Major Depressive Disorder ( Mdd )

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.

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.

Mental disorders can be diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence. Major depression is a lost of interest or pleasure in all activities. People with major depression experience symptoms such as a change of appetite, restlessness sleep, decreased energy, feeling of worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, and/or suicidal thoughts. A major depressive episode can lasts for about 2 weeks or more. A major depressive episode can be caused by stress, social anxiety, or other reasons. People with a milder depression are able to function and seem normal (DSM-IV-TR). A major depressive disorder affects about 14.8 million adults in America with 6.7 million at age 18 and older in the United States population. A depressive disorder can develop in any age and more likely to occur more often in women than in men and any person who is going through a hard time can develop depression. A treatment for individuals with depression is medication, psychotherapy, or attending social groups, 80 percent of the people who follow up with these treatments begin to show improvement with in four to six weeks. About 50 percent of the patients that take medicine to “cure” the depression are unsuccessful with the treatment, because they stop taking their meds due to the side effects, but the people who are in the support

Pharmaceuticals are a very popular method of curing depression. Although they are popular these drugs show little to no progress in curing depression. In the article, "Taking Anti-Depressant Medication: A Qualitative Examination of Internet Postings,” proves this. The article gives accounts of multiple patients who have taken the medication and recorded their results. One patient states, “It seems like I’m about five times as anxious/depressed as I was pre-Paroxetine”. (353). Research proves that pharmaceuticals do not help individuals with their depression, but in fact cause it to worsen. The studies shows that many individuals receive a

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

The demand for antidepressants has skyrocketed since the early 1990’s with a majority of users being adults. Appalling to this fact is that about half of those under the prescriptions have in the recent past visited a mental health professional. In addition to this, almost 60 percent of those who use antidepressant do not really need them. I also concur with the fact that our modern lifestyle has contributed so much to augment depression rate.

Depression is defined by the DSM-IV as a mental disorder characterized by sustained depression of mood, anhedonia, sleep and appetite disturbances, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and hopelessness. Depressive symptoms such as the mere inability to experience pleasure and loss of energy persisting for longer than two weeks are usually enough to indicate an affective disorder (Hirschfeld 2014). There are significant variations in presentations and diagnosis criteria, but regardless of the classification of depressive states (Major (Unipolar), Bipolar, Dysthymia, Atypical, SAD, Postpartum), it is agreed upon that pharmacological interventions are sometimes required: to alleviate debilitating symptoms and improve patients’ quality of life. The interest in depression medications reflects the gravity of the disease i.e. its ability to psychologically impair lives and lead to suicide.

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 serious mental disorder that may be displayed by major episodes of sadness, restlessness, and loss of interest. Depression has several symptoms such as excessive sleep, increased or loss of appetite, aches, cramps, insomnia, and fatigue. It can affect anyone of all ages and may not be recognizable for those who are experiencing it. A medication called anti-depressants helps treat depression by altering the serotonin receptors levels. There are several types of anti-depressant medications such as Abilify, Celexa, Aplenzin, Asendin, and many more. There are individuals that may argue that anti-depressants are an over-prescribed medications. They believe that this medication can affect the patient’s mental status and inhibit self-control with this addictive drug. On the other hand, the opposition may argue that anti-depressants are not overly prescribed and that it should not be problematic because it is an accessible, helpful, and a quicker treatment. The debate of whether anti-depressants are an over-prescribed medication has been an ongoing controversial issue as evidenced by statements of supporters and those in opposition.

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

The linkage of serotonin to depression has been known for the past five years. From numerous studies, the most concrete evidence of this connection is the decreased concentration of serotonin metabolites like 5-HIAA (5-hydroxyindole acetic acid) in the cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissues of depressed people. If depression, as suggested, is a result of decreased levels of serotonin in the brain, pharmaceutical agents that can reverse this effect should be helpful in treating depressed patients. Therefore, the primary targets of various antidepressant medications are serotonin transports of the brain. Since serotonin is activated when released by neurons into the synapse, antidepressants function at the synapse to enhance serotonin activity. Normally, serotonin's actions in the synapse are terminated by its being taken back into the neuron then releases it at which point "it is either recycled for reuse as a transmitter or broken down into its metabolic by products and transported out of the brain." As a result, antidepressants work to increase serotonin levels at the synapse by blocking serotonin reuptake (2).

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

(3) While successful drug therapies which act on neurotransmitters in the brain imply that depression is a neurobiological condition (4), the fact that such medications do not help about 20 percent of depression-sufferers seems to show that not all depression is due to such imbalances. Rather, depression is not caused by one single factor; it is most often caused by many different things. Genetics, biochemical factors, medicines and alcohol, developmental and other external factors, and relationships, marriage and children all have effect on the development of clinical depression. (5) The strongest hypotheses on the pathways to depression are in decreases in the activity of specific neurotransmitters, or the overactivity of certain hormonal systems. (3)

The first step to treating many of these new cases of depression is the prescription and use of antidepressant medication, however this has cause a mass flooding of our society with unnecessary prescription drugs. Due to the ease of treatment, primarily with prescription drugs, and the large range of severity in depression is often over diagnosed, adding to the problem.

Major Depressive disorder is a relatively common mental disorder, so, much research has been done on what causes and what to expect from this disorder. With many possible causes to this disorder, researchers have narrowed it down to three, which are commonly accepted as the leading causes of MDD. The three causes include: intrapsychic, environmental, and biological (Fitzgerald & Cataldo, 2012). Intrapsychic, meaning ‘occurring inside the mind,’ can be attributed to Major Depressive Disorder because many researcher believe that the disorder stems from the internalizing of negative events. The saying ‘it’s all in your head’ is a quite fitting quote for this subject at hand. When people start to have pessimistic thoughts and blame themselves for negative experiences and start believing the positive outcomes in their lives have all happened because of sheer luck and not because of their own skills, they start to experience a prolonged feeling of helplessness (Fitzgerald & Cataldo, 2012). They end up thinking in their head that they are worthless or useless in whatever they do. The environmental cause is a theory