

THEIR SYMPTOMs.DEPResSION IS TREATABLE . A DOCTOR MAY RECOMMEND A COMBINED APPROACH, USING

MEDICATION, THERAPy, AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES. WITH THE RIGHt SUPPORT, A PERSON cAN MANAGE BOTH PHYSICAL AND

MENTAL HEALTH effects of DEPResSION.

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FACTS ON DEPRESSION

DEPResSION seEMS to beMORE cOMMON AMONG WOMEn

THAN MEN

SYMPTOMS INCLUDE THE LACKof joy AnD REDUCED INTEREst IN THINGS THAT USED

to BRING HAPPINESs LIFE events SUCH AS

beREAVEMent PRODUCE MOOD CHANGES THAT CAN USUALLYbe DISTINGUISHED FROM THE FEATURES of DEPResSION.

THE cAUSes of DEPRessION ARE not FULLy UNDERSTOOD BUT ARE lIKELY to be A COMPLEX cOMBINATion ofGENETIC, BIOloGICAL

,eNVIRONMENTAl AND PSYCHOSOCIAL fACTORS.

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CAUSES

GENETICS

BIOLOGICAL –CHANGES IN NEUROTRANSMITteR level

ENVIRONMEntal PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAl SOMe PEOPLE ARe At HIGHER

RISK OF DEPRESSION tHAN OTHER

; RISK FACTORS INCLUDE

LIFE events; LIKE DIVORCE ,WORK ISSUES, RELATIOnships OR ACUTE sTREss

PERSONAlity; THOSE WITH less SUCCEssFUL COPING STRATEGIEs

OR PREVIOUS LIFE TRAUMA ARe MORE SUSCEPTIBle

GENETIC FACTORS

CHILDhood tRAUMA

ABUSE of RECREATIOnal DRUGS

CHRONIC PAIN SYNDROME

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TR E A T MENT

DEPRESSION IS A TREATABLE MENTAL ILLNESS .

3 COMPONENTS TO MANAGE DEPRESSION:-

SUPPORT PSYCOTHERAPY DRUG

TREATMENT

STATISTICS

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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

18 a Oldar 18 to 25 26 to 49 —@•- 50 or Oldar

Perc

ent w

ith M

ajor

Dep

ress

ive

Epis

ode

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r

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EXPER t ANSWE R sHow CAN I tell IF IT’s REALLY

DEPRESSION OR JUST A few bAD DAYs? It’s coMMOn to feel sAD FROM TIME to TIME. BUT IF fEELINGS Of SADNEss oR HOPELESsness PERSISt foR two OR MORE weeKS COUPLED WITH ANY of THEse

OTHER SY M PTO M s, IT MIGHT be DEPRESSION.

FEELINGS Of GUIlt oR WORTHLEssness. Loss of INtEREST OR PLEASURE foR ACTIVITIEs tHAT USED to be enjoyABLE.

CHANGES In WEIGHT oR APPETITE. CHANGES In sleeP HABITs OR eneRGY level.

DIFFICulty conceNTRATINg. SUICIDAl tHOUGHTs.

LACK OF INTEREST oR eNERGY foR EVERYDAY ACTIVITIEs.

How MUCH OF DePRESsIOn IS GENETIC?FAMILY HISTORY cAN PLAY A ROLE IN

DEPression, BUT It’s not A DIRect one-to-one RATIo, SAYS NASCHE. “It’s not LIKE ‘IF MY MOM IS DEPRESseD tHEN I WIll be,

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too.’” ReseARCHERs ARE sTILL loOKING

FOR THE SPecIFIc GENETIC CHANGes THAt PREDISPOSe SOMeone to DePREssIOn, BUTTHEY HAve MADE SOME FINDI N g s , INCLUDING:

LIKELIHOOD to INHerit DEPression IS PROBABLY 40-50% AND MIGHT be HIGHER foR SEVeRE DEPRESSION. THIS COULD MEAn THAT IN MOST CASES of

DEPression, ROUGHly 50% of THeCAUSE IS GENETIC AND THE OTHeR 50% IS FROM PSYCHOLOGIcal OR PHYSICAL FACTORS.

MAJOR DEPRESSIve DISORDER WILL AFFect AT LEAST 10% of THE U.S.

POPULAtion AT SOME POINt IN THEIR LIVES. HAVING A PARENT OR SIBLING WITH DEPression COULD INCREASE THe RISK

of DEVeloPING IT by At LEAST 2-3 TIMESCOMPARED WITH THE AVERAGe PERSON.

TWICe AS MANY woMEn AS MEN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIon (BUT THAT MAY be becAUSE wo ME n ARE MORE LIKEly to SEEK tREATment).

CAN DEPression AFfect ANYONe?DEPRESSIOn CAN HAPPen to Anyone AT ANY AGE. In ADDITIon to GENETIC fACTORs,

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HORMOnes, BIOLOGIcal DIffeRENces AND BRAIN cHEMISTRy MAY ALSO INFLUenceWHO GEts DEPression.

FACTORS tHAT HAve been fOUND to INCREASE tHE RISK Of DEVELOPING OR

TRIGGERING DEPRESSIOn INCLUDE:

TRAUMATIc OR STREssful events, INCLUDING THE loss oR DEATH OF loveD ones, MONey PROBLEMS OR PHysICAL OR SEXUAL ABUSE.

PERSONAL HISTORY of OTHER MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS, INCLUDING EATING

DISORDeRS, ANXIEty DISORDER OR PTSD. FAMILY HISTORY (blooD RELAtives) of

DEPression, BIPOLAr DISORDeR, ALCOHOlism OR SUICIDe.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE (ALCOHOL oR DRUGS).

PERSONALIty TRAITS INCLUDING low self-esteeM, extREME DEPENDENce on

OTHERS OR BEING SELF-CRITICAL oR PESSIMISTIC. HAVINg A SERIOUS OR CHRONIc Illness. SOME MEDICATIons.

TIME of yeAR, SUCH AS DURING tHESUNLESS WINTER MONTHS WHEN PEOPLE WITH SE A s o na l A f f e c t IVE DIS O R D e R (SAD) TYPICALLy feel bLUE.

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How CAN DEPRESSION AFFect soMEONE PHYSICally?

NASCHe SAys THAT DEPRESSION cAN TAKE A PHYSICal toll AnD WORSEN EXISTING

HEALTH ISSUES. SINce SERIOUS/cHRONIcILLNEss IS A DePRESSION TRIGGeR, IT’s not HARD to see HOW THE PHYSICal AND EMOTIONAl SYMPTOMS OF DEPression COULD INflUENce EACH OTHEr.

SOME of THe WAYS DEPRESSION TAKEs A toll on THe BO D y INclUDE:

APPETITE AND NUTRITIon ISSUEs, INCLUDING EATIng too MUCH, EATIng too LITTle OR BINGing ON sweets AND CARBS, WHICH CAN CAUSE:

o STOMACH ACHes, cRAMPS, conSTIPATIon AND MALNUTRItion. o EATINg DISORDERS.

o OBESITY-RELATED ILLNesses, SUCHAS tyPE 2 DIABETES.

STRES s ISSUES, WHICH CAN leAD to HEART DISEASE AND HEAR t ATTACK .

IMMUNE sysTEM ISSUES, WHICH CAN MAKE YOU MORE vUlnERABLE to

INFECTIONS AND DISEAses

How CAN I tell A FAMIly MEMBER OR FRIEND THAt I HAve DEPRESSION?

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REMEMBer THAT DE P r e ssio n I S A R EAL ILLN E ss THAT IS tREAtABLE AND Affects PEOPLE IN DIFFERENt wAYS. HAVING THEconDITIOn DOESN’T MEAN YOU ARE WEAK, BUT IT CAN be veRY DIFFICULT to tALK ABOUT. Tell YOUR lovED ONE YOU WANT to set UP SOMe TIME to cHAT AND b e

PRE P ar e d fo r Q UE S TI O ns.

NASCHe SAys HER PATIents REPOrt two TYPES of REACTIOns WHEn THEY tell PEOPLE THEy ARE DEPresseD. SOMETIMES IT’s love AND SUPPORt; OTHER TIMES, PEOPLE THINK DEPRESSION IS JUStLAZINess. “No MATTER HOW EDUCATED tHE

PERSon IS, SOMe PEOPle JUST DOn’t BELIeve IN DEPression,” NASCHe SAID. SHE ALWAYs GIVes HER PATIEnts THE oPTION to

BRING THEIr loveD ONe INto A THERAPy SESSION. ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUt THIS If IT SEEMS LIKE THE RIGHT DECISION foR YOU.

WHAT TREATMENTS ARe AVAILAble FOR DEPRESSIOn?

THERE ARE A NUMBER Of tREATment OPTIONs foR DEPRESSIon, so SPEAK WITH

YOUR MENTAL HEAlth PROFESSIONAL ABOUTWHICH ONES MIGHt be RIGHt foR yOU. DEPRESSIOn TREATMEnts INCLUDe:

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MeDICATIons (ANTIDEPRESSANTs) THAt CAN HELP IMPROVE THe WAY YOUR BRAIN USES ceRTAin CHEMICAls THATconTROL MOOD OR STRess.

TALK THERapies (PSYCHOTHErapy), SUCH AS COGNItive-beHAVIOural THERApy, wHICH HELPS PEOPle CHANGE

NEGATIVE tHINKING, RecOGNIZE THINGS THAT MAY be conTRIBUting to THE DEPression AND CHANGE BEHAVIOURS THAT MAy be WORSENIng THe

DEPression. A COMBINation of THE two.

NASCHe SAys THAT IF yOU’RE fUNCTIONING well — not fEELING GREAT BUT FUNCTIONING — YOU PROBABLY HAve A

CHOICE of TREATments. “If IT’SPERvasive,” SHE SAID, “YOU WOULD beneFIT FROM A COMBINATION of MEDICATIOn ANDTHERApy.”

THINGs THAt CAN be DONe AT HOMe to HELP DEPression INCLUDE:

EXERCISE, WHICH CAN IMPROve SYMPTOMS WITH JUST 20-30 MINU tes of ACTIvity seVERAL TIMEs PER WEEK.

o STRUCTURED exeRCISE (ONLINE YOGA CLASS OR A SHORT RUN

OUTSIde).

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o UnSTRUCTURED exeRCISE (woRKInG IN THE GARDEN oR WALKING).

ADeQUATE SLEEP . A NUTRITIous DIEt RICH IN FRUIts AND

VEGGIes, wHOLE GRAINs, low-FAT DAIRy, HEALTHY FATS AND leAN MEATS.

SUPPORt GROUPS, WHICH CAN be FOUND LOCALLY AND ONLINe.

How DOES THERAPY wORK?

THE QUESTIon NASCHE GETS ASKED MOST by HER PATIEnts IS HOW CAN I feel betteR? HeR ANSWER IS to RELATe DEPression to OTHER CHRONIC DISEASEs

THAT MUST be MANAGED, sUCH AS DIABETEs. BOTH CONDITIons MAy REQUIRE CHANGEs IN BEHAVIOUR AND LIfestyle CHOICEs. THERAPy CAn HELP IDENTIfy AND

MANAGE THOSE CHANGes.

BECAUSE DEPRESSIOn THRIVEs on UNDER- STIMULAtion, ISOLATIOn AND INERTIA,

BEHAVIOURAL CHANGes ARE CRUCIAL. SoME THERApists WORK WITH PATIENTs on DEVELOPING INTERPERSONAL SKILls, WHICH CAN HELP tHEM INTEGRATE AND

COMMUNIcate bettER. “We’ve GOT toconSCIOUSly woRK On SHIFTING THE MOOD by FINDING WAYS to INTEGRATE THese

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BEHAVIOURAL CHANGEs INTO THEIR tyPICAL DAy OR WEEK,” SAID NASCHe.

HoweveR, THE stRATEGIes PATIENts USE to MANAGE THEIr DEPression MUSt beones THEy CAN STICK to. “I tell My

PATIENts tHAT one of THE FIRST tHINGS tHAT we ARE GOING to DO IS fIGURe OUT A HANDful of tools tHAT THEY

ARE WIlLING to USE,” NASCHe SAID.

WHAT to DO IF YOU THINK SOMeone MIGHt be DEPressed.MANY TIMEs, PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSION MIGHt not REALIze THAT THEY ARe AFFecteD; THEY MIGHT THINK THAT THEIr FEELINGS Of SADNEss ARE nORMAl. “THEY

DON’T REAlIZE THAT THEIR FUNCTIONIng COULD notABLY IMPROve,” sAID NASCHE.

TRy TALKING to THIS PERSON AND encOURAGe THEM to GET HELP. EMPHASIZE THAT DEPression IS A MEDICAl coNDITIon.EXPLAIN THAT, JUST LIKe GOING to tHEDOCTOR foR A PHYSICAL eVERY yEAR, IT’s

IMPORTANT to be ASSEsseD by A DOCTOR FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. Let THEM KNOW THAT A MENTAL HEALTH PROfesSIONAL CAN

TALK WITH tHEM ABOUT THEIr eMOTIOns.WHILE DePRESSION IS SERIOUs, IT’s ALSO TREATable. WITH THE HELP Of lovED ONEs,

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GETTIng THROUGH IT MAY be A LITTle EASIER.

MANA G i n g DEP R e SSI O n

DEPRESSIOn IS A DISORDER THAT cAN be RELIABLy DIAGNOSED AND tREATeD In PRIMARY CARE. As OUTlINED IN THE WHO

MHGAP IntERVenTIOn GUIDE, PREFERAbleTREATment OPTIONS cONSIST of bASIC PSYCHOsocial sUPPORt COMBIneD WITH ANTIDEPressant MEDICATIon OR PSYCHOtherapy, SUCH AS COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR tHERApy, INTERPERSONAL

PSYCHOtherapy oR PROBLEM-solVING TREATment. ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIons AND bRIEF, STRUCTUred fORMS OF

PSYCHOtherapy ARE efFECTIve.ANTIDEPRESSANTs CAn be A veRY EFFECTIve FORM Of tREATMENT foR MODeRAte-seveRE DEPRESSION BUt ARe not THE FIRST LINE of tREATment FOR CASES of MILD OR SUb-THRESHOld

DEPression. self-HELP IS AN IMPORTANt APPROACH to HELP PEOPLE WITH DEPression. InnoVATIve APPROACHes INVOLVING SELF-HELP bOOKS OR INTERNEt-

BASED SElf-HELP PROGRAMS HAVe beenSHOWN to HELP IN weSTERN COUNTRIEs

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C ONCL U SI O ns

A CHANGe In MENTALITy HELP A GREAT DEAL IN fIGHTIng DEPression. THE REALISATIon

THAT MENTAL HEAlth IS no DIFFERent THAN PHYSICAL HEAltH WIll cREATE

MIRACLEs In THIS CLOse MINDED SOCIety AFTER THIS RESEArch I HAVe conDUCTED I

CAN conclUDE THAT DEPRESSION IS COMPLETEly CURE ABLe AND THE PERIOD OF SUCH A MENTAL STATE DEPENDS ON THE PERSon’s WIll POWER AND SUPPORT tHEY GET . DEPRESSIOn IS A MENTAL DISORDeR WHICH IS PERvasive IN THE wORLD AND Affects US ALl. UnlIKe OTHER INTERNATIonal

PROBLEMS THE SOLUTIOn IS IN HAND.

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REFERENCES

www . BRIT A n i ca . com

www . MED I caln e ws t ODAY.C O M

HTTPS: / /l i fesig n sb l OG . COM

www . I N SI D ER. C o M

www . PSY C OM. C OM

www . SIMP L YPSYCH O l o GY . ORG

www . WEBMD.C O M

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THANK YOU

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