Depression and Mood Swings
What is depression?
Depression is a psychotropic disorder characterized by:
- lowering or mood
- reduced energy and activity
- reduced capacity for enjoyment
- reduced self esteem and self confidence
- reduced concentration and marked tiredness after minimum effort
- disturbed sleep
- changes in appetite (diminished or increased)
- feelings of guilt and worthlessness
- recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
- any suicidal behavior
How does menopause cause depression and mood swings?
Depression and mood swings are menopause symptom. The imbalance of hormones caused by menopause can affect the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Disturbances in serotonin can cause depression and mood swings. Serotonin influences:
- mood
- sleep
- appetite
- sex drive
How is depression treated?
Traditional medicine uses drugs that affect serotonin to treat depression. An example is a group of drugs called “Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors”, or SSRIs.
Natural therapies for depression and mood swings include:
- St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
- Vitamin B complex with Magnesium
- S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e)
St John’s Wort is a popular herbal supplement that is used for the treatment of:
- depression
- anxiety
- nervous tension
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- menopause related anxiety
- abnormal sleep patterns
St John’s Wort should not be used in conjunction with any other medication, in particular, antidepressant medication unless prescribed and supervised by your physician.
Vitamin B complex in conjunction with magnesium can help your body to deal with the physical and emotional stress associated with depression.
S-adenosylmethionine, or SAM-e for short, is a compound that is naturally produced in our bodies. It is naturally used by our bodies to manufacture joint cartilage and to maintain neural cell membrane function. SAM-e supplements are therefore useful for the treatment of osteoarthritis and depression.
Drug free measures should also be considered to improve depression. Exercise increases endorphin production and release from the brain. Increased endorphins can have a positive effect on mood. Improvement may take several months but is usually significant. Exercise also has other positive health effects such as prevention of weight gain.