Contents:
- Medical Video: Depression Symptoms & Help : What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Depression?
- Women are more prone to depression, but depression in men can be more severe
- This is what happens to the brain during depression
- Depression in young men and women affects different parts of the brain
- Handling the right sex
Medical Video: Depression Symptoms & Help : What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Depression?
Depression in adolescents can occur due to various causes, usually due to the influence of social media, worries about not ideal posture, being a victim of bullying, or due to decreased academic problems.
But apparently, depression has a different influence on young men and women. One reason is because women are more prone to depression than men. The study found that adolescents aged 15 years were more likely to be depressed than men because of genetic factors, hormonal fluctuations, or because the desire to get an ideal body shape.
Sex differences not only influence different depression, but also on the level of depression and its effects. So, how does depression affect young men and women? Continue reading the following reviews.
Women are more prone to depression, but depression in men can be more severe
According to Jie-Yu Chuang of the University of Cambridge, the severity of depression in men is higher than that of women. Because, men are more likely to suffer from continuous depression (dysthymia), whereas in women tend to be more episodic or appear at any time.
Dysthymia or persistent depressive disorder is a mood disorder that persists almost every day, while episodic depression only occurs at certain times. Because it is classified as severe depression, depression in young men can be fatal, such as falling into certain substance abuse and even suicide.
This is what happens to the brain during depression
Depression is a mood disorder that not only affects the way of thinking, taste, or behavior, but also the function of your brain. In general, the depressive condition affects three main parts of the brain, the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex, and the amygdala.
The hippocampus in the brain is responsible for regulating cortisol levels, hormones released during depression physically or mentally. In sufferers of depression, this cortisol level rises sharply causing the mood to become irregular even causing memory problems.
This excessive level of cortisol also makes the prefrontal cortex shrink, which is the area of the brain involved in regulating emotions and making decisions. In addition, depression can also enlarge the amygdala which creates pleasure and fear. That is why depressed people tend to feel afraid and unstable in terms of emotions.
Depression in young men and women affects different parts of the brain
A study found that depression affects the brains of young men and women in different parts. This was shown in a study involving 82 young women and 24 young men who were depressed, compared with 24 female adolescents and 10 normal male adolescents who were overall aged 11 to 18 years.
Researchers try to explore how depression situations respond to happy and sad words given, then the response is measured using MRI. So what happens to the brain?
Apparently, depressed young men experience a decrease in activity in the cerebellum, whereas this does not occur in women. In addition, there are two parts of the brain that respond differently to young men and women who are depressed
This difference in brain activity occurs in the supramarginal and posterior cingulate gyrus. Supramarginal Gyrus are parts of the brain involved in language perception and processing. While the posterior cingulate is a brain area that is sensitive to pain and episodic memory retrieval. Unfortunately, it is not known exactly how these two brain regions play a role in the occurrence of depression.
Handling the right sex
So far, handling depression has been given in general, without discriminating between men and women. Even though it has not been studied further what kind of treatment can be done, at least you can see from the nature of men and women.
Compared to women who are depressed, men tend to think more about themselves in times of depression. So, it is likely the right way is to encourage them to blend more and actively engage in social activities to reduce depression.
Meanwhile, women who tend to be sensitive and closed can be encouraged by giving support from the people around them to regain their self-confidence. So this is expected to minimize the risk of depression severity before it gets worse.
