INTRODUCTION Major Depressive Disorder BODY Major Depressive Disorder is a psychological disorder characterized by the presence of one or more depressive episodes in a person’s lifetime. 1) Feeling sad, empty, and irritable throughout the day, 2) loss of interest in normal activities, 3) change in weight/appetite, 4) change in sleeping pattern, 5) change in activity, 6) sudden loss of energy, 7) feeling worthless and guilty, 8) diminished ability of concentration, and 9) thoughts of death/suicide are, according to the DSM, the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. There are also conditions that may mimic/co-exist with Major Depressive Disorder. Substance abuse causes a change in the chemical balance in the brain and can cause depressed moods, medical illness can cause feelings of hopelessness leading to depressed moods. There is no set age at onset of this disorder. According to the DSM, the first depressive episode is said to occur generally in the mid-twenties; however, the first episode can be seen in early childhood, adolescence, or even old age. The degree of impairment for Major Depressive Disorder varies, however, when the symptoms finally do settle in, the severity of the symptoms heighten and for that reason, it cannot be said for sure when the exact onset is. 4 essential features of Major Depressive Disorder include 1) negative and pessimistic attitude and outlook of patients to the point their self-esteem sinks and they see themselves as worthless failures, 2) lack of energy to the point patients are unable to get themselves out of bed, 3) difficulty in thinking to the point patients have trouble concentrating, remembering, and making decisions, 4) and thoughts of death and suicide strongly to the point ... ... middle of paper ... ...py, the thoughts of my unhappiness are sitting beside me. I believe that I have progressed a lot already, without help of others but through my strength and only my willpower alone. Now that I have researched this disorder, and saw that there are many factors and perspectives that can root to my depression, I will start moving backwards and re-write my wrongs and put my life back on the right track. In “Man’s search for meaning,” Dr. Frankl said “If you want anyone to laugh you have to provide him with a reason.” Writing this paper has made me realize that I am not alone with my problems, my worries, and my sadness, but instead, there are many people out there who are experiencing the same if not worse scenarios as me. I will continue to search for that reason. Just because I got myself out of the extreme slump does not mean I am finished; I am only half-way there.
Depression brings people down to a joyless state in which they do not see the positive side of any concept. However, with proper medications and treatments, they can be brought back to normal emotion levels. Lets begin by giving the description given in the DSM-IV-TR on Major Depressive Disorder. The DSM states “five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.” (APA, 2000) The American Psychiatric Association also states that the symptoms do not include those symptoms, which are due to a general medical condition or hallucinations or mood-incongruent delusions. The symptoms that the DSM discusses are the following:
Depression was once believed to affect mainly adults for various reasons. It was hardly ever seen in minors or college students. Today depression is more common in younger populations mainly college students. There are many things that can trigger depression in college students, such as the environment, anxiety, and the fear of failure. All these things can contribute to depression in college students and sometimes cannot be seen. Many college students will never seek help, and many wont ever admit that they struggle with it.
 Mild, chronic depression has probably existed as long as the human condition, although it has been referred to by various different names. The DSM-III replaced the term “neurotic depression” with dysthymic disorder--which literally means ‘ill-humored’-and it was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 1980
According to the DSM5 major depressive describes a person who is in a depressed mood for most of the day, nearly everyday. The person also has a diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the time. There may be significant weight loss or gain as a result of decrease or increase of appetite, respectively. The person may also experience insomnia or hyper insomnia nearly everyday. There may also be a consistent feeling of fatigue or loss of energy. Usually in major depression, there are feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt. It is also common to have a diminished ability to think, concentrate, or experience indecisiveness. All of these symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. (DSM 5, 160-161)
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.
In class we talk about how there are various spectrums of certain mental disorders, and I think that depression can be included within this list. Often depression can show symptoms of Bipolar Disorders, insomnia, substance abuse, and or many more. Major Depressive Disorder is comorbid with anxiety as well as like many other mental disorders can have comorbidity, which is is the presence of one or more additional
...appen to anyone. The person can experience feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, unacceptance, withdrawal, and thoughts of suicide. There is no exact cause and there is no prescribed cure. Depression seems to be caused by life situations and if the symptoms of depression seem to last more than two weeks then it is classified as Major Depressive Disorder. Symptoms of SAD will resemble Major Depressive Disorder. There are many treatments for Major Depression Disorder but how good the treatment works depends on the person.
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.
Across the world, there are thousands upon millions of people who suffer from depression. Upon the numerous sufferers,
Many of these types of depressions are caused by everyday stress and the type of environment that a person might be going through. Major Depression, also considered a clinical depression, is a significant medical condition that can affect many areas of your life. It impacts mood and behavior as well as various physical functions, such as appetite and sleep. Persistent Depressive Disorder is caused by major depression episodes may occur before or during persistent depressive disorder — this is sometimes called double depression. Bipolar Disorder is partly caused by an underlying problem with specific brain circuits and the functioning of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Three brain chemicals -- noradrenaline (norepinephrine), serotonin,
The second situation manage a young fellow, Albert S., he has been seen by a therapist since he has been depressed. He has been feeling miserable, desolate, and fatigue during the most recent month, due to his forthcoming divorce. Albert is not experiencing an extreme mental issue; and a physical exam demonstrates that Albert has no physical issues. I would propose that Albert is as of now managing a serious depressive disorder which is also called Clinical Depression. When managing clinical depression, you should have various ill feeling over a two-week time frame, the vast majority of the day, consistently. No less than one of the manifestations must be either a discouraged mind-set or loss of joy. Albert’s significant other separating him
What is depression? Depression is an illness that can take over a person’s life---it can take their happiness and their will to live. This illness can effect adults, teenagers, and even kids. “Depression is an equal opportunity disorder---- it can affect anyone of any group, any background, any race, any gender, and any age. It is the great leveler of all groups and can take the greatest and the smallest of us all and reduce us to the pain and nothingness that is depression (Nydegger 1)”. Depression is an emotion most people may feel they have experienced, but little do they know it’s just the basic emotions we feel. It is important to identify the symptoms of depression, the types of depression, who can get them and how they manifest, in other to be able to treatment them.
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.
The silent killer that takes lives without warning, punishment, or any sympathy; depression is truly one of the most prominent mental illnesses in the world. Depression is defined as a mental illness inducing a severe and staunch feeling of sadness. The term depressed is coined in English as a temporary sadness that everyone experiences in their life. Despite that depression is more active in women, it is still one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. It affects anybody, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic standing. Regardless of all these facts, surprisingly little is known about depression, however, scientists have been able to hypothesize major causes, effects, and treatments for the disability affecting over
Major Depression is a type of depression that makes you lose interest in activities you usually enjoy, you have lack energy, trouble concentrating, you change your eating and sleeping habits, you become extremely sad most of the time and have thoughts of suicide. You will probably be diagnosed sooner, if you suffer from this, because in a short amount of time you will be a completely different person, if you’re usually a happier person in general. In order to be diagnosed these symptoms...