Depression Is A Serious Condition

In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual (APA, 2000) the symptoms of depression are: loss of interest or enjoyment in activities; changing in weight and appetite; changes to sleep pattern; loss of energy; feeling worthless or guilty; suicidal thoughts; poor concentration and being either agitated or slowed up.

Depression is characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in weight or appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating, or recurrent thoughts of death. A diagnosis of major depressive disorder requires the presence of five or more symptoms during the same two-week period and

Depression is a clinical condition associated with the normal emotions of bereavement and sadness. However, this condition does not pass on when the external causes of these emotions dissolve and is usually inconsistent to their cause. In essence, the classic severe conditions of depression have not been attributed to external precipitating cause. One of the most common conditions of depression is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), which is a psychiatric condition that impairs moods, behavioral patterns, and thoughts for a protracted duration. This psychiatric illness tends to impair the patient’s social functioning and quality of life due to its impacts on cognitive functioning. Some of the most common symptoms of the condition include difficulty in concentration, weight change, minimal interest in pleasure, high rate of suicide, and physical impairment. The severity of this disease was evident in the year 2000 when the World Health Organization ranked it as the fourth cause of disability and premature death across the globe.

Clinical Manifestations and DSM 5 Criteria Bipolar major depression causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or daily functioning that is not attributed by another medical condition or current substance abuse (APA, 2013). During a two week period of time, the patient will display at least five or more the following depressive symptoms daily or nearly every day: 1) depressed mood most of the day, feels sad, empty, hopeless 2) markedly diminished interest or pleasure in nearly all activities 3) significant weight loss or weight gain without purposeful dieting, increased or decreased appetite 4) insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day 5) psychomotor agitation or retardation observable by others 6) fatigue or loss of energy 7) feelings of worthlessness or excessive feelings of guilt 8) diminished ability to think, or concentrate, indecisiveness 9) recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation with or without specific plans or attempts (APA, 2013)

“Major depressive disorder affects approximately five to eight percent of the U.S. population age eighteen and older annually” (Neeb’s, 181). Signs and symptoms of major depressive disorder are feelings of guilt or worthlessness, increased agitation, sad mood, increased fatigue, weight loss or gain, anhedonia, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, and decreased ability to think (Neeb’s, 182). Five or more of these symptoms must appear in the patient for at least a two week

According to the World Health Organization, depression is an illness that affects more than 300 million people (World Health Organization, 2018). Depression is the manifestation of complex intersecting social, psychological factors and can significantly disrupt the day-to-day functions of sufferers (WHO, 2018). As a mood disorder, depression causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Common symptoms of the disorder included feelings of sadness, hopelessness, irritability, loss of interest, sleep disturbances, anxiety and a myriad of other troublesome symptoms (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Depression, unlike a host of other morbidities, has a unique manifestation in all those it affects and may not

“Depression is an illness that increasingly afflicts people worldwide, interfering with concentration, motivation and many other aspects of human everyday functioning. It is a complex disorder, involving many systems of the body, including the immune system, either as cause or effect. Depression disrupts sleep, and loss of appetite, in some cases it causes weight loss, in other cases it cause weight gain. Because of its complexity, a full understanding of depression has been elusive. Depression involves mood and thoughts as well as

Some depression patients experience periods of apathy while others develop unstable eating and sleeping patterns.

Depression has a lot of terms, diagnosis, names, and treatments. Another name for depression is also “clinical depression”. It is a mood disorder that has genetic, biological, psychological and environmental factors that play a big part in it. This disorder affects not only the mind, but body as well, with something called an “episode”. An episode is where a person can be depressed for weeks or months at a time. Clinical depression is not something that should be taken lightly. Depression can lead to thoughts of death, or even suicide, if not properly taken care of. Suicide is most commonly found in teen depression. With all the right treatment and medication, it can be helped.

Depression is a mood disorder which causes persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest; affecting how you feel, think, behave and can ultimately lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. “Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. In 2014, around 15.7 million adults age 18 or older in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year, which represented 6.7 percent of all American adults. At any point in time, 3 to 5 percent of adults suffer from major depression; the lifetime risk is about 17 percent. As many as 2 out of 100 young children and 8 out of 100 teens may have serious depression.” (ADAA, 2017) Depression is the leading cause of disability in the US.

Major Depression: Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects millions worldwide and is the most common psychiatric disorder (Singh & Gotlib, 2014). Symptoms of MDD can include: loss of appetite, lack/loss of energy or pleasure, fatigue, disturbed sleep patterns, and suicidal ideation. Depression is considered a disabling disease as all aspects of the individual’s life are affected by the illness (Milanovic, Erjavec, Poljicanin, Vrabec, & Brecic, 2015). The underlying cause or mechanism of depression has many theories that stretch from biological (chemical imbalances) to psychosocial (socio-economics) (Roy & Campbell, 2013).

According to the National Institute of Mental Health study, 18.8 million Americans suffer from depression in any given year (National Institutes of Health, 2004). Those who suffer from major depressions experience five or more symptoms of depression, lasting longer than two weeks, and cause the individual functional impairment in their daily lives (National Institutes of Health, 2004). Major depression can be characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and emptiness. Many who suffer from depression also lose interest in activities he or she once enjoyed (Barlow & Durand, 2012). Some physical symptoms include fatigue, headaches, body pain, and digestive issues

Depression is a very serious illness and very common in todays society. However, some people do not even realize that they are suffering from depression, even though it is obvious to others. There are several different types of depression, “major depression, manic-depressive disorder, dysthymia, postpartum depression, and seasonal affective disorder” (Burke, 2008). My focus will be major depression, a continuous feeling of sorrow and despair, uncontrollable episodes of crying for no apparent reason, and loss of physical and or emotional interest to participate in any normal day to day routine (Burke, 2008). Depression affects everyone differently, in some cases depression can appear over night, whereas in other cases depression can grow over a long period of time and occur sparingly as episodes. An episode involves the individual to experience a “depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in most activities for a period of at least two weeks” (“Affective Disorders”, 2013). Major depression may be triggered by almost anything. Some of the more common causes of major depression are:

According to the World Health Organization, Depression is the most common mental disorder, affecting 300 million people of all ages globally. It’s a serious mood disorder that affects your life completely. It causes drastic symptoms that cripples your daily life. It alters how you think, sleep, work, eat, and how you handle daily activities. There many signs and symptoms of depression, they include feelings of guilt, worthlessness, pessimism and consistent thoughts of death and suicide. The DSM-5 states that for depression to be diagnosed patients, illustrate symptoms for over a two-week period of time. Depression can affect any one of any age, but it mostly begins in adulthood. The National Institute of Mental Health Suggests that research have shown that depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.

The World Health Organization estimates that depression affects 1 in 10 adults in the United States. Untreated depression can diminish the quality of life by contributing to the increase in the chronic diseases listed above. Depression can also lead to risky behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, strained relationships, and create difficulties at work. Symptoms of depression include; daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, sleep troubles, and difficulty in finding pleasure in things that once brought the individual happiness (United States National Institute on Mental Health, 2014).