Anxiety & Depression I

Anxiety disorder is a mental health condition associated with worry, nervousness, fear and panic. These characteristics can interfere with your daily activities.

Depression on the other hand is a mood disorder that leads to an endless feeling of sadness and apathy. It affects your daily activities and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical consequences.

Anxiety disorders and depression are different but people with depression always experience symptoms similar to anxiety disorders. Anxiety may also occur as a symptom of depression. Anxiety disorders may trigger mood disorders which will eventually lead to depression.

Causes

Mainstream scientific publications have classified the causes of depression and anxiety as follows:

Genetic causes

Scientific studies deduce that depression is more common in people whose blood relatives suffered anxiety disorder or depression however the researchers are still trying to identify the genes for depression.

Brain neurotransmitters

Studies have reported that changes in the function and activity of neurotransmitters in the brain interfere with their interaction in the brain neurocircuits. These altered interactions distort mood stability leading to anxiety disorders and depression.

Brain neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin send messages from one nerve cell to the other creating a smooth pathway for mood stabilization.

Hormones

Scientific publications indicate that a change in the hormonal cycle and their specific reception triggers a series of anxiety and mood disorders. Studies have reported that men with low levels of Testosterone hormone tend to experience anxiety disorders and depression. Chronic release of stress hormone cortisol also leads to episodes of mood disorder and other symptoms associated with depression.

Brain Degeneration

There is noted evidence of clear brain degeneration and the presence of organic lesions in the brains of people with depression. Studies have not understood how this happens but conclude that changes in the brain tissues can lead to depression. People with Alzheimer's or other degenerative conditions of the brain tend to suffer depression.

The four causes mentioned above can be described as the internal factors that lead to anxiety disorders and depression.

But, could there be external factors that lead to a distortion of the internal environment which then lead to depression?

Men and women have different capacities in responding to chronic stress. Men have testosterone hormone which builds a strong masculine frame for them to withstand chronic exposure to stress. Women on the other hand have a set of female hormones like estrogen which have designed them differently from men when dealing with stress exposure.

Testosterone hormone builds a man's frame hence protecting him from succumbing to the consequences of chronic exposure to stress,

It is worth noting that men are born without any value therefore their entire life is about creating value. Women are born with value therefore they entirely live to preserve this value.

If a man fails to create value, he becomes stagnant, this stagnation exposes him to a string of stress that will eventually distort his moods and consequently anxiety and depression.

Listed below are six external factors that predispose men to anxiety and depression.

The 6 Ds of depression in men:

Diseases

Diet

Dopamine/drugs

Debts

Deviation

Death

Diseases

Acute and chronic illnesses put so much stress on the body organs and tissues this leads to pain, fear and mood disorders. When the body is diseased, it undergoes a process called inflammation which triggers the release of certain chemicals and enzymes to assist in healing. Chronic exposure to inflammation leads to distortion of several pathways that protect the neural circuits. The function of these circuits is to stabilize moods. The distortion of these circuits may lead to long term mental consequences like depression.

Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that the brain uses to send messages from one nerve cell to the other. This brain molecule is involved in making us feel pleasure as part of the brain reward system.

By continuously triggering the release of dopamine through different means, the brain becomes tolerant to such stimulation leading to resistance of dopamine receptors.

As a result, the brain craves for a stronger stimulant to experience the same sensation of pleasure. This, therefore, leads to addiction.

Examples of activities that distort dopamine receptors are

Drugs and alcohol

Gambling

Masturbation

Pornography

Video games

Sugar and processed carbohydrates

Sex

Constant stimulation of dopamine can lead to the impairment of your ability to maintain moods and therefore lead to anxiety disorder and depression.

Diet

Our nutrition plays a significant role in our general wellness. A poor diet interferes with our metabolic machinery and hormonal circuits. Studies have indicated that a diet of sugar, processed carbs and refined cereals are associated with depression.

Unhealthy diets of processed carbs and sugar lead to obesity which is another cause of depression.

Studies have also revealed that the diets of depressed people do not have adequate nutrients. They make poor food choices and select food that may contribute to dopamine resistance, serotonin failure and eventually depression.

Debts

Data from CDC shows that depression increases as family income lowers. Having financial challenges can increase episodes of anxiety and depression. During depression, it becomes incredibly difficult to focus on budgeting or taking the necessary steps to financial management,

Debts and depression are Siamese twins that operate in a cyclical symbiotic manner.

Deviation

As discussed above a man’s purpose is to endlessly provide value for himself and his community. If he loses focus then he loses direction and becomes stagnant. This stagnation opens a pathway for fear, panic, worry and later on depression.

Death

Death as an external factor of depression in men can be viewed in two aspects

Death of a relationship e.g. loss of work or divorce

Death of a loved one

Death of a relationship implies that if a relationship with a loved one ends either through a divorce or a breakup, or loss of work which leads to unemployment, it can lead to a series of mental processes that will eventually mutate into anxiety disorders and eventually depression.

On the other end, the death of a loved one either a parent, a child, a wife, a friend or a relative can trigger a chain of mood instabilities which leads to depression.

In the next blog post "ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION II: ", I will write about antidepressants, the untruths and the best approach a man can follow to unshackle himself from depression and antidepressants.

Thank you for reading.