Major Depressive Disorder Impacts Many People Worldwide

Depression is a common and serious mood disorder. It’s more than just feeling down or sad in response to life’s struggles and setbacks, depression causes people to lose pleasure from daily life, can increase the risk of many health problems, and can even be serious enough to lead to suicide. The disease must be given more attention and treated as a global public health priority. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7.6 percent of people over the age of 12 have depression in any 2-week period. Depression is also the second most common cause of disability worldwide after back pain,according to a review of research.

Depression is a chemical imbalance of the brain, usually when the part of the brain that produces serotonin produces the chemical in lower quantities (Rivas). Every year Americans consume more anti-depressants than any other nation in the world and from the years “1988-1994, the use of anti-depressants increased by 400%” (Ross). Statistically speaking, women have a 70% chance of developing depression over men and about 13% of the women who have children would develop postpartum depression (Holms). There is no doubt that depression impacts a large amount of people and affects the wallets of those with depression. Globally, 350,000,000 people suffer from some form of depression, of those affected with depression; $80,000,000,000 is spent on antidepressants and therapy (Holms). There are

According to Barlow (2008), major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most common depressive disorder and affects million of Americans each year. The symptoms experienced by individuals with MDD can be debilitating. The Global Burden of Disease Study, initiated by the World Health Organization, estimated depression to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world (Barlow, 2008). To further examine this, The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) found that each year roughly 13 million

Depression is a devastating disorder, though one may find it hard to understand or take seriously. You can’t see it or touch it, but when it settles over you or your loved one, it can affect nearly every aspect of daily life. Depression can disable everything from waking up in the morning to going to work, even sleeping at night. Sufferers experience feelings of intense despair and hopelessness. Activities they used to find joy in no longer interest them and in some cases may lead to attempted suicide. Infact, Depression is the leading cause of medical disability worldwide and accounts for over 210 billion dollars each year in medical expenses and missed days of work. Antidepressants are prescribed at an all-time high and fail to consistently do better than placebo pills (Wittenborn, 551). I myself have experienced this first hand, shelling out money I didn’t have for antidepressants that had little to effect or just made my symptoms worse.

Through my research, I’ve learned that in terms of depression, there are three major parts of the brain that play a significant role in the illness: the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the hippocampus. The limbic system, as a whole, and other parts of the brain are also involved when dealing with depression. However, the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus are three parts that show up most commonly when researching the effects of depression on the brain. The amygdala – like the other effected parts of the brain – is part of the limbic system, which is a set of structures in the brain that controls actions and emotions that ensure survival. The amygdala is primarily associated with emotions like anger, fear, pleasure, sorrow, and sexual arousal. Activity in the amygdala is higher when sad or depressed. The hypothalamus acts to regulate things like body temperature, appetite, sleep, sex drive, stress reaction, aggressive behavior, reactions to pain, and it helps control the pituitary gland – which regulates hormone control. When dealing with depression, the hypothalamus is prone to hyperactivity. Finally, the hippocampus’ role in the brain is to make short term memories into long term memories. It also plays an important role in spatial navigation. In depressed people, the hippocampus is generally smaller than those not suffering from depression. Brain activity, as a whole, is generally lower in people suffering from the

Major depressive disorder has a significant place in our country. “In 2015, an estimated 16.1 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. This number represented 6.7% of all U.S. adults” (National, 2015). These numbers do not exclude bereavement, medical illness or substance use disorders. This means that almost 7 people out of every 100 are suffering from depression.

Background: Major depression remains one of the most detrimental mental disorders without precise pathogenesis and effective treatment.

Major depressive disorder has caused many people to commit acts of insanity and has destroyed lives. It is defined as a mood disorder that will cause a constant sad feeling. This is because it affects how you think behave, and feel. these affects may lead to emotional problems and make you think that life is not worth living. It has been shown to affect twice as many women than men but is common for both genders at the ages of 25-44. It can effect about 10%-25% of women and 5%-12% of men. This disorder has many impacts on society as well. An example would be that people with Major depressive disorder may be caused to take more sick days and when they are actually at work, they tend to not do as well as their co-workers. There are some organizations

Depression has dramatically increased over the years. It is becoming a chronic disease for people. According to Wimett and Laustsen (2005), “Depression is a psychiatric disorder that affects an estimated 18 million U.S citizens and is expected to be the second leading cause of death or injury by 2020”. Depression is the change in brain chemistry that comes with a feeling of severe despondency and dejection. Although there are more than several types, the most familiar type is called Major Depressive Disorder. In 2003, Kessler, Berglurd, Demler, … & Wang noted that “Major Depressive Disorder is a common disorder, widely distributed in the population, and usually associated with substantial symptom severity and role impairment”. There are many types of treatment for Major Depressive Disorder, which include various types of therapies, electric shock therapy, and medication. The most common form of treatment is Cymbalta alongside some various types of therapy. Cymbalta is a medicine prescribed by doctors or therapists to reduce the symptoms of depression.

Depression is a normal emotional reaction to perceived loss and hopelessness (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002). There are a number of different types of depression such as chronic depression, manic depression and the primary focus of this essay Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). MDD is a clinical depression, which is more chronic and more severe compared to other types of depression. It significantly disrupts the individual’s ability to meet the normal demands of life. According to many clinicians, clinical depression should be considered as a medical illness in need of medical intervention. Other mental health professionals believe this is an overstatement of the role of physiology and the

Belmaker R, Agam G.(January 3, 2008). Major depressive disorder. The New England Journal Of Medicine. ; 358(1) : 55-68. Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra073096

Depressive disorders, for instance, often cause persistent feelings of sadness and worthlessness in it’s victim. This includes a lack of motivation, lack of quality of life and an onset of psychological distress. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults which is around 6.7 percent of the US population, age

Approximately 151 million people are currently combating major depressive disorder (MDD) worldwide (Haddad & Gunn, 2011). Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects around one in six men, and one in four women during any given moment of their lives, and in any twelve-month period, nearly five percent of individuals in their surrounding communities are depressed (Haddad & Gunn, 2011). Depressive episodes may appear at any age; however, MDD is most prevalent in adults who are eighteen-years-old to sixty-four-years-old, with a median age of onset being the twenties (Hillhouse & Porter, 2015). The treatment of MDD often consists of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) that include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and cognitive-behavioral

The severity of depression has been supported through scientific evidence that indicates that depression has a biological basis in the brain of a depressed person along with psychological and social implications. Whilst there are many catalysts in a person’s life that can be identified as a possible root cause of depression, such as stressful life events or the death of a loved one, the issue is far more complex, as the biological triggers of depression are not as easily expressed, such as faulty mood regulation in the brain, vulnerable genetics in the DNA, and other medical problems. Many things are altered in the brain of the depressed person. Firstly, what most understand to be an imbalance in the levels of chemicals that regulate emotions, is in reality far more elaborate. The true issue surrounding the many chemicals involved inside and outside of the nerve cells that undergo numerous chemical reaction which make up the dynamic system that is responsible for mood, perceptions, and the way one experiences life you experiences life can be altered in different ways that affect how one lives. Along with the brains chemicals, the connections between nerve cells called neurons decrease and deteriorate, meaning the

Depression is the most common of all psychological disorders, affecting 100 million people worldwide. The depression ranges from mild feelings of uneasiness, sadness, and apathy to intense suicidal despair. (Kasschau) If left untreated, it could lead the