Most Common Mood Disorder

Depression is defined as, “a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide” (Merriam Webster). A close friend of mine battles depression and would describe it is, “a debilitating mood that makes it hard to get out of the bed in the morning, a desire to sleep all the time, inability to experience joy, and apathy towards life.” Due to its prevalent occurrence among several people groups throughout history, depression is known as the “common cold of mental illnesses” and has been called “the most widespread, serious,

Biopsychologists believe genetics plays a factor in depression for if one has depression it is more likely that a close relative may and will suffer from depression as well. In fact about 20 percent of those relatives suffer from depression as well (Comer, R. J. 2010). Sometimes the cause for depression is simply a chemical imbalance. Low activity of norepinephrine and serotonin has been linked to unipolar depression. As well as certain interactions between neurotransmitters and the endocrine system itself has been linked to depression.

Depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors (“Depression: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments” 2015). Researchers are becoming increasingly aware that depression runs in families (Kam,2009) meaning that certain genes may make people prone to depression suggesting a biological vulnerability. The biological factors that have some effect on the hereditary and biological influences of depression are the genes, hormones, and brain chemicals.

Major depressive disorder is a condition when a person experiences two or more weeks of depressed mood or lack of interest in things that usually gave them pleasure not due to any drugs or other medical condition. For this condition to be present a person must show at least five signs of depression (classified as: depressed mood most of the day; diminished interest in activities; significant weight loss or weight gain when not dieting; insomnia or too much sleep; lethargy; fatigue; feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt; difficulty concentrating or thinking; and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide). Bipolar disorder on the other hand is when an individual alternates between hopelessness and an overexcited state of mania. Mood disorders run in families. Women are at twice the risk of having depression and today we find that depression is widespread. Although the majority of depressive episodes end on their own they are usually induced by a stressful event. The risk of suicide or self-injury is higher in individuals who are

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).

Moods are a common part of everyday life. They fluctuate every second of the day. It is normal to be happy, depressed, content, or even excited depending on the events that happen in your day, and how you perceive these events. A mood disorder is recognized when moods become “impairing” and hard to cope with (Parker et al, 2012, p.419). People have extreme swings from extreme happiness to sadness. These moods cannot be controlled, causing them to react inappropriately to events that are happening in their lives. Mood disorders can cause a person to be unstable in certain aspects of their lives, causing a disruption in a person’s daily activities.

There is also strong evidence that depression is caused by drugs or alcohol abuse which ultimately changes some genetics of the person

Many people around the world suffer from depression. "Depression is the most common mental health disorder after anxiety disorders"("Depression | Resources To Recover.") Depression is a terrible thing to have especially when it makes people have, Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and Postpartum Depression. "Major depressive disorder involves a consistently depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities for a period of at least two weeks"("Depression | Resources To Recover.").

Mood disorders consist of a widespread range of mood issues, such as key depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder and bipolar disorder. Approximately 20.9 million American adults suffer from these disorders. Major

Schizophrenia is a common disorder that effects many people. There are many types of symptoms that cause strange behavior and inability to function in certain situations. Although it is a very commonly diagnosed disorder there is no factual evidence of what causes people to be effected by it. There are people that do genetic testing to look for a certain piece of DNA that they think may be linked to schizophrenia (this hasn’t been proved that they are linked). There are many types of treatments, therapies, and medications that patients can choose from to treat their disorder.

Moods are feelings we all go through. Many different things can affect our moods. We can be super happy or super down by anything instantly. If we were to accomplish something, get a good grade, or a raise that will instantly change our mood and bring us to a happy state. If we were to fail, lose a job, get a ticket that might make us go into a down or depressive mood. It is very normal for us to have our moods affected by day to day life events. People who experience mood disorders get affected longer and more severe to where it affects their lives so badly they can’t function well. Even if things are going well some people still get depressed, or when something they encounter bothers them. People who experience extreme mood swings suffer drastically with their emotions. Their are two types of mood disorders: bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.

Depression is a mood disorder that affects approximately ten percent of men and nearly twenty-five percent of women at least once in their lifetime (1). There are several types of clinical depression, such as unipolar depression and bipolar depression. Unipolar depression consists of primarily depressive states while bipolar depression involves a fluctuation between states of depression and mania (2). Some of the most common symptoms of depression include excessive feelings of sadness, guilt, or worthlessness, a significant change in appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, energy loss, thoughts or attempts of suicide, and anhedonia (3), (4). While the symptoms of depression are

Mood disorders are a class of behavioral-emotional disorders labeled by disruption in mood. Examples of this are depression or extreme elation. Some people may experience periods of depression or elation but this doesn’t mean they have a mood disorder.

Over the years, people have argued and discussed about what could be possible causes of depression. Some experts believe that a person’s genes could be a determinative of whether he or she is inclined or genetically predisposed, to depression. Experts point it to the fact that depressive genes could run in families. Other specialists lessen the role of the person’s genetic, arguing that depression is generally caused by stress, trauma, or physical or mental illness.