In the New England Journal of Medicine, an article in the psychiatry section was published discussing the possibility of depression as a prodromal or early sign of Alzheimer’s. Dr. Farley discusses this entry, explaining that mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar result from improper function within the brain. They are essentially just a symptom of continuous breakages inside the brain, and possibly a warning for what is to come. As the brain continues to degenerate, these symptoms may worsen, eventually becoming things like Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease, or Parkinson’s. If one only looks to manage these symptoms with drugs, not looking to fix the root functional cause, things won’t get better; it is critical that one looks into the biological cause of why their brain isn’t functioning properly to fix it. Dr. Farley also describes the implications of other common problems resulting from neurodegeneration, such as depression leading to lack of motivation and insomnia. To learn more about how neurodegeneration can manifest in its early years, watch this video now.
