Reflection Of Depression

Depression is the most common mental health disorder; it affects over 17 million American adults each year. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by at least four symptoms such as changes in sleep, appetite, weight, and psychomotor activity; decreased energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt; difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions; or recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation, thoughts or attempts. “Women are approximately two times more likely than men to suffer from major depression” (Research Agenda for Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors in Women’s Health, 1996) and it has been called the most significant mental health risk for women. Women are more likely to suffer from depression during marriage

I had the pleasure of having Mental Health Clinical in Big Spring and Lubbock, Texas. Over the course of the semester I attended 6 clinical dates, all of them demonstrated different mental illnesses that people are affected with. I was able to witness patients in different settings like in their bedrooms, in the general sitting area, in class, and in one on one interaction with the providers. It was a very different experience compared to clinicals for Medsurge or Foundations. Although, I was very intimidated and nervous about going the nerves got better towards the end of the semester. It was a very neat and eye opening experience; many people don’t realize how many people are affected with mental illnesses and the impact it has.

People who are not depressed or have never come to contact with clinical depression, are more often than not inclined to judge someone who is clinically depressed and call them dramatic, self-indulgent, or even worse tell them that they are just “under the weather.” Diagnosed clinical depression is not something that one can just shrug off, in fact it’s a disease that will cause the mental health state of an individual to decrease. Though depression isn’t something one can physically see like the flu, depression causes the patient to feel the effects as if it were a physical disorder. These symptoms include but are not limited to, fatigue, muscle aches headaches, etc. Though sadness can also cause an individual to feel these symptoms, sadness is temporary. Whereas depression, lingers and tends to become part of the patient’s everyday life, like a best friend. Though everyone at some point in their lives will experience sadness, the underlying question of why some people experience sadness that leads into full on depression remains. The article titled “Sadness, Depression, and Avoidance Behavior” by Allan M. Leventhal, primarily discusses an explanation to why some individuals are more prone to depression and subsequently will become clinically depressed, and why others are not. Furthermore, the article offers a clear separation between sadness and depression.

Throughout life, we will all experience sadness and anxiety as a result of the stresses of life. This is a normal response to the different hardships that we might encounter in life. Tragedies such as getting fired from a job, getting a divorce, losing a loved one, or having any other form of disappointment can cause the person who is experiencing the hardship to feel sad, scared, lonely, or even hopeless. Even though these feelings are normal responses to difficult situations which are typically resolved with time, some people unexplainably experience these feelings daily, making it difficult and almost impossible to function. Often times these people may be experiencing depression, an anxiety

Major depression is a commonly diagnosed psychological disorder affecting individuals’ ability to feel happiness and peace of mind. Those who suffer experience negative emotions, lack of motivation, changes in behaviour and dysfunctional cognitive symptoms. Depression is classified by the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as five of more of the listed symptoms present persistently over the same two weeks. One of these symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities. Depression causes disruption to typical daily life such as inability to maintain friendships and jobs. Other symptoms outlined by the DSM-5 include; insomnia, fatigue and recurrent thoughts of death. There is much debate over what exactly causes depression. Biological explanations question hereditary and neurotransmitter factors. While psychological theories include the cognitive ideas of Beck’s negative triad and hopelessness theory. This essay will focus on the ways in which psychological and biological explanations contrast and how their theories can overlap to better understand depression.

Depression in itself is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that prevents neurons, the cells that compose the brain, from functioning properly. This occurs when the synaptic vesicles and receptor sites of the neurons become blocked, consequently preventing the chemical signals known as neurotransmitters from being transmitted from neuron to neuron. The reduction of this brain impulse activity is commonly seen in depressed patients making it argued that due to the lack of transmitting impulses occurring in the brain results in a hormonal imbalance, which plays a major role in the mood of an individual. As a result of this chemical imbalance in the brain a person may experience what is called clinical depression. However, clinical depression is not the only common type of depression. Environmental depression is another example that is caused by stressful events occurring to or around an individual such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or financial instabilities such as job loss. This kind of depression often leads people to feel powerless in a dire situation. Be that as it may, depression in itself seems to be more commonly seen in women than in men. Countering this is, in its most dramatic aftermath- death by committing suicide- the rates seem to be much higher in men than in women. Regardless of the type of depression or who has it most often, it is imperative to reach these people before they

Depression presents itself in a multitude of ways from rendering the individual inconsolable and helpless to the inability to connect emotionally with family and friends. Depression is a key mood involved in mood disorders. Mood disorders have many degrees of severity from a passing feeling to a serious illness. Depression is not simply black and white. Its diverse nature makes it difficult for some to understand what constitutes the term “depression,” which is why in the DSM-5 many types of depression are recognized and discussed.

It is not easy to diagnose depression. Diagnosing depression is difficult because not all signs can be visibly seen straight away. The clinical depression disorder is the kind of depression that is experienced for weeks or even months or years. Depression sufferers usually see things differently than most people as they start having a negative attitude. The actual cause for depression is still unknown. There’s a set of standards that psychologists and psychiatrists use to diagnose depression and they are set by the American Psychiatric Association. In fact, there are a lot of depression signs and it affects both men and women in different ways than people know. One can feel weary or don’t have energy whenever he or she is suffering with depression

Losing a loved one is often a very sad experience. For humans it is natural to mourn the loss of a loved one. Although everyone suffers differently, grief is a universal experience. For most people grief resolves naturally, but some people can face symptoms similar to that of major depression. Although the typical grief period carries on for about two to six months, people can now be diagnosed with major depressive disorder within weeks of experiencing symptoms. Even well-known psychologists such as Sigmund Freud have stated, “...although mourning involves grave departures from the normal attitude toward life, it never occurs to us to regard it as a pathological condition and to refer it to a medical treatment. We rely on its being overcome after a certain lapse of time, and we look upon any interference with it as useless or even harmful’’(Shear, 2011). The elimination of the bereavement exclusion from the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition will pathologize the normal grief process, which will soon lead to over diagnosis of major depressive disorder and blur the fine line between grief and depression.

Sadness and great happiness are part of everyday life. Sadness is a comprehensive response to defeat, disappointment, and other upsetting circumstances. Happiness on the other hand is a worldwide response to success, achievement, and other promising situations. Grief, a form of sadness, is a deliberate normal emotional response to a loss. Bereavement applies specifically to the emotional response to the loss of a loved one. Mood disorders are emotional disturbances consisting of prolonged periods of sadness, happiness, or both. Mood disorders are categorized into two groups; depressive or bipolar. Normality is a difficult thing to define, but most would agree on: the efficient perception of reality, self-knowledge and voluntary control of behavior, having high self-esteem & acceptance, ability to form intimate relationships, and productivity of a person whether as a worker or a student. Something abnormal in a person would be regarded as a change from statistical norms as well as social norms, and maladaptive behavior. However, social norms differ from society to society & can change over time. Considering the difficulty in distinguishing normal from abnormal, categorizing & diagnosing the different types of abnormalities can be difficult to determine a person with a sickness of the mind. In the case of Tamara, a 37 year old woman, we will examine her using the DSM diagnose her with major depression,....(week 8)…., and finally by using psychodynamic therapy and the use of

Depression have become a major problem in our society today. People who haven’t experience depression will not understand how it feel and what it can do to a person. Many people also doesn’t understand what depression is, or how it can related to suicidal ideation. In fact, studies have documented that the majority of young suicide victims had depression at the time of death and most suicide survivors were diagnosed with symptoms of clinical depression at the time of their attempt (Mojs, Biederman, Głowacka, Strzelecki, Ziemska, Samborski 2015). It can affect anyone, from young adolescents to college students to the elderly people. There are many reasons that can make someone have major depression. Such as financial problems, family problems, social problems, school, work, etc. These stressors in our daily life can cause anxiety which can increase our stress level significantly, which then can lead to depression. A research said that anxiety disorder have a high comorbidity with depression and that anxiety occur prior to the onset of depressive disorders in many individuals (Batterham, Christensen, Calear 2013). People who experience depression must find way to cope with depression and know how to get help in order to prevent suicidal ideation. The people surroundings, friends and family, must also find ways to recognize the symptoms of depression, and show understandings in order to help those suffering. This research project will help people understand more about

feelings can linger for years. Depression is a social disorder characterized by a depressed mood

In my opinion, mental illness is also called psychiatric disorder, which affects an individual’s way of thinking, behaving and perceiving, and interacting with other people. Upon reflection, I felt that my anxiety was largely due to my negative preconceptions about mental illness especially my belief that mentally ill people are violent, unpredictable, and dangerous. These views were not only a result of a lack of knowledge about mental illness but also due to the impact of negative media and cultural stereotypes that I had grown up with. Before clinical placement, I used to be scared with the patients and used to be reluctant to deal with them.

Depression has numerous causes and effects which affect not only the person but the people around them. Depression doesn’t have a specific cause; in most cases it’s different for everyone. It is a common, treatable mental illness that can be experienced at any time in life. It is often described with feeling sad, unhappy, miserable, or “down in the dumps”. Most people have these feelings on occasion. There are several types of depression. These different types of depression describe slight, but often important, diagnostic differences. True clinical depression interferes with mood disorder in everyday life for weeks, months, or even years. Most people think depression affects only one

As I stated earlier in my book; after all I have been through I still have joy; I passed the test and now I have a testimony to share with you how I was kept by God. It was God that kept me in the mist of my storms, it keeps me from all harm, it kept me in my weakness, and it taught me to be strong. As I prayed and read the Word of God daily it helped me to be strong in my faith in order to overcome the stresses in my life. It helped me to understand that suffering is a part of growth and development. Suffering will give you courage and comfort in Christ knowing that He is the author and finisher of our faith. Paul tells us in Philippians 1:29 that “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw…” In other words we are not the only one who will suffer in life; it is through our suffering that God uses our pain as an example to strengthen and encouragement others. It can be very difficult sometimes to share with others what you have been through without getting funny look or a strange response. I remember the time when I shared a situation with a friend and after I shared my story the person response was “things always seems to happen to you; maybe you are during something wrong?” I became troubled by their response to the point that I began to have flashbacks of some of the things that I encountered over the years. I thought maybe the person was right and that