Symptoms And Treatment Of Depressive Disorders

One in ten Americans at one point has had symptoms of depression at one point or another. Depression is most prevalent in people ages 45-64. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older, in a given year. While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the most common age that it can appear is 32. Major depressive disorder is more prevalent in women than in men. As many as one in 33 children and one in eight adolescents have clinical depression (hotline, 2016). Depression is a common, serious illness and not a personal weakness. Depression can happen to anyone, at any age, and to people of any race or ethnic group. It is never a “normal” part of life. Depression is treatable and is thought to come from chemical imbalances in the brain, hormonal changes, medications or things going on in your

Major depressive disorder affects nearly 15 million of American adults in a given year. (Kessler, Chiu, Demler & Walters, 2005). With the impact it has on the society as well as the well-being of the individual, it must be in the interest of the healthcare to be able to provide patients with the most effective treatment method. Extensive research has been conducted on the efficacy of antidepressant medication and cognitive therapy, the two main treatment methods used for depression today. The discussion has, however, been characterized by conflicting claims, resulting in a debate over what should be used rather than us having a definite conclusion of how patients are best helped.

“Recent data estimate the overall prevalence of depression at about 11.1% of the American population, or nearly 35 million individuals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). A predictive models suggest that up to 50% of the population will experience at least one episode of depression during their lives” (Life Extension, 2014). Depression has negatively affected the lives of many individuals throughout the world. Look around you there may even be someone close to you that is demonstrating signs of its stifling affects. Depression does not discriminate with its suffocating

In 2005 the Center of Disease Control and Prevention 's (CDC’s) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) tracked Americans using antidepressants for three years. The study concluded in 2008 that more than 1 in 10 Americans ages 12 and older have used an antidepressant drug. This study comes in the wake of a heated debate in the media about the effectiveness of antidepressants treating depression. Last year, antidepressants were the second most commonly prescribed medication, right behind drugs directed to lower cholesterol. With so many people in the United States relying on these drugs, it is easy to question if they are just expensive, overused placebos.

“Major depressive disorder affects approximately five to eight percent of the U.S. population age eighteen and older annually” (Neeb’s, 181). Signs and symptoms of major depressive disorder are feelings of guilt or worthlessness, increased agitation, sad mood, increased fatigue, weight loss or gain, anhedonia, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, and decreased ability to think (Neeb’s, 182). Five or more of these symptoms must appear in the patient for at least a two week

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

This report gives an overview of how Americans are coping with depression. Depression is a mental disorder that can affect men, women and children regardless of their age or economic backgrounds. Approximately 18.8 million people or 9.5% of adults ages 18 and older in the United States have been diagnosed with a depressive disorder. There are many factors that may cause depression which sometimes makes it harder for the disorder to be diagnosed. This report will examine how a major depressive disorder is defined and diagnosed through physical examinations, laboratory tests, and psychological evaluations. The effects of depression on Americans based on their age, sex, geographical locations, and economic backgrounds. Lastly, this report will discuss ways in which doctors and mental health professionals are treating Americans to help them cope with a diagnosed depressive disorder in their everyday lives.

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.

Nevid informs palpable statistics on depression “according to recent estimates, about 17 percent of U.S. adults develop major depression at some point in their lives (Conway et al., 2006; Forgeard et al., 2011; Nevid, 2015, p. 504). Furthermore, Nevid (2015) delineates on major depression, “major depression (also called major depressive disorder), people typically feel sad or “down in the dumps” and may experience feelings of worthlessness, changes in sleep or appetite, lethargy, and loss of interest in pleasurable activities” (p. 504). This writer, for this assignment chose to share from personal experience. Once this writer was a part of the 17 percent of Americans suffering from depression. However, that the moment in time enhanced my life; it was my truth and hopefully this post will encourage and uplift. Nevid (2015) cites:

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental health diagnosis that affects roughly 3 million people in the United States alone (National Institute). It is an illness that does not discriminate against socioeconomic class, race, gender, etc. and has a biological and environmental affect. The biological component of depression involves familial history and how genetics plays an important role in depression and can increase one’s risk of developing some form of depression during their lifetime. The environmental factors of depression are situational such as financial troubles, relationship problems, loss of a

More people suffer from depression than you might think. People of all ages, backgrounds, lifestyles, and nationalities get clinical depression. An estimated 35 to 40 million Americas living today will suffer from major depression at some time during their lives. (4) This is about 13 to 20 percent of all Americans. (1) About half of these individuals will experience recurring depression. (3) Despite being what authorities call "the nation's leading mental health problem" (6), depression is often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, and therefore not treated. (4) Often as a result, about 25 percent of these people attempt suicide to end their

Major depressive disorder affects nearly 15 million of American adults in a given year. (Kessler, Chiu, Demler & Walters, 2005). With the impact it has on the society as well as the well-being of the individual, it must be in the interest of the healthcare to be able to provide patients with the most effective treatment method. Extensive research has been conducted on the efficacy of antidepressant medication and cognitive therapy, the two main treatment methods used for depression today. The discussion has, however, been characterized by conflicting claims, resulting in a debate over what should be used rather than us having definite conclusion of how patients are best helped.

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.

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

The prevalence of MDD in the United States is approximately 7%, although the prevalence varies significantly by age groups and gender (APA, 2013). For instance, the prevalence of MDD in individuals aged between 18 and 29 is three times higher than the prevalence among individuals aged 60 and older (APA, 2013). Specifically, approximately 14.8 million American adults in a given year are affected by the disorder (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, Merikangas, & Walters, 2005). The World Health Organization assessed depression as the fourth leading disorder affecting individuals worldwide (Murray, & Lopez,