I am always in a bad mood. Is it because of depression?

Question: Professor, I have been having a lot of worries lately and I feel very bad. Am I suffering from depression?

A: Depression is related to many factors such as environment, genetics, and emotions. When the secretion of serotonin, dopamine and other substances in the human body is reduced due to various reasons, it is easy to suffer from depression. It is normal to feel depressed temporarily due to troubles in life; if the mood is continuously depressed or there is no pleasure when encountering things worth being happy about, then you should consider whether you are depressed.

1. What is depression?

Depression is a mental illness characterized by low mood and loss of pleasure, accompanied by cognitive impairment, abnormal behavior and autonomic nervous system symptoms.

2. What symptoms should you be alert to?

1. Emotional aspect: When patients are depressed, they will be unhappy, not interested in anything, easily angry, feel useless and helpless, and feel extremely guilty for any small mistake in life. In severe cases, they will feel pessimistic and hopeless, and even have hallucinations.

2. Physiological aspects: Patients may experience insomnia, lack of strength, poor appetite, weight loss (a few may experience weight gain), unexplained body pain, impotence, amenorrhea, nausea, vomiting, palpitations and other symptoms.

3. Cognitive and behavioral aspects: Depressed patients may have poor concentration, memory loss, learning difficulties, suspicion, alienation from relatives and friends, and lack of concern for personal image. In severe cases, they may beat people and destroy things, or even want to commit suicide.

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Editor's note: Depression is not as simple as "bad mood". It is a disease that needs to be treated and treated. Do not blindly take medication. Please seek help from a professional doctor . We should correctly view and understand depression to prevent it from turning into a disease.

Those who suffer from depression are not complaining without reason. If you have a friend who suffers from depression, please accompany him through those dark days if possible. I hope you will love yourself more in the future.

3. What should we do when we feel depressed?

1. Communicate more with others: Communicate more with family and friends, seek help, and try to participate in social activities as much as possible.

2. Healthy diet: Eat more foods rich in vitamin B, Omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, vitamin D, and protein, such as chicken, duck, salmon, saury, walnuts, beans, green vegetables, etc. Avoid stimulating drinks such as coffee and alcohol.

3. Regular work and rest: It is recommended to go to bed before 11 pm and maintain 7-8 hours of sleep a day. Reasonably allocate work and rest time and avoid overwork.

4. Appropriate exercise: It is recommended to do aerobic and gentle exercise, such as walking, Tai Chi, Ba Duan Jin, etc.

Professor Zhang Yan, chief physician, second-level professor, doctoral supervisor, the sixth and seventh batch of mentor teachers of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A famous Chinese medicine practitioner in Liaoning Province, enjoying the State Council subsidy, has been engaged in clinical, scientific research and teaching work for 40 years. He was hired by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine as a "National Science Popularization Expert" and was awarded the title of "National Science and Technology Star" by the Chinese Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine. He is also the president of the Liaoning Medical and Nursing Research Association.

Main indications: Traditional Chinese medicine conditioning for hypertension, coronary heart disease, chronic heart failure, arrhythmia, post-PCI surgery, metabolic heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease, cor pulmonale and sub-healthy people.