We are the combination of four hospitals: the General Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, the Women’s Hospital and the Traumatology, Rehabilitation and Burns Hospital. We are part of the Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus: a world-leading health park where healthcare plays a crucial role.
Patients are the centre and the core of our system. We are professionals committed to quality care and our organizational structure breaks down the traditional boundaries between departments and professional groups, with an exclusive model of knowledge areas.
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The commitment of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital to innovation allows us to be at the forefront of medicine, providing first class care adapted to the changing needs of each patient.
Depression is a mental health disorder that goes beyond temporary sadness and has a significant impact on people’s lives. It affects mood, thinking, the body, and the ability to enjoy daily life.
Sadness is a normal emotion. We speak of depression when this sadness is more intense, persistent, and accompanied by other symptoms, such as loss of interest or physical and cognitive changes. It is a common condition, over a lifetime, between 10% and 15% of the population may experience it.
Depression may present with a combination of emotional, physical and cognitive symptoms:
In more severe cases, thoughts of death or suicide may appear and require immediate attention.
Depression can affect anyone, regardless of age, from children and adolescents to adults and older people. It is more common in women, but men seek help less often and may have a higher risk of severe behaviours, such as suicide.
Other risk factors include:
Diagnosis is based on a clinical assessment by mental health professionals. You should seek help when:
Symptoms last more than two or three weeks They affect your daily life There is a general loss of interest Thoughts of suicide appear
Currently, a significant proportion of people with depression remain undiagnosed, so it is very important to consult a specialist as early as possible.
Treatment for depression is multidisciplinary and may include psychotherapy (for example, cognitive behavioural therapy), pharmacological treatment (antidepressants), or newer treatments in specific cases, such as drugs acting on the glutamatergic pathway (intranasal esketamine).
In more severe or treatment-resistant cases, neurostimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation may be used, or electroconvulsive therapy in very severe cases, which has high efficacy.
More than 90% of people respond positively to treatment.
Some factors may help reduce the risk:
The most important protective factor is having social relationships and emotional support.
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