A Brief Description of Major Depressive Disorder

The word ‘depression’ has become a common everyday word. We hear the term ‘depression’ so frequently today, it’s even used in the contexts of jokes. For example you may hear someone say ‘My favorite show is over, now I have nothing to watch, I’m so depressed’. Obviously this person is not depressed, but we have come to overuse it in our expressions, to the point that is takes away from the seriousness of this disorder. Major depressive disorder is a mood disorder characterized by at least two weeks of depressed mood or loss of interest in nearly all activities, along with sleep or eating disturbances, loss of energy, and feelings of hopelessness (Kosslyn, Rosenberg, 2006). This mood disorder is characterized by a depressed mood, lack of interest in activities normally enjoyed, and feeling of worthlessness. Over the course of two weeks, someone who is suffering with major depressive disorder can experience symptoms such as significant weight loss, daily insomnia or hypersomnia, loss of energy, diminished ability to think or concentration, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide (Kosslyn, Rosenberg, 2006).
Major depressive disorder is not a passive feeling of unhappiness, nor is it a feeling of grief and sadness to everyday life stressors. Feelings such as sadness and grief are normal reactions to life, and over time these feelings will lift and people will go on with their lives. In contrast, without any medical attention, major depressive disorder persists and does not just go away with time. In most cases, major depressive disorder is a recurrent illness; which means that a person, who has been depressed once in their life and has recovered, is likely to have one or more episodes of depression in the future (Kosslyn, Rosenberg...

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...ered by exercise, social interactions, and antidepressant drugs. In essence, the line between psychology and neurology is a blurry one when it comes to depression. The feedback loop involved in this disorder crosses levels between chemical, structural, and psychological areas, making depression very difficult to fully understand and cure.

Works Cited

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Kosslyn,S., Rosenberg, R. (2006). Psychology in Context. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, Inc.
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World Health Organization. (2004). The global burden of disease. Geneva, Switzerland.