[Health Tip] Anxious New Year... Causes and Treatments of 'New Year Depression'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Not everyone welcomes the New Year with anticipation and excitement. Many also experience excessive stress due to burdens and anxiety. For those who spend the beginning of the year feeling depressed, 'New Year Depression' is a mental illness that must be overcome.

According to the National Interest Disease Statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on the 14th, the number of depression patients in 2021 was 910,785, a 14.3% increase compared to 796,364 in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of patients last year is expected to reach 1 million.

Major depressive disorder, commonly called depression, is characterized by symptoms such as feelings of sadness and loss of interest. It causes various physical and mental problems and negatively affects social life. The probability of experiencing major depressive disorder at least once in a lifetime is known to be about 5-10% for men and 10-25% for women.

Medically, depression is not only a temporary mood change but a state of mental function decline in various areas such as thinking, interest, motivation, appetite, sleep, and physical activity. When depression persists almost daily and all day long, it is considered abnormal. The causes of depression are related to abnormalities in various neurotransmitters including serotonin, hormones, changes in biological rhythms, and genetic factors accounting for about 40-50%.

Oh Jong-su, a psychiatrist at H Plus Yangji Hospital, explained, "Stress cannot be said to directly cause major depressive disorder, but it can be an environmental factor that influences it. Personality aspects also affect it, leading to cognitive negative perceptions of oneself, the world, and the future, which can result in depressive disorder."

Depressed moods are also influenced by seasons. Seasonal depression involves experiencing depression during certain periods of specific seasons. Many patients with depressive disorders complain of fatigue in autumn and winter and exhibit symptoms such as overeating and oversleeping. This is presumed to be related to decreased sunlight exposure.

Treatments for depression include medication, psychotherapy, and cognitive therapy. Most major depressive disorders do not recover with psychotherapy or cognitive therapy alone, so antidepressants are used. Generally, treatment response to antidepressants requires more than four weeks, so continuous treatment is necessary. Additionally, hospitalization may be required if there is a high risk of suicide or accompanying psychotic symptoms.

Dr. Oh advised, "In psychiatry, major depressive disorder is diagnosed by considering the severity and frequency of various symptoms such as depression, loss of interest, weight loss or gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, agitation, feelings of worthlessness, decreased concentration, and thoughts of death. If these symptoms recur regularly, it is important to receive an accurate diagnosis and treatment from a specialist."