Shelby Bradford in The Scientist:
Worldwide, more than 330 million people have depression, with major depressive disorder representing one of the most common psychiatric disorders in clinics. Up to 30 percent of these patients don’t have improved mood after trying two different medications, at which point their provider may consider their condition to be treatment-resistant depression.1
In addition to altered mood, people with depression also often experience physiological symptoms, such as sleep problems, digestive disorders, and changes to their blood pressure or heart rate. However, these symptoms also occur when the autonomic nervous system, responsible for maintaining normal bodily functions through the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, is dysfunctional. Dysregulation in this system can lead to oxidative stress that can strain mitochondria and decrease cardiac function, reducing proper blood circulation.
More here.
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