Marasco 10 Depression By Mary Katherine Marasco Ms. Carr Anatomy and Physiology H 23 February 2016 Mary Katherine Marasco Ms. Carr Anatomy and Physiology H 23 February 2016 Depression Depression- the most diagnosed mental illness in the world- is also the most misunderstood. Depression?a sad or discontented mood?can leave a person feeling lethargic, unmotivated, or hopeless, and in some cases ? contemplate suicide. Unfortunately, depression usually begins as high levels of anxiety and with exposure to trauma in children. Higher levels of anxiety or exposure to stress-inducing and traumatic situations as a child could mean an increased risk of depression as an adult. Although a serious mental illness all over the world in …show more content…
The cerebral cortex directs functions like speech, behavior, reactions, movement, thinking, and learning. In fact, some research suggests that bipolar disorder originates with problems with the thalamus, which links sensory input to good and bad feelings. The hippocampus also affects depression. It, like the amygdala, is part of the limbic system. It is vital in processing long-term memory. This section of the brain registers recurring fear. In people with clinical depression, the hippocampus is much smaller. Research suggests, even, that ongoing exposure to stress impairs the growth of nerve cells in this part of the brain. One of the most important jobs of the brain is to process senses, through neurons. Neurotransmitters are specific substances that help relay information to the brain. Scientists have identified many neurotransmitters that affect depression. A lack or excess of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine, serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, glutamate, lithium carbonate and gamma-aminobutyric acid are thought to contribute to depression. Acetylcholine is involved in learning and enhances memory. Serotonin helps regulate sleep, appetite, and mood, and inhibits pain. Research shows the idea that many depressed people have reduced levels of serotonin. Low levels of a byproduct of serotonin have been linked to a high risk for suicide. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter which constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. An excess in
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.
In most situations the term power is looked at between one person or group and another. The same perspective from the textbook “Interpersonal Conflict” written by Joyce Hocker and William Wilmot can be applied when looking at the lack of internal power when going through a phase of depression. The type of power, level of power, solutions, as well as the RICE perspective can all be associated with myself and my depressed state I went through for a few months.
Depression is a health condition that can affect a person emotionally and physically. Untreated, depression can even lead to suicide, which is the third-leading cause of death among people under the age of 18 (“Antidepressant Drugs” 1). Depression
Depression can be dangerous. It is one of the most common mental health problems in the United States. It is reported that as many as one in every 33 children and one in eight adolescents may have depression (Center for Mental Health Services, 1998).
It states that genetic factors, hormones, and brain chemicals, or neurotransmitters, play a part in suffering from depression, as well. Under the subheading, ‘Genetic Factors,’ it explains that depression usually runs in families and the genes that contribute to the disease often make someone with these genetic traits more susceptible to becoming depressed. When discussing hormones, the piece displayed ideas of how hormones change when the brain goes into a depressive state, and certain parts of the brain are more affected than others. Furthermore, regarding hormones, it discusses that because the brain may produce more or less of certain hormones during these periods, it is important for doctors to recognize this in order to treat it with medication effectively. The last biological element exhibited in the article is brain chemicals, or neurotransmitters. First it explains how neurotransmitters work—nerve cells in the brain communicating with one another to perform certain functions. Then it talks about how when your brain is in a depressed mode, the firing of these synapses occurs less frequently. It states that the nerve cells affected most often control “sleep, appetite, sexual drive and perhaps mood.” Treatments are also discussed in this section and are such that antidepressants are used to aid in this issue, because they increase the rate the neurotransmitters work
Depression is a very common in today’s society. This condition is a severe feeling of sadness and self-worthlessness. Depression changes how you think, feel, and also affects your social behavior and sense of physical wellness. Although it can make you have low self-esteem, depression is not feeling sad, it is the constants feeling sadness that stays with you every single day. Aside from being a serious medical illness, it is also a lifelong condition, which leads to a recurrence illness. It affects 5-8 percent of adults in the United States, which means about 25 million Americans will have an episode of major depression within this year alone (Wayne, 2013, p.62). If not treated it can affect the way you feel, act, and think. It can also cause you to treat friends and family differently. Depression almost affects nearly everyone through losing a family member or personal experiences. As well depression has often lead to suicide in mean untreated cases. Depression
Research into neurobiology of MDD have usually focused on the monoamine, neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine. The monoamine hypothesis initially suggested that depressed individuals are likely to have low levels of these neurotransmitters because various antidepressant drugs acutely increase their levels (Rot, Mathew, & Charney, 2009). When these chemicals are out of balance, it may be associated with depressive symptoms (Mayo Clinic. (2014). According to Rot et al. (2009), scientists have not yet identified a gene or a series of genes that cause depression. Rather, certain variations in genes, called polymorphisms, may increase risk for depression, genes can predispose individuals to MDD in many ways. For example, genes help control the metabolism of neurotransmitters and their receptors, the numbers of particular types of neurons and their synaptic connections, their intracellular transduction of neuronal signals, and the speed with which all of these can change in response to environmental
Each of these changes no matter good or bad can cause stress or anxiety in somebody’s life which can lead to depression ("Helping Someone with Depression."). Moreover, somebody’s family history is a large factor in undergoing depression. People can inherit genes from their blood relatives who have had depression, that make them more likely to develop depression themselves. The last huge factor in increasing depression are the the chemicals in one’s brain, "Helping Someone with Depression." stated, “Scientists have found that when the level of the brain chemicals become too high or low the chemical imbalance causes symptoms of depression.” Likewise according to "Depression (major Depression) Causes.” said, “Recent research proves that changes in the function and effect of these neurotransmitters (naturally occurring brain chemicals) and how they interact with neural circuits (nerve cells that carry information) involved in maintaining mood stability may play a significant role in depression and its treatment.” Overall, this means that imbalance of the brain chemicals is one of the leading causes in depression among people of all
The synaptic gap or the synaptic cleft is where the axon is sending chemical substances to dendrite. Pre-synaptic neuron is transmitting neurotransmitter and post-synaptic neuron receives neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitter can affect or mental abilities and there are different types of them. Like; Acetylcholine (ACh), Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), Glutamate. Acetylcholine helps work the muscles. And also, learning and memory. When the brain not producing ACh the way they should be; this is how Alzheimer’s disease develop. Dopamine plays the role of moods, motivation, learning, and movement. Malfunctions of this neurotransmitter is Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. Parkinson’s happens when the brain is undersupplying of dopamine and schizophrenia is overproducing. Serotonin have an impact on mood, appetite, regulate sleep, and arousal. When the brain is undersupply of serotonin, mental disease like, depression are developed. This is why in antidepressant, it helps raise the levels of serotonin. Norepinephine have the ability to regulate alertness and arousal. Similar to serotonin, depression occur when there is a low amount levels of norepinephine. GABA is a very major neurotransmitter, it controls and regulate sleep, relaxation and anxiety. Seizures, tremors, and insomnia involves when the brain is low with GABA. Glutamate have similar ability to the
The neurotransmitters norepinephrine, serotonin is also thought to play a role in depression (Porth 1371). There are decreased levels of these neurotransmitters present in the pre and post synaptic cleft. Dopamine levels have been studied and increased levels of dopamine are found in mania and decreased levels in depression (Porth 1372).
One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1
According to Depression scholarly (n.d), depression, also known as major depression, is a “mind-set disorder that causes a constant feeling of misery and misfortune of investment” (Depression scholarly, n.d). Depression also refers to “an array of abnormal variations in the mood of a person”. This condition not only affects an individual’s thoughts and behaviors (Journal, n.d), but is also capable of changing the thoughts and feelings of the individual as well as physically and emotionally affecting his or her health. This type of disorder is, frankly, a common disorder that can happen to anyone at any age, as it is one of the most “disabling disorders in the world, affecting roughly one in five women and one in tem men at some point in their lifetime” (Depression, n.d). Although depression can affect anyone, it is more likely to occur in individuals who have been suffering from anxiety disorders (Journal, n.d).
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
To begin with, let us make clear what is depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is described as a serious mental disorder in which a person suffers long time of sadness, loneliness, and other negative feelings. Depression affects how you feel about yourself such as lack of energy and concentration, lose interest in work and hobbies, and have trouble of insomnia. Depression makes life more and more difficult and dispirited. More importantly, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), major depression is the leading cause of mental disorder for people in the United States aged 15 to 44. Recent estimates show that about 10 to 15% of children and teens experience depression at
Sadness is how the human being reacts to the loss of a loved one, the struggles of life, the disappointments, and the frustrations. Although it is a normal feeling in all these situations, there is a broad difference between being sad and being depressed. Unlike normal feelings of sadness, depression overwhelms a person, last a long time, and interferes with his or her day-to-day life. According to the World Health Organization in 2010, depression was reported as the most common mental disorder; it affects 120 million people globally and is among the leading causes of disability. The person that suffers from depression has to deal with being misunderstood and under-diagnosed on a daily basis, which leaves the patient with physical,