Depression is a disorder characterized by depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities. Depression is a general term that has been used to describe transient feelings, a psychological disorder, and a health problem that is characterized by a group of related symptoms (Beeber, 1998). “Depression is an alteration in mood probably treated more by nurse psychotherapists more frequently than any other symptom in clinical practice with the exception of anxiety” (Drake, Drake, & Price, 1996, p. 30).
Some depressions seem to come out of the blue, even when things are going well. Others seem to have an obvious cause: a marital conflict, financial difficulty, or some personal failure. Yet many people with these problems do not become deeply depressed. Most psychologists believe depression results from an interaction between stressful life events and a person’s biological and psychological vulnerabilities. According to Cognitive Therapy of Depression, “depression is not something one has; it is something that is happening in a person in relation to others” (Draghi & Flach, 1975, p. 45). Depression runs in families. By studying twins, researchers have found evidence of a strong genetic influence in depression. Genetically identical twins raised in the same environment are three times more likely to have depression in common than fraternal twins, who have only about half of their genes in common. In addition, identical twins are five times more likely to have bipolar disorder in common. These findings suggest that vulnerability to depression and bipolar disorder can be inherited. Adoption studies have provided more evidence of a genetic role in depression. These studies show that children of depressed people are vulnerable to depression even when raised by adoptive parents.
Genes may influence depression by causing abnormal activity in the brain. Studies have shown that certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters play an important role in regulating moods and emotions. Neurotransmitters involved in depression include norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Research in the 1960s suggested that depression results from lower than normal levels of these neurotransmitters in parts of the brain. Support for this theory came from the effects of antidepressant drugs, which work by increasing the levels of neurotransmitters involved in depression. However, later studies have discredited this simple explanation and have suggested a more complex relationship between neurotransmitter levels and depression.
An imbalance of hormones may also play a role in depression. Many depressed people have higher than normal levels of hydrocortisone (cortisol), a hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress.
Depression does not have a lone cause. An individual gene cannot handle mood or spur up depression. However, genes can influence the way nerve pathways perform. Multiple genes cooperate to evolve a susceptibility to depression. In addition to the biological aspect of depression, neurotransmitters and hormones are chemicals that allow nerve cells to communicate. Not only do they control mood and emotions, but the way these chemicals are broken down may add to the growth of
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest (ManiMala, 2016), which can negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, which can lead to emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home (Parekh, 2015). The symptoms of depression can range from mild to severe and include: feeling sad or having a depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, changes in appetite trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, loss of energy or increased fatigue, increase in restless activity, feeling worthless or guilty, difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions and thoughts of death or suicide (Weis,
Through my extensive research on depression I have learned a lot of new things. I have learned about the many forms of depression and treatment for depression. I have also learned a little about what is believed to go on chemically in the brain of a clinically depressed person. I was also able to partially determine what sort of role genetics, chemicals and personal influences in the brain. Though I was unable to determine exactly how environmental and personal stress can cause a chemical imbalance in a person, I was even able to speculate about this issue and determine some theories of my own on why and how this may happen.
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.
Depression is considered a mental disorder that can lead an individual to commit suicide, experiment fatal risk that can injure his or her life. Furthermore, an individual feeling depressed lacks motivation to do anything progressive with his or her life. With that said, these individuals sometime gives up interest in activities that were once enjoyable, gets in a phase were he or she loses appetite, begins to overeat, loses concentration on what he or she is trying to complete, and becomes indecisiveness. Moreover, depression is a condition that makes an individual feel miserable, have no motivation to any activity that can influence his or her views, actions, welfare. Furthermore, depressed individuals at times may feel sad, apprehensive, desperate, destitute, useless, awkward, short-tempered, and agitated. In addition, the melancholy of depression is categorized by a greater concentration and length that is attached to severe symptoms. According to Wedding & Corsini (2014) states, “Physical disease, severe and acute stress, and chronic stress area also precipitating factors” (Pp. 240) of an individu...
Depression is a psychological disorder that affects an individual’s mood. According to (Moragne, 2011 pg. 16) depression is a mood disorder caused by a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors that will affect a person’s mind and body. Mood disorders affect a person’s mental, social and physical well-being and this can have major effects on the individual. Under (DSM-IV-TR cited in, American Psych...
Depression is a serious issue that has no single cause. Depression is likely a combination of many factors such as genetic, biochemical, psychological and environmental. According to research, depressive illnesses are indications of disorders of the brain. Depression can affect all ages and all parts of society. Periods of sadness, irritability, fatigue, and loss of interest are some symptoms of depression.
There are multiple causes of depression and some scientists have argued that although hopelessness is a symptom, it can also be a cause. Along with that, other causes of depression include low brain levels of serotonin and norepinephrine. It would seem that there isn’t one sole cause of depression, but a combination of factors, at times involving a person’s genes, their biochemical environment, personal experience and psychological factors.
First of all, the most important cause of depression is biological. Many people carry depression from their parents. Depression transforms from generation to another. As a result , a number of people lives has been influenced by this disorder. If any of your parents have depression, you might carry depression and at bad situation you suppose to be more depress than other people
A dysregulation of brain function that controls emotions is called depression ("Depression"). Depression affects teeangers in many ways. This disorder is characterized by negative emotions that are very intense and last a long time. This can cause social, educational, personal, and family issues (Krans). At any given time, 15% of children and adolescents show symptoms of depression (Krans).
Depression is a mental health condition that causes feelings of sadness, loss, anger and/or frustration that interferes with daily life from days, to weeks, or months. It’s also known that depression can change the way you see yourself, other people, and life. There isn’t an exact cause for depression yet but it’s believed that chemical changes in the brain are the source. It can also be in your genes, but it’s thought that it could be both chemical changes and in your genes. Any person of any age can develop depression. Certain causes include: alcohol or drug abuse, medical conditions such as underactive thyroid, cancer, or chronic pain, medications (ex: steroids,) sleeping problems, and stressful live events including—but not limited to—death,
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).
Depression is an equal opportunity disorder, it can affect any group of people with any background, race, gender, or age. Depression is a sneak thief that slips quietly and gradually into people’s lives - robbing them of their time, and their focus. At first, depression may be undetectable, but in the long run a person could become so weighed down that their life may feel empty and meaningless. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who commits suicide is depressed, but majority of people who commits suicide do so during a severe depressive episode. There are over 300 million people in the world today who suffer from depression. Depression has affected people for a long as records have been kept. It was first called out by the famous Greek philosopher Hippocrates over 2,400 years ago. Hippocrates called it “melancholia”. Many times we think of depression as one disorder alone, when in fact there are many different types of depression. The different types of depression are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, atypical disorder, adjustment disorder, and depressive personality disorder. All types of depression share at least one common symptom. It is commons from the person who suffers from any form of depression to feel an unshakable sadness, anxious, or empty mood. Major depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression or recurrent depressive disorder is the most severe depressive disorder out of all of the depressive in my estimation. Major depressive disorder is a condition in which affects a person’s family, work or school life, sleeping, eating and general health. It is important to emphasize that we can understand the mechanics of this disorder and how it affects people with major depressive disorder.
Depression is a serious mental health illness which affects an individuals’ mind, body and mood. It is a chronic and lifelong health condition (NICE, 2006) thought to be caused by a number of biological factors including neurotransmitter disturbances in the brain and an element of genetic vulnerability; these are often in addition to psychosocial factors such as the occurrence of undesirable life events, limited social network options, poor self esteem and the occurrence of any adverse life events during a persons’ lifetime (Bernstein, 2006). Depression can have an impact on a persons’ ability to do many things including working, engaging with others, participating fully in family life or maintaining relationships, and it can also impact on a person...
Neurotransmitters are substances that allow the brain cells to communicate with each other. Serotonin and norepinephrine are the two most common forms of neurotransmitters. Too little serotonin mat cause many symptoms of depression including irritability, sleep loss, and anxiety. Too little norepinephrine may be responsible for fatigue and a sense of hopelessness. A person's genetic structure, environment, and personality are all factors that affect the balance of these chemicals.