Depressed Patient Analysis

Major depression is a commonly diagnosed psychological disorder affecting individuals’ ability to feel happiness and peace of mind. Those who suffer experience negative emotions, lack of motivation, changes in behaviour and dysfunctional cognitive symptoms. Depression is classified by the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as five of more of the listed symptoms present persistently over the same two weeks. One of these symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities. Depression causes disruption to typical daily life such as inability to maintain friendships and jobs. Other symptoms outlined by the DSM-5 include; insomnia, fatigue and recurrent thoughts of death. There is much debate over what exactly causes depression. Biological explanations question hereditary and neurotransmitter factors. While psychological theories include the cognitive ideas of Beck’s negative triad and hopelessness theory. This essay will focus on the ways in which psychological and biological explanations contrast and how their theories can overlap to better understand depression.

Approximately 14.8 million American adults are experiencing a variety of symptoms that make daily routines problematic and debilitating (DBSA 2005). Depression can manifest itself differently in every individual, but frequent symptoms within depressed populations are: dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits, a sense of hopelessness, an increase in negative thoughts, impulsivity, irritability, anger, forgetfulness, and the inability to concentrate (Project Helping). The causes of depression are also very particular to the individual that experiences it; many students however, can attribute their depression to certain stressors such as inadequate social adaptation, inadequate sleeping habits, demanding academic standards, and the overall

Depression is one of the most common and serious mental health people face today. According to statistics, "In 2012, it is estimated that 16 million adults over 18 years in the US had at least one episode of major depression in the past year. This represented 6.9 percent of all American adults" ("Major Depression in Adults"). These figures show that there were a large number of adults who suffered bouts of depression over a period of twelve months. Also, the article notes that someone may be suffering a period of depression when you lose interest in things, have difficulty concentrating, food and sleep disorders, and suffers from fatigue; in addition, these symptoms must persist for more than fourteen days ("Major Depression Among Adults").

Depression is a disorder that occurs more often than people may realize. 15 million people in the United States alone suffer from this disorder that interferes with their concentration, decision making, and sociability. (Hubbard) According to, “Depression: Major Depression & Unipolar Varietes,” There are organizations that are researching and working with this disorder.

According to the World Health Organization (2017), depression impacts approximately 300 million people and is the leading cause of disability globally, which greatly contributes to disease worldwide. Of the world’s adult population, approximately 16 percent of them will experience at least one depressive episode within their lifetime (Chatwin, Peta, Brett, Sharon, & Terri, 2016). An individual’s health condition may become seriously affected when depressive episodes are prolonged with moderate to severe intensity (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017). Depression can cause an individual to suffer greatly and their ability to function within their family and their performance in other everyday tasks, such as work and/or school, diminishes

Jocelyn KearneyHealth and Quality of LifeProfessor ZuberMarch 26, 2017 According to the Mayo Clinic, Major Depression Disorder is a disorder that results in apersistent feeling of sadness of interest lost. It affects how an individual feels, thinks and behaveleading to multiple emotional and physical complications and causes trouble in day-to-dayactivities. Symptoms include feelings of hopelessness or sadness; anger/irritability at smallmatters; lack of pleasure or interest; sleep problems (insomnia or not sleeping at all); lack ofenergy and tiredness, appetite changes, anxiety, slower pace of thinking speaking or bodymovements; feeling worthless or guilty, trouble in decision making, thinking, paying attentionand remembering things; reoccurring

Table 1 displays the demographics of our sample, as well as the measures. Our sample of patients consisted mostly women, and mostly White participants who received higher education (see Table 1). There are also high rates of comorbidity for anxiety disorders (see Table 1). Table 2 shows the correlations between study measures. Our results suggested that higher levels of spouse expressed criticism were significantly correlated with greater patient perceived criticism. As we expected, the observer ratings of patient perceived criticism were positively correlated with both self-reports of spouse expressed criticism and observer ratings of spouse expressed criticism. This indicated that there was an agreement between both the patient and the spouse on how much criticism was present during the brief 10-minute problem solving task (see Table 2).

The popular Western conception of the depressed patient remains both culturally-pervasive and largely homogenous. From Eeyore to Hugh Laurie's portrayal of Dr. House, pop-cultural depressive symptomology oftentimes equates to images of despair, withdrawal, and an almost palpable air of sadness. This understanding of depression, indeed, echoes in diagnostic criteria for depressive disorders as recently published within the fifth edition of the DSM. Accordingly, the DSM-V classifies those exhibiting either (1) depressed mood and/or (2) anhedonia in conjunction with at least five of such other symptoms as “recurrent suicidal ideation” and “significant weight loss” for a significant portion of two-weeks, as clinically diagnosable with suffering

Depression is a psychiatric syndrome that affects at least 350 million people of all ages worldwide, (1) and it is an important global cause of morbidity and mortality, because patients with this disease have high risk of suicide or attempted suicide (2). This disorder has particular symptoms that interfere with social and personal abilities. These symptoms are related to a mood state and there are some criteria developed by DSM-IV that illustrate the features of the major depressive disorder, which includes depressed moods or loss of interest or pleasure, significant bodyweight loss or bodyweight gain, insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue or daily loss of energy, and others (2). At present,

Major depression can last for long periods of time that has severely distinct emotional, mental and physical systems that can be disabling. It is also the leading cause of disability in the United States of America between the ages of 15-44. (The World Health Organization) A more mild form of depression is called dysthymia which lasts for at least a few years affecting approximately 1.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. (Kessler, 2005) Symptoms can include periods of prolonged sadness, anger, worthlessness as well as significant changes in appetite and sleep patterns. Other signs an individual can show is an inability to concentrate, social withdrawal and thoughts of suicide. While there is no singular cause of depression that can be applied all, current research suggest that a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors lead to depression. (NIH, Depression) Results from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have shown that the parts of the brain that effects an individual’s mood, thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior are unbalanced or appear different. (NIH, Depression) Although these images have yet to explain to researchers why depression has occurred, once diagnosed this disorder can be

Depression, characterized by symptoms of, poor concentration, lack of motivation restlessness, irritability, fatigue, lack of decision making capacity, problems sleeping, a hard time concentrating, lack of interest in activities, and difficulty remembering task instructions, affects 20-55% of adults

Depressive disorders include a group of depressive behaviors characterized by loss of interests in activities and often coupled with unhappiness. Criteria for diagnosing depressive disorders are based on DSM-5 that gives symptoms and periods for different conditions. The clinical criteria cannot function alone it is accompanied psychological and physical evaluation to eliminate diseases that mimic depression. Depressive disorders are caused by a combination of factors including environmental, genetic, biochemical and psychological factors. The interaction cause depressive episodes in individuals. The exhibited symptoms vary from individual to individual they include lack of interest in activities, fatigue, altered sleep patterns, change in appetite, feelings of worthlessness and also suicidal thoughts. Types of depressive disorders include Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder among others. Treatment includes forms of therapy like psychotherapy and drugs depending on the severity of depression. Family and friends are important in recovery of depressed individuals by offering support needed to follow prescriptions and support during recovery. Depressive disorders are diverse, but they all affect the wellbeing of individuals in relation to their work, social relations, and education needs (NIH, 2015).

Major depression disorder (MDD), is known worldwide as one of the most predominant psychiatric disordered, which is characterized by the patient losing pleasure and interest in daily activities (ye, Qing, Zhang, & Liu, 2016). The patient also displays the following signs and symptoms of psychomotor retardation, insomnia, and exacerbating the experience of negative effects (Ye, Qing, Zhang, & Liu, 2016). Patients who are depressed normally have impaired role functioning, which reduces their quality of life (Gautam et al., 2017). It is currently considered to be the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide (Gautam et al., 2017). This

I always fail, no matter how hard I study. I always end up feeling unfocused and exhausted afterwards. I am not good enough.”

Symptoms of depression can vary depending on what type of depression one is diagnosed with. However, general signs of depression can vary from having an irritable mood, anxiety and apprehension, loss of emotional reactivity, agitation, deterioration in family relationships, withdrawal from ones social life, fatigue, loss of appetite or overeating, negative view of self, cognitive distortions, suicidal thoughts and perceptual bias towards negative events. Through watchful clinical cross-examining of individuals and their family members, the symptoms of depression and applicable history are attained. A diagnosis is given in agreement with the criteria outlined in ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR, and the preparation clarifying the symptoms entailed by the diagnosis may be given in which the appropriate prompting, advancing, conserving and defensive factors are outlined. Episodes of depression may be sub-classified as mild, modest or severe, depending on the amount of symptoms present and the degree of severity (Carr, 2012).