Vitamin D and depression: A unique relation

Many people have become victim to depression. The person suffering from depression feels many negative feelings like sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness and so on. It’s like the person is suddenly attacked with all the negative feelings which starts to affect his/her behavior, thoughts and feelings. It causes many reactions like loss of appetite, concentration problem, suicidal tendencies, insomnia etc. Recently, the number of people suffering from depression has increased a lot. It may be due to current lifestyle, family problems, emotional trauma, use of some medications etc. Many researchers have found the deficiency of Vitamin D is one of those causes of depression. They have been able to prove that Vitamin D and depression are connected to each other.
The decrease in amount of monoamines in the brain causes depression in people. The consumption of Vitamin D increases the amount of monoamines and cures depression. The most important source of Vitamin D is the sun. There are many factors that affect our ability to absorb the sunlight or other sources of this vitamin. So, let’s have a look at some of the ways by which you can overcome these factors and take benefit of the ‘sunshine’ vitamin to cure depression.Go outside:

If you want to absorb the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, then go outside. If you expect to absorb sunlight by sitting inside the car or home, then you will be greatly disappointed because the vitamin cannot penetrate through glass. So, to overcome this factor that affects your ability to absorb sunlight, you need to go outside and have fun.

Take vitamin D supplements if you are using sunscreen:

Sunscreen blocks almost 95% of sunlight. Thus your body will not be able to absorb the important properties of sunlight and as a result you might face distress. Even low SPF sunscreen affects your absorption power. But, you need the sunscreen to protect yourself from harmful rays of sunlight. So, to solve this problem you should take vitamin D supplements. Thus the sunscreen will protect you from sun’s harmful rays and the supplements will maintain the amount of vitamin D in your body.

Dark skinned people needs more exposure to sunlight:

The absorption power of dark skinned people and light skinned people is very different. The dark skinned people need 25 times more exposure to the sunlight than the light skinned ones. This is because the dark skin hinders the absorption process. So, if you have dark skin then you should look forward to more exposure and supplements to take benefit of the sunshine vitamin.

Contact your doctor for Vitamin D prescriptions:

You should use the Vitamin D supplements only after referring your doctor. Any kind of supplements and medications should be used only after the doctor provides you with prescriptions. So, if you need high amount of Vitamin D then you should contact your doctor for the prescription.
You should never ignore the deep relationship between Vitamin D and depression. This vitamin could actually save you from the distress, sadness, pessimism, misery and sorrow. You can absorb this vitamin directly from sunlight or you can consume it through foods like fish, eggs, milk etc.

About Dysthymia / Chronic Depression / Mild Depression

Dysthymia goes by many names, including neurotic depression, “mild” depression, dysthymic disorder, and chronic depression. It is one of the two main kinds of clinical depression, and is two times more likely to occur in women than in men. It often goes untreated, because its symptoms tend to be milder than those of more serious forms of depression, as well as the fact that sufferers of this form of depression can usually function fairly normally in society, despite their symptoms. The information and our questions below are not meant as a tool for you to perform a self-diagnosis, and to then self-treat your symptoms. However, they can provide you with some insight as to whether you or someone you know might be suffering from dysthymia. If you are not sure whether it is necessary to see a doctor or counselor for your symptoms, it is likely best for you to err on the side of caution and seek professional advice, as it may be more applicable your particular situation.

How Niacin Is Used In The Body

Niacinamide, the form that is often used in the treatment of depression, is made from niacin. When the body has more niacin than it needs, it converts the left over amounts to niacinamide. Both are easily dissolved in water and are well-absorbed by the body when taken by mouth.
Both of these forms are required for the proper breakdown and absorption of fats and sugars in the body, and allows for the maintenance of healthy cells. Niacin and niacinamide can have different effects at high does. Niacin can help people with heart disease because of its effects on clotting. It also can improve the levels of triglycerides, a form of cholesterol, while niacinamide has no beneficial effect on these two factors.
Because it the many benefits and actions of niacin and niacinamide in the body, both of these forms have been used to treat conditions such as migraine headaches, dizziness, diabetes and some skin conditions.

Situational Depression

Do you sometime feel depressed during certain times of the month? Or do you find certain situations where you lose someone special in your life from separation, divorce, death or accident where you are not even involved. Moreover, you get depressed by loss of a job or demotion, financial loss or failure to meet certain goals. This means that you are suffering from situational depression which is caused by the risky situations or the circumstances one going through. The nature of the situation can cause it to last for a long or short time. For example, if you lose a spouse or sibling, the resulting depression may take, weeks, months or even years to overcome. On the other hand, short lived depressing situations like failing a job interview will last for only few days or weeks and you get over them.

Symptoms or cause
They vary from person to person. For example, people who are less concerned about their family and friends will be seldom bothered by their death or disappearance. In the same way, people who are rich or have various sources of income are least likely to suffer from situational depression when they suffer financial loss. Thus the symptoms depend on how a person handles a bad situation. People with this condition may experience low motivation for accomplishing tasks and may suffer from other conditions like forgetfulness and insomnia. When one notices that another is continuously suffering from the above symptoms, you should take action to ensure that you bring the person to a healthier state.

How to recover from situational depression 
When you are depressed by the loss of a loved one, it is not easy to get over the loss. To forget this unfortunate situation, you need to keep yourself busy with other activities that will help relax your mind. You can do physical exercises like jogging for one hour everyday or playing squash thrice per week to remove the pent up anger in your mind. Other activities like gardening or listening to soothing music can go a long way to relax your mind.

When it comes to failure of goals, develop a positive mindset about life since there is always a next chance in every failed trial. Set achievable goals and avoid stressing yourself with the likely outcomes. Do not let you mind be clouded by negative feelings.

When the problem persists you should consider visiting a medical practitioner to find out if you may be suffering from a medical disorder. If this is not the case then the doctor can refer you to a counseling center for counseling sessions. Some experts believe that one needs medication to overcome depression while other suggests that a combination of medication and therapy will produce positive results. As a result some researchers have concluded that the best treatment must involve psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. The most important thing is to trust your doctor or counselor. The person administering the treatment should have compassion, human touch and kindness to ensure the patient is at ease and ready to overcome the bad situation.