Stress and depression

Did you know that feeling overwhelmed by the stressors and pressures of modern life can lead to depression? Put simply, one stressful event after another - losing your job, worrying about a sick loved one, moving and leaving behind a strong social network - can accumulate and trigger depression. In fact, depression is one of the most common responses to adversity. I sat down with psychiatrist Dr. Charles Raison, from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, to get more information about the stress-depression connection and to find out what we can do about it.

1) Warning signs. Often, the first signs of depression brought on by a stressful lifestyle manifest themselves physically. Here is a list of warning signs that might surprise you: sleep issues (either trouble sleeping or sleeping too much), experiencing aches and pains, getting sick often, loss of appetite and problems going to the bathroom. Some people say they feel worried all of the time or are constantly exhausted.

2) Don't hesitate. Raison strongly recommends that people seek treatment right away because – generally speaking - the sooner the treatment, the better the outcome. In essence, depression is a disorder in which there is too much activity in brain and body pathways that release a lot of "hot" chemicals - chemicals that are very good for helping us survive a stressful situation, but damage our bodies and minds if we are constantly exposed to them because of continued stress.

3) What's best for you? Traditional treatment generally falls into two categories: medication, such as anti-depressants, and talk therapy. Some patients take anti-depressants only, some take these medicines in conjunction with talk therapy and some undergo talk therapy without drugs.

4) Get healthy. Making healthy lifestyle choices has also been shown to provide relief for depression and is often used in addition to the traditional therapies. In fact getting healthy is one of the best ways to prevent depression as well. Raison advises his patients to: get regular exercise, follow a healthy diet, not smoke, drink alcohol in moderation (if you do drink) and, most importantly, keep stress to a minimum. The benefits of exercise have shown promise in recent studies, as has daily meditation.

And finally, Dr. Raison encourages people to stay socially connected. Spending time with friends and loved ones can help cushion the effects of stress and play a role in keeping us on track so that modern day stressors don’t trigger depression.

Health Minute airs daily on HLN from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET weekdays.