Abstract :
Depression is a mood disorder that affects physical and mental health by altering a person’s behaviour, feelings,
and thoughts. Multiple neurotransmitters and part of brain (mainly amygdala, the thalamus and the
hippocampus) are involved with disorder of depression. Main cause of depression is unknown but it may be due to
neurohormonal or neurochemical imbalance. There are two main hypothesis involved in the pathophysiology of
depression that is- monoamine hypothesis and neurotropic hypothesis. According to National Comorbidity Survey,
lifetime prevalence of major depression and dysthymia are 16.9 and 2.5% respectively. Several type of intervention
have been shown to be efficacious in treating depression including pharmacological and non-pharmacological
approaches. Pharmacological approaches include conventional medical therapies and non-pharmacological
approaches include complementary and alternative therapies. Conventional medical treatment involve
antidepressant medications, they are relatively safe and effective for many patient. Electroconvulsive therapy is
particularly effective for the most severe and resistant depressions, but it has some severe side effects on memory
and cognition. There are various complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) like herbal, homeopathic, bright
light therapy, traditional Chinese medication, aromatherapy, physical exercise etc. It was identified that
complementary therapies have less side effects as compared to conventional therapies.
Keywords: Depression, hypothesis, monoamines, serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, antidepressants, CAM.
Keyword :
Depression, hypothesis, monoamines, serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, antidepressants, CAM.