Ways To Deal With Depression When You Have A Hormone Imbalance

Today we know that many diseases and conditions are not as simple as we once thought they were. They often have complex relationships, and although the symptoms point to one thing, the root cause can be an entirely different problem. Hormone imbalances and depression work the same way.

About six to 11 percent of Americans suffer from depression, and depression on its own is often challenging to treat. Depression that is caused by a hormone imbalance can make it even harder, as some causes of hormone imbalance, such as hypothyroidism, have more subtle symptoms that doctors can overlook. You may want to ask your doctor to check whether your symptoms indicate a hormone imbalance if you believe you are depressed.

Depression is a frequently-misunderstood illness. Despite being imagined as "just feeling sad", it is much more than that. The feelings are persistent and interfere with daily life. Symptoms of depression can include:

• Feeling sad and empty
• Loss of interest in activities previously found enjoyable
• Over or under-eating
• Not sleeping, or sleeping too much
• Feeling tired and hopeless
• Aches, pains, or cramps
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Chronic stress: What is it?

When you think stress, it's easy to believe that it's something that happens in the head or that it only affects your body while you have something stressful happening to you. Hey, stress is even good sometimes; it can help motivate you to study or run to safety. However, long-term stress, or chronic stress, can have a dangerous effect on your body. For some, it may not register that they have chronic stress because they never return to that "normal" state.

Stress has wide-reaching effects on the body; it's not just losing a little sleep at night. For example, when someone finds themselves in a very stressful situation, the body may suppress normal bodily functions like sleeping and digestion. Some may deal with digestive problems, some may get headaches and have trouble sleeping, whereas others might experience sadness and become quick to anger.

Some symptoms of chronic stress are:

• Constipation or diarrhea
• Forgetfulness
• Headaches and aches
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Lack of focus
• Weight loss or gain
• Sexual issues

Unsurprisingly, another symptom of chronic stress is depression, and one of the main hormones released when we're in a stressful situation is a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol helps fight infection, respond to stress, and regulate metabolism and blood. Both chronic stress and depression have links to higher cortisol levels and to lower cortisol levels.

Chronic stress: The treatment options

If you have chronic stress and depression, you should speak to your doctor about your treatment options, which may include:

• Getting proper exercise, as working out can improve your mood and lower stress
• A relaxing activity such as yoga or tai chi, as well as things like "relaxation techniques" that focus on proper breathing and pleasant thoughts.
• Setting goals and focusing on what you've accomplished, rather than what hasn't been
• Keeping proper relationships with friends and family; they can provide emotional support

Other diseases affect cortisol levels as well, and have a similar relation to depression and hormones. These include Addison's disease, where you produce too little cortisol, and Cushing's syndrome, where you produce too much cortisol. Addison's disease can be fatal and requires taking hormone pills indefinitely. Cushing's syndrome is usually solved by finding the cause, often either a tumor or another medical treatment administering too much cortisol.

Hypothyroidism: What it is and how to treat it?

Just above the meeting of the collarbones, at the front of the neck, there is a small butterfly-shaped gland called the thyroid gland. The thyroid has a vital part in controlling the body's metabolism, or how it uses energy. It does this using two hormones called the "thyroid hormones." As you can imagine, this is an important job for one small gland to be responsible for. Thus, hypothyroidism, where the body doesn't create enough of these hormones, can have drastic effects on the body. Some symptoms are:

• Constipation
• Feeling cold
• Fatigue
• Joint or muscle pain
• Brittle hair and fingernails

Hypothyroidism can also cause depression. The causes of this condition range from immune system issues, a viral infection, or congenital disabilities, to surgery or pregnancy. If you recognize the symptoms, always seek medical attention — managing it without proper medication isn't possible.

The treatment for this condition is to replace the hormone that your body is missing. A doctor will typically run a number of blood tests to discover the correct dose and brand to treat your hypothyroidism with. The most common is levothyroxine, which replaces one of the thyroid hormones. Another option is liothyronine that replaces the other thyroid hormone, but because it's eliminated from the body more quickly, it's used much less. Lastly, a doctor may recommend liotrix, which combines both hormones into a single supplement but has the risk of raising the levels of those hormones too high.

What to do when you have hypo- or hyperparathyroidism

Very similar to hypothyroidism, this condition affects the parathyroid glands. They sound similar, and that's because they're pea-sized glands right behind the thyroid gland. Hyperparathyroidism is when the parathyroid glands are too active, hypoparathyroidism is when they're underactive, and it's one of the most common hormonal disorders — 100,000 people develop it each year in the US. Unsurprisingly, they release parathyroid hormone (PTH), which controls the balance of calcium in your body.

The symptoms of hyperparathyroidism are:

• Muscle weakness
• Fatigue
• Aches and pains in bones and joints
• Depression.

It can also have several other side effects like weakened bones and kidney stones.

Hypoparathyroidism symptoms are:

• Hair loss
• Dry skin
• Yeast infections
• Poor tooth development
• And many side effects, such as painful spasms and tingling.

Hypoparathyroidism can also cause depression.

If any of that sounds familiar, always talk to your doctor. Hypoparathyroidism, for example, requires blood tests to make sure the calcium and vitamin D levels are maintained. The treatment for Hyperparathyroidism is surgery to remove the overactive gland, or a medicine named cinacalcet if surgery isn't possible. It decreases the amount of PTH the glands make. Another medication may be prescribed in cases of bone density loss.

Hypoparathyroidism is treated with calcium and vitamin D supplements to restore a "normal" level of calcium in the blood. Vitamin D supplements are important because they help the body absorb calcium.

How to cope with menopause and pregnancy

Menopause and pregnancy both have hormonal components, so it's no surprise these hormones can have negative aspects to them. Postpartum depression is depression that appears after pregnancy. It may affect seven to 13 percent of new mothers. Many conclude that the decrease in hormones after the baby is born leads to depression, but the cause is not fully understood. Typical symptoms are:

• Sleep disturbances
• Anxiety
• Becoming easily irritated
• Feeling overwhelmed

It's often the intensity of these symptoms, rather than their presence, that determines whether postpartum depression exists. Unlike the others, there isn't a medicinal treatment that directly attempts to cure postpartum depression. Instead, the regular treatments for depression are employed to treat it, such as support groups, peer support, therapy, and antidepressants.

It's somewhat different for menopause. Menopause symptoms can be treated with hormone replacement therapy, but it does have the risk of increasing the chance of blood clots and strokes. It's essential to weigh the options of hormone therapy, antidepressants, or simply trying to treat your depressive symptoms by changing your lifestyle like better stress management and increasing exercise.

As always, talk to your doctor about your symptoms, and the best way to treat them.

Depression: Treatment options beyond hormones

Sometimes, depression doesn't go away when the hormone imbalance is treated, or the treatment for said imbalances takes a long time. Before this, you may have ruled out other conditions with your doctor; if so, it's best then to talk to a psychiatrist or psychologist. The standard treatment for depression comprises of antidepressants; medicines that may help improve how your brain uses or processes certain chemicals. Follow the doctor's instructions when taking antidepressants. If you feel better after taking them, then stop taking them, the symptoms may return.

In addition to medication, depression has several non-medicinal treatments. A common one is talk therapy, where someone talks to a professional about their thoughts and feelings. Other things that may assist in dealing with depression are:

• Becoming more active and exercising
• Attempt to break up large, daunting tasks into smaller more manageable ones
• Spend time with other people, isolating yourself can make depression worse
• Don't become discouraged by depression not disappearing all at once
• Try to postpone important decisions until you are in a more productive state of mind