Major Depressive Disorder ( Depression )

Major depressive disorder is the most common form of depression. It is also known as clinical depression. In order to be diagnosed, symptoms must be present for two weeks, and occurs twice as often in women as

According to the Journal of Medicine, Major Depressive Disorder is related to normal emotions of sadness and temperament. When the external cause of these emotions scatter in different directions, the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder requires a change of mood, sadness and accompanied by at least several psychological changes. They do not sleep well, their appetite changes and lack sexual desire. Depression is a heterogeneous disorder with a highly variable course, an inconsistent response to treatment.

*Major Depression: persistent depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.

2. Then we have psychotherapy or counseling, where you talk with a psychologist or psychiatrist about your problems. Usually you meet on an outpatient basis every week, however severe depression sometimes causes hospitalization where you have counseling sessions daily and also group peer sessions. My depression affected my daily task at work so I was mandated by my employer to attend counseling or I could choose to be fired. It’s difficult at first to open up about things but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I felt a relief that someone understood my thought process and could give me suggestions and skills to use every day to help cope with the depression.

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

Major depressive disorder, we all have probably heard of it, but do we really know what is it is ? Major depressive disorder is “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest… major depressive disorder or clinical depression, affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems”(Mayo Clinic Staff). Having this disorder puts you in a very unstable position because you are constantly feeling depressed so it affects the way you think and feel and that can be very dangerous. Sometimes this happens to a person for one day, but put yourself in the shoes of someone who experiencing this for more than two weeks? When you have major depressive disorder, the signs of depression disorder can last for two weeks or more(myers646). This dis order must be treated immediately because “depression may make you feel as if life isn 't worth living”(Mayo Clinic Staff). Feeling this way can lead you to doing things that you can not take back such as committing suicide and sadly that can happen when you have major depressive disorder. Kiyohara and Yoshimasu conducted a research that showed that 90% of suicides have were dealing with major depressive disorder(qtd. in The World Health Organization). Throughout this paper I will be discussing the causes, symptoms and treatment when dealing with major depressive disorder.

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

Major Depression Disorder is a disorder that affects the mood of a person and causes them to feel a loss of interest or have a feeling of sadness. The disorder affects the way you feel, behave and think. Major depression can lead to a variety of physical and emotional problems. Major depression affects about 6.7% of the U.S. population over age 18, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. (www.webmd.com, n.d.) The risk of getting major depression is twice as high in women than it is in men. The number of men who have depression is significantly

Cognitive behavioral therapy is based off the theory that depression is caused by a pattern of negative thinking that may be triggered by upsetting situations (Comer, 2013). This pattern forms maladaptive attitudes, which cause individuals to constantly view themselves, their world, and their future in negative ways (Comer, 2013). Cognitive behavioral therapy is designed to help clients recognize and change their negative thoughts in an attempt to improve their mood (Comer, 2013). This approach also uses behavioral techniques to encourage patients to become more active and try out new behaviors (Comer, 2013). Cognitive behavioral therapy is

The typical description of a disease would be something that causes unwanted effects on the body; however, mental illnesses show few physical symptoms and cause problems that outsiders can rarely see. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), to be specific, is a complex disorder that occurs when a person has five of the following symptoms: a depressed mood, diminished pleasure, weight loss or gain, insomnia, lethargy, problems with concentrating, fatigue, feeling worthless, or having thoughts of suicide (Myers 3). While MDD is chronic, depression is the infrequent counterpart. The official etiology of depression is important because it is widespread and is becoming increasingly more common. Knowing why an illness occurs, in theory, can help physicians

Along with medication it is wise for people to go to ‘talk therapy’ so they can control their emotions and thoughts better. Psychological treatment is a long term solution to depression because working through problems and re-training the brain to feel and think in a more positive light will help stop depression after a while. Medication and therapy are used together so while a patient is undergoing the long journey of therapy they can have short term relief using medication. Another common treatment for depression is through school and community supports. When a person has depression, it is important to make life less stressful for them so it’s easier to overcome their illness which is why it’s good when teachers help the patient. Also, a support group (such as Depression Anonymous) is another treatment option because talking to others with the same problem often helps patients overcome their own struggles. (“Depression.”

Major depression is defined as a person who “has a history of one or more depressive episodes and no history of manic or hypomanic episodes. Symptoms often interfere with the person’s social or occupational functioning and in some cases may include psychotic features”. (Varcarolis 327) Psychotic features are “breaks with reality (such as

Other hormonal imbalances contribute to depression: (a) low thyroid levels, (b) low human growth hormone, (c) low prolactin levels (Kaplan and Sadock 532). Additionally, structural changes in the brain and brain functioning are linked to MDD. According to Kaplan Sadock, the greatest “consistent abnormality observed in the depressive disorders is increased frequency of abnormal hyperintensities in subcortical regions, such as periventricular regions, the basal ganglia, the thalamus… Some depressed patients also may have reduced hippocampal or caudate nucleus volumes, or both, suggesting more focal defects in relevant neurobehavioral systems. Diffuse focal areas of atrophy

Depression, also known as major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a mood disorder that can cause one to feel extreme sadness and the person affected loses interest in anything they used to find pleasure in (“Depression”). The Mayo Clinic states in its article Depression (Major Depressive Disorder) that depression is “More than just a bout of the blues, depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply “snap out.”’ Despite common stereotypes about being able to snap out of a depressive state or that depression is a weakness. Those who suffer from this disorder can feel as if this is a weakness or that one day they will just be able to “snap out of it.” Many people who suffer from depression have a long-term treatment: this can be

Major depression is a medical illness that is characterized by feeling sad, disappointed and full of despair. Major depression is a whole body illness that includes emotional, physical, intellectual, social, and spiritual problems. Many people refer to major depression as Major Depressive Disorder and Clinical Depression. Major depression affects how one feels, thinks, and acts; they also have trouble performing normal activities. Major depression can make a person feel as if life isn't worth living. Any group of people can experience major depression. Some individuals may only have one episode of depression in a lifetime, but others episodes are recurring.