Depression
Depression affects mood, sleep, energy, thinking and the body; nutrition can support care but does not replace therapy or medical help.
Depression is a disorder in which low mood, loss of interest, fatigue, sleep, appetite and concentration problems persist long enough to impair life. It is not laziness or weak character.
Causes and risk factors include genetics, chronic stress, trauma, thyroid disease, B12 or iron deficiency, medications, alcohol, chronic pain and inflammatory disease.
How It Appears
Besides sadness, irritability, slowing, anxiety, guilt, loss of pleasure, early waking, overeating or loss of appetite, low libido and thoughts of death may occur.
Keto And Mood
Stable glucose and enough protein help some people feel better, but strict dieting during depression may increase control, isolation and deficiencies. Food should support recovery, not become another punishment.
What Helps
Psychotherapy, medication when indicated, sleep, movement, social support, correcting deficiencies and treating underlying disease can help. Supplements do not replace a treatment plan.
When It Is Urgent
Suicidal thoughts, self-harm plans, psychosis, refusal of food or water, rapid worsening and severe insomnia require immediate help.
What To Check Physically
With depressive symptoms, anemia, hypothyroidism, B12 deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, chronic pain, sleep apnea, alcohol and medications may need review. This does not replace therapy, but helps avoid missing physical contributors.
If you have any questions about the term "Depression", you can ask them to AI. Please note, a low-cost OpenAI model is used. It may answer questions about disease treatment with errors!
