Depression

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(vii)      Obesity – A recent study of 40,000 Americans concluded that obese adults were upto twice as likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions as normal weight adults. In addition, even moderately overweight people had elevated rates of anxiety disorders. Moreover due to stigma attached to obesity, obese people tend to avoid socialising because of the fear of being ridiculed and may feel lonely and depressed.

(viii)    Sedentary Lifestyle – Sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise causes less blood supply to the brain which can impair brain functions and lead to depression. Aerobic exercises will improve the ability of your heart, lungs and circulatory system to carry oxygen to the brain and throughout the body. Also the release of endorphins and certain brain neurotransmitters that occur during exercise/play can bring about a sense of joy and overall well-being.

(ix)        Drugs and Drinking – People who take drugs and alcohol are more prone to depression. When these substances are used at a young age, they can affect a person’s brain in negative ways. These substances help make the person feel good temporarily, but in most cases, people become addicted and depressed.

          Drugs release dopamine in the pleasure centre of the brain. For example: delicious food boosts dopamine release by about 50 percent. Sex, on the other hand, doubles this number. However, drugs can increase dopamine release anywhere from four to ten times. This unnatural high almost certainly leads to depression after the high goes away. Taking drugs is the surest way to fry brain circuitry.

Drugs make a person depressed more than it makes him happy. This effect will spiral downward until the person doing drugs will want more and more of the substance to break the cycle of depression that follows each high and so the addiction is born. The excessive and indiscriminate use of drugs also leads to faulty assimilation of vitamins and minerals by the body and ultimately causes depression. The use of aspirin leads to deficiencies of vitamin C and antacids can cause deficiencies of calcium and vitamin B. The ‘coffee culture’ among the young complicates things further. Getting hooked to caffeine while skipping meals depresses further. Excessive intake of caffeine and artificial sweeteners are responsible for creating behavioural problems, doubling anxiety levels.