Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan comprehensively discussed the topic of “Depression” on the program “Akla Kapı with Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan” broadcast on Dost TV and Dost FM. Tarhan, speaking about the effects of depression on human health, stated that a significant loss of interest and a decrease in energy are observed in individuals with depression. Tarhan, stating that the greatest danger of depression is functional impairment, also emphasized that it is seen as the disease of the future.
'Individuals with depression experience significant loss of interest and decreased energy'
Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, drawing attention to the main symptoms of depression, stated: "There is clinical depression and non-clinical depression. It is necessary to distinguish between the two. Clinical depression has 8 main symptoms. One of these symptoms is experiencing feelings of sorrow and sadness. That is, experiencing psychological pain within oneself. The second symptom is a decrease in interest and energy in many aspects of life. The inability to feel taste or pleasure from anything. This is called anhedonia. For example, someone who enjoys reading books cannot read. They cannot pick something up and move it from here to there; it feels overwhelming. There is a significant loss of interest and a decrease in energy in the individual."
'They feel themselves in a pitch-black world'
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that individuals with major depression feel themselves in a pitch-black world, said: "In major depression, there is a state of dejection. Subsequently, there is decreased energy and sleep disturbance. Some individuals sleep excessively, while others suffer from insomnia. There is appetite disturbance. Some give themselves to overeating, while others lose their appetite. Forgetfulness occurs. There are attention, focus, and concentration problems. They cannot do something they previously focused on easily. Consequently, the person's brain starts to work slowly. Gastrointestinal disorders occur. Various somatic symptoms appear. They experience bodily discomforts more than ever before. Various pains occur. The person's interest in daily life activities decreases. They do not enjoy daily life. You know how they say the joy of life is lost... So, there is always pessimism over these individuals. There are pessimistic comments about the past, future, and present. They feel themselves in a pitch-black world. This situation occurs beyond their will; it is something out of their control."
'Depressive symptoms can occur in all of us'
Tarhan, stating that everyone can experience depressive symptoms from time to time, said: "Depression can occur in some individuals for no apparent reason, out of the blue. There can be an event that initiates or a factor that triggers depression. If this condition lasts for about 3 days, it is not considered depression; it is called a depressive symptom. Depressive symptoms can occur in all of us from time to time, lasting a few hours and then passing. Statistics show that one-third of a normal population has experienced depressive symptoms in the last year. This is a high rate. If it lasts longer than 15 days, a diagnosis of depression is already made. In that case, it is necessary to see a specialist."
'Brain map is like a fingerprint'
Tarhan, pointing out that brain mapping can be done easily with digitalization, stated: "When 3 months pass after depression, the signal flow, energy flow, and chemical flow in the brain are disrupted. There are four wave groups. Beta waves are fast waves, high frequency. Alpha waves are medium-frequency waves. They occur in healthy individuals. Theta waves are waves during sleep and also waves during rest. They are waves during hypnosis. Delta waves are slow waves. They appear in children and Alzheimer's patients. We measure this in the person's brain. We look at 'Are the right and left brains different?', 'Is the brain rhythm disturbed?', 'What is the harmony of brain waves?' The brain electrogram, the brain map, is like a fingerprint. It is also valid in the literature. Brain EEG is like a fingerprint and is reflected in this map. The map is a convenience brought by digitalization. We can take brain images. When we take them and show the patient their brain, we say, 'Look, this region of your brain cannot communicate.' The left frontal region is related to avoiding pain, sorrow, and grief. The right frontal region is related to orienting towards pleasure and enjoyment. We say, 'The two are not working harmoniously.'"
'The greatest danger of depression is causing functional impairment'
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, emphasizing that individuals with depression walk around like living dead, stated: "Minor depression is the group that can be corrected with advice and does not require medication. That is, a brief depressive mood. When someone comes to us, for example, we ask, 'In the last month, did you feel good more often, or did you feel bad more often?' If they say, 'I felt bad a lot,' we evaluate that as dysthymia. A depressive disposition. That is, the person is lively and cheerful for 3-4 hours of the day, and depressive for 3-4 hours. Such individuals have low energy and are unwilling. In other words, the greatest danger of depression is causing functional impairment. The person's work efficiency decreases, their interest in children lessens, and they constantly sleep. Washing a dish or climbing stairs feels overwhelming. That is, the person walks around like a living dead."
'It is seen as the disease of the future'
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, mentioning that suicide rates also increase with depression, said: "Individuals with depression detach from life. Consequently, there is a tremendous job loss and productivity loss at work. That is why it is seen as the disease of the future. As it becomes globally widespread, productivity decreases. Work efficiency drops. Functional impairment occurs. People become unable to work. That is why the World Health Organization sent suicide prevention projects to all parliaments worldwide. In other words, suicides are rapidly increasing. Currently, this issue is rapidly growing as a global problem."
'Social support is a part of treatment'
Tarhan, pointing out that 70% of clinical depression improves with medication and therapy, stated: "Social support is a part of treatment. Treatment has three parts. First, biological treatment, which means correcting brain chemistry. Second, therapies. Correcting the person's wrong thoughts, value judgments, perceptions, and thought errors that lead them to depression. During the therapy process, when you find and correct the thought errors that lead them to depression, or find and correct their old traumas, the person is prevented from falling into depression again. 70% of clinical depression improves with medication and therapy. This 30% resists treatment. They improve with personalized treatments."