The blues, blahs, and a general malaise commonly refer to the feelings some people exhibit during certain portions of the year, particularly in the winter months. General complaints include: The weather gets to me, I always get this way this time of year, or I just do not like this time of year. The condition, once deemed the winter blues, now identifies as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD sufferers experience depressive episodes during certain portions of the year. Once considered a winter condition, SAD now appears to occur in both the winter and the summer with the symptomology varying from season to season. Sakamoto et al. (1995) conducted a longitudinal follow-up study of 41 individuals affected by SAD, with the mean follow-up period being 10.4 years. Sakamoto et al. hoped to determine if the study participants exhibited “patterns of recurrent depression” (p. 862) and if “atypical vegetative symptoms could predict future seasonal relapses” (p. 862); the researchers believed that such symptoms indicated future relapses. Sakamoto et al. also hoped to identify factors as to why study participants experienced alterations in the seasonal pattern of their depressive episodes. The research conducted by Sakamoto and her partners falls into the core area of abnormal behavior, more specifically, the areas of individual differences and mood disorders. Sakamoto et al.’s findings appear consistent with their stated objectives. A review of Sakamoto et al.’s study, “A Longitudinal Follow-up Study of Seasonal Affective Disorder,” shows that the researchers identified three reasons for the study. Sakamoto et al. (1995) hoped to “evaluate the long-term stability of a seasonal pattern of recurrent depression, identify possible factors a... ... middle of paper ... ...ww.aafp.org/afp/1998/0315/p1340.html. Sakamoto, K., Nakadaira, S., Kamo, K., Kamo, T., & Takahashi, K. (1995). A longitudinal follow-up study of seasonal affective disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 152(6), 862-868. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220449064?accountid=458. Takahashi, K., Asano, Y., Kohsaka, M., Okawa, M., Sasaki, M., Honda, Y., Higuchi, T., Yamazaki, J., Ishikuza, Y., Kawaguchi, K., Ohta, T., Hanada, K., Sugita, Y., Maeda, K., Nagayama, H., Kotorii, T., Egashira, K., & Takahashi, S. (1991). Multi-center study of seasonal affective disorders in Japan: a preliminary report. Journal of Affective Disorders, 21(1), 57-65. Targum, S.D., & Rosenthal, N. (2008). Seasonal affective disorder. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 5(5), 31-33. Retrieved February 15, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686645/.
"Depression." NMH - Depression. National Institute of Mental Health. 1, 3. Web. 6 April 2014.
Depression is an illness within itself that affects the “whole body”. (Staywell,1998) The body, feelings, thoughts, and behavior are all immensely altered when someone is depressed. It is not a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be wished or willed away. For some people depression is just temporary, but for others it can last for weeks, months and even years.
Williamson, J. S. (2008). Depression. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 88(1), 18-18, 24. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/235187495?accountid=27965
Seasonal Affective Disorder is a disorder which causes depression in winter and aforementioned depression subsides during the summer, or the opposite. It follows a seasonal pattern, so remember to keep that in mind if you ever come across symptoms, which is very possible, being as it affects six percent of all Americans. Seasonal Affective disorder affects people in the same way as depression does, and even has similar, or even common symptoms; changes in sleeping patterns, general fatigue, loss of pleasure, difficulty focusing, and thoughts of death or suicide. This seasonal disorder is a major deficit to our youth and to people of a mature age, as such; it is imperatively important that the public is educated on this affliction that affects so many.
Kaiser, Niclas, et al. "Depression and anxiety in the reindeer-herding Sami population of Sweden." International journal of circumpolar health 69.4 (2010).
Depression can take several other forms. In bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic-depressive illness, a person’s mood swings back and forth between depression and mania. People with seasonal affective disorder typically suffer from depression only during autumn and winter, when there are fewer hours of daylight. In dysthymia , people feel depressed, have low self-esteem, and concentrate poorly most of the time—often for a period of years—but their symptoms are milder than in major depression. Some people with dysthymia experience occasional episodes of major depression. Mental health professionals use the term clinical depression to refer to ...
...al medical condition such as hypothyroidism. The six type of depression is the seasonal affective disorder (SAD), in this disorder people are afflicted by depression during different seasons or times of the year. Furthermore the seventh type of depression is the postpartum depression which is an unusual type of depression that occurs in women within approximately one week to six months after labor. The eighth form of depression is called substance- induced mood disorder depression may begin or precipitated by overdose of substances such as medications, toxins, drugs, and alcohol. The ninth and last form of depression is the premenstrual disorder, this is a bizarre variety of depression affecting a low percentage of menstruating women, it is a periodic condition in which women may feel down and exasperated for one or two weeks before their menstrual period each month.
Chakaburtty, Amal. "Atypical Depression." 12 Sep 2009. n.pag. Depression Health Center. Web. 13 Nov 2011.
It's wintertime, and you are gathered for the holidays with all of your family and friends. Everything seems like it should be perfect, yet you are feeling very distressed, lethargic and disconnected from everything and everyone around you. "Perhaps it is just the winter blues," you tell yourself as you delve into the holiday feast, aiming straight for the sugary fruitcake before collapsing from exhaustion. However, the depression and other symptoms that you feel continue to persist from the beginning of winter until the springtime, for years upon end without ceasing. Although you may be tempted to believe that you, like many millions of other Americans, are afflicted with a case of the winter blues, you are most likely suffering from a more severe form of seasonal depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This form of depression has been described as a form of a unipolar or bipolar mood disorder which, unlike other forms of depression, follows a strictly seasonal pattern. (5).
Weisman, M.M., Livingston, B.M., Leaf, P.J., Florio, L.P., Holzer, C. (1991). Psychiatric Disorders in America. Affective Disorders. Free Press.
In the early times, depression was called as melancholia. According to the American Psychiatric Association, there was no definition of depression back in the 18th century, not even in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), until 1880. Humans are not robots, we have emotions. Sometimes we feel sad or blues for a short-period of time and it is normal. However, people who have depression, may suffer from it for a longer time. Many people do not take depression seriously and do not think treatments are necessary. The truth is depression is a serious illness, it can cause suicides if the patients were not being treated properly. This research paper considers
Beck, Aaron T., M D, and Brad A. Alford. Depression: Causes and Treatment. N.p.: University of Pennsylvania, 2009. Print.
Depression is defined as "a state of despondency marked by feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness" (Coon, 2001). Some people can mix up depression with just having the blues because of a couple of bad days or even weeks. It is already said that depression affects about one sixth of the population or more (Doris, Ebmeier, Shajahan, 1999). Depression can happen in any age range from birth to death. The cause of depression is still obscure and becoming clear that a number of diverse factors are likely to be implicated, both genetic and environmental. Some causes are leading stressful lives, genetic factors, a previous depressive episode, and the personality trait neuroticism (Doris, et al., 1999).
Marano, Hara Estroff. “The Season of SADness?” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC. Psychology Today, 1 July 2002. Web. 26 November 2011.
Depression is a murky pool of feelings and actions scientists have been trying to understand since the days of Hippocrates, who called it a "black bile." It has been called "the common cold of mental illness and, like the cold, it's difficult to quantify. If feelings of great sadness or agitation last for much more than two weeks, it may be depression. For a long time, people who were feeling depressed were told to "snap out of it." According to a study done by National Institute of Mental Health, half of all Americans still view depression as a personal weakness or character flaw. Depression, however, is considered a medical disorder and can affect thoughts, feelings, physical health, and behaviors. It interferes with daily life such as school, friends, and family. Clinical depression is the most incapacitating of all chronic c...