Depression Disorder

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, depression is the leading cause of disability in America for people ages 15 to 44. Unfortunately, it is still widely misunderstood, which causes people to neglect themselves. There are so many different forms, the most major two being major depressive disorder and dysthymia. Symptoms can vary in the way they manifest themselves, and causes are still widely unknown. Luckily, there are many treatment options available. Understanding depression is the best way to combat it.

What is depression? Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. It does not only affect your mind but your entire body as well. Depression can lead to things such as loss of interest in your everyday activities, weight loss or gain, insomnia, feelings of unworthiness and even thoughts of suicide. Luckily, depression can be cured through medication and therapy. Many people believe that the older they are the less likely they are to suffer from this mental disorder. They believe that they are wiser and know how to handle curveballs when life throws it at them. However, depression does not discriminate meaning that no matter what age or gender you are, you can be at risk of experiencing it.

Depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration. Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s ability to function at work or school or cope with daily

Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders, with a 12-month prevalence of 6.7% of adults in the United States (NIMH). There is no definite etiology of depression, but several risk factors have been identified. Functional and structural changes in the brain have also been explored. The most common treatment for depression is the use of drugs that act on monoamine transmitters, including norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Decreases in these transmitters, especially serotonin, were hypothesized to play an important role in the cause of depression (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). The serotonin hypothesis led to the development of selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which increase the amount of serotonin in the brain. Further research suggests that the serotonin hypothesis is not entirely accurate and the neurobiology of depression is much more complex. The “chemical imbalance” explanation of depression may not reflect the full range of causes and may be given greater credibility by patients and doctors than is supported by evidence based research.

Depression is mental illnesses characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, despair and worthlessness that interfere with daily functioning and personal relationships. It is an illness caused by an imbalance of the chemicals in the brain. It affects about 19 million people and cost billions in any given year (Ford-Martin). Some of the symptoms of depression are having a hard time focusing, constant crying, and loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary everyday activities, sleep problems, problems with eating and weight (gain or loss). Depression strikes all age groups, and often goes unrecognized or inadequately treated.

In an attempt to better understand depression in today’s youth, I have chosen to explore the depths of Major Depressive Disorder and how it affects the young people in our society. Depression amongst school age children and adolescents are the primary focus. The prevalence, adversities, and treatment of the depression are discussed as well. After exploring these few facets of the disorder, I will talk briefly about the Ecological Model developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner and Morris in 1998 that is used by counselors to help evaluate and assess the children who are referred by teachers or medical

Depression is a health condition that can affect a person emotionally and physically. Untreated, depression can even lead to suicide, which is the third-leading cause of death among people under the age of 18 (“Antidepressant Drugs” 1). Depression

Depression is defined as a mood disorder that interferes with how a person is able to perform day-to-day activities. “Depression is characterized by a depressed or sad mood, diminished interest in activities which used to be pleasurable, weight gain or loss, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, inappropriate guilt, difficulties concentrating, as well as recurrent thoughts of death.”(CDC, Depression) Depression, also known as a “Major Depressive Disorder”, usually affects individuals between the ages of

Depression is a life threatening mental health disorder which is characterized by a persistent depressed mood or loss of interest in things you once enjoyed. In the United States alone there is about three million cases of depression per year and an estimate of 5,000 Americans between the ages 15 and 24 who take their own life due to this disorder. Since the last estimate the suicides have tripled from the year 1960 according to the Mental Health of America (Mental Health of America #1). Suicide has become the third leading cause of death in adolescents and the second cause of death among college-age youth. This disorder can make it very hard to live your normal everyday life. You can have overwhelming feeling of sadness, frustration and irritability. Some teens do

Severe depression has many symptoms that affect the person mentally and physically. Depression in the mind of the many the people, begin to have “thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts. ”(National Institute of Mental Health). They also start to feel worthless and helpless. This is a disorder that can happened at any age from children to adults.

For most serious cases of depression the first thing most physicians will do is prescribe antidepressants.

People of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life have felt depressed and unhappy at some time in their lives. These periods of sadness usually pass after a short time, but for some people, this feeling can remain for weeks, months, and even years. (1) This prolonged state of unhappiness is called major (or clinical) depression and is characterized by a persistent sad or "empty" mood, loss of interest in favorite activities, difficulty concentrating, and many other symptoms. It is not simply a mental state but an illness that interferes with the way people feel, function, and think.(2)

Baron, Branscombe, and Byrne (2009) explain the attribution theory as not wanting to just know how ourselves and others act, but why we and others act that way. People assign attributes or reasons to why something happens to better perceive, justify, and understand why people act the way they do. The Attribution Theory can be applied to many different areas of peoples’ lives. In recent years the attribution theory has been applied to different areas including Depression (Baron, Branscombe, & Byrne, 2009).

Depression affects everyone's life at sometime or another. Depression comes in a wide variety of forms, from mild unhappiness to a chemical imbalance in the mind. There are many different symptoms that reveal a person's problem with depression. If left untreated, depression may continue to develop into a serious illness or even death.

One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1