Depression as a Physiological Disorder Essay

Depression is a serious illness that can worsen or last for years if it is left untreated. Depression can occur in a number of ways for different reasons. It is common to feel depressed as a reaction to loss, life's struggles, or an injured self-esteem. When these feelings become too much to handle they can prevent you from living a normal, healthy life. If you or a family member think you are experiencing depression signs to look out for include difficulty concentrating, fatigue, guilt, worthlessness, Insomnia, Irritability, restlessness, and thoughts of suicide. These are only some of the signs associated with depression, and if symptoms worsen over time a trip to the doctor is necessary. Unfortunately, a lot of the people who experience symptoms never do get diagnosed or treated for their illness because they are too afraid to speak out.

Depression is the most common mental health disorder; it affects over 17 million American adults each year. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by at least four symptoms such as changes in sleep, appetite, weight, and psychomotor activity; decreased energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt; difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions; or recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation, thoughts or attempts. “Women are approximately two times more likely than men to suffer from major depression” (Research Agenda for Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors in Women’s Health, 1996) and it has been called the most significant mental health risk for women. Women are more likely to suffer from depression during marriage

Millions of Americans suffer from clinical depression each year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2017), 322 million people are affected by depression around the world. Concerning industrialized Western world countries, it remains as the number one psychological disorder affecting its population (WHO, 2017). Most clinicians begin primarily with prescribing either pharmacologic or psychotherapy interventions. With billions of dollars spent in revue on treating depression (Chisholm, Sweeny, and Sheehan, 2016), exercise used as treatment in reaction to mental illness is often overlooked by mainstream health care professionals. However, it has been proved by recent research exercise acts as both a preventive and reactive

According to the North Carolina Clinic, they have a research program to understand why women go through depression during pregnancy, and after childbirth. The research program

Depression is a disorder that can be caused by many factors. Stress, medication, other medical illnesses, and personality traits can all contribute to depression, but the most common cause, however, is heredity (yahoo.com 1). These are all theorized guesses as to what causes clinical depression. The actual cause has not yet been resolved (yahoo.com 1). It is considered that usually more than one factor causes the disorder (yahoo.com 2).

Depression can best be explained by the biological perspective of psychology. The disorder is caused by changes in the brain’s neurotransmitters, chemicals that relay messages to the body from the brain.

Depression, a disorder of the brain, is known to be a common but serious illness that interferes with one’s life. Although MRI scans have shown a difference in the brain activity of individuals suffering depression, it cannot solely be used to diagnose depression. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) states that “with postpartum onset” to episode of depression with the onset being within 4 weeks of delivery of a neonate. (O’Hara and McCabe, 2013). Depression can be caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors but can also occur in people without any family history (NIMH, 2016). Many people with depression do not seek help either because they are depressed or they do not want to be categorized as having depression.

Psychology, as most know, is the study of the mind and personal or group thoughts, feelings, and emotions in humans and animals. Scientists study, analyze, and investigate many areas of psychology, but the causes and effects of mood disorders and emotion irregularities are still unrecognized. Many studies were an attempt to find more information on mental illnesses. One of the most common illnesses in the United States is depression, also; it is the most often recognized mental illness in the world. What most clinicians don’t know, however, is what happens in the brains of patients before, during, and after depressive episodes.

Everyone experiences some unhappiness in his or her lifetime whether it is a specific situation or not. It becomes more serious when the cause is a form of "depression." It is a fact that women experience depression about twice as much as men (1). These causes specifically for women can be complex and so are the solutions (3). A common syndrome affecting an estimated 3% to 8% of women in their reproductive years is called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) (4). PMDD is specifically known as a mood disorder of severe depression, irritability, and tension with symptoms worsening a week or so before a woman's menstrual period and usually settling out afterwards (5). PMDD can be devastating to

A depression disorder is characterized by an episode of intense sadness, depressed moods or marked loss of interest or pleasure in nearly activities. Studies have revealed that depression in women is two to three times more prevalent in women than in men. With this being conveyed women deal with infidelity stresses and stresses and conflicts generally in a manner where depression is dominant. Depression disorder is rampant therefore in women where

Evidence suggest that genetic factors may contribute to as much as one third of the cause of PND (Treloar, Martin, Buchole, 1999). The research carried out by Murphy and Zandi (2006) shows that relatives of women with postnatal depression had severe risks of suffering from the condition. Furthermore, hormone such as oestrogen and progesterone have been reported as a possible cause of PND, however studies have proven negative findings (Zonana and Goman, 2005). The relationship between the hormonal environment of the puerperium and depression has been noted ever since Hippocrates (Hanley, 2009). Conversely, many authors concluded that a sudden reduction in progesterone after childbirth can lead to PND (Glangeaud and Freudenthal et al, 1999).

Endocrinal factors: progesterone has been reported to be involved in the causation of post-partum psychiatric disorders (Malleson, 1953). Bower (1956) reported that low levels of corticosteriods are related to post-partum affective disorders (especially depression).

According to a Mental Health America survey on public attitudes and beliefs about clinical depression and women’s attitude toward depression: More than one-half of women believe it is normal for a woman to be depressed after giving birth ,during menopause and is part of aging. Therefore seeking treatment is not necessary and denial to the fact plays an important role.

Depression has numerous causes and effects which affect not only the person but the people around them. Depression doesn’t have a specific cause; in most cases it’s different for everyone. It is a common, treatable mental illness that can be experienced at any time in life. It is often described with feeling sad, unhappy, miserable, or “down in the dumps”. Most people have these feelings on occasion. There are several types of depression. These different types of depression describe slight, but often important, diagnostic differences. True clinical depression interferes with mood disorder in everyday life for weeks, months, or even years. Most people think depression affects only one

A mother who struggles with depression post-partum is likely to expose her baby to more harmful effects. Gerhardt (2015) states that the baby of a depressed mother can find it difficult to cope with or get over stress, or they may be more fearful (p. 21). These babies also may respond to others with depression themselves, as their mother may be neglectful in their care (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 36). One of the reasons for this is because of their cortisol levels, which can fluctuate situationally. However, in infants this can affect their development (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 83) as well as their immune system (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 118), and is evidence that a mother with depression can have a significant impact on her child well beyond when the depression occurs. Additionally, Gerhardt (2015) notes that, “When they grow up, these babies of depressed mothers are highly at risk of succumbing to depression themselves.” (p.