Ten Leading Causes of the Global Burden of Disease

“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

The biological theory of depression focusing on genetics argues that shared DNA is the cause of depression so the more genes shared with a depressed family member, the more an individual’s likelihood to develop depression. Whereas psychological theories of depression, such as the cognitive negative schema, focus on how individuals perceive

As people say,” feeling of being "depressed is a normal occurrence due to loss, daily life struggles, or low self-confidence. But when feelings become stronger and sadness over

Antidepressant medication is the most popular treatment for depression. Studies have suggested that cognitive therapy of depression might have a significant advantage over medication in preventing relapses or recurrences (Robinson, 2005). Despite the alarming prevalence of depression in society, there is yet no completely adequate explanation as to how or why it occurs (Robinson, 2005). The three major etiological models for understanding depression are cognitive models (based on the work of Beck & Ellis), biological models that link depression to variance in biochemistry (Robinson, 2005), and diathesis-stress models that view depression as the result of a complex interaction of contextual factors and intra-individual factors (Robinson, 2005). There is some evidence to suggest that once treatment-to-remission-from-depression is terminated that pharmacologically treated patients were twice as likely to relapse than patients treated with cognitive therapy (Miller, 1989). Many studies have reported evidence of negative cognitive patterns among depressed individuals. A self-deprecating style, negative attitudes toward the future and negative automatic thoughts frequently are associated with depression (Miller, 1989).

Depression is an affective disorder, demonstrating many symptoms such as “hopelessness, helplessness, personal devaluation, and extreme sadness” (depression, 1).Though sadness is something everyone experiences, people who have

According to the World Health Organization, depression is an illness that affects more than 300 million people (World Health Organization, 2018). Depression is the manifestation of complex intersecting social, psychological factors and can significantly disrupt the day-to-day functions of sufferers (WHO, 2018). As a mood disorder, depression causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Common symptoms of the disorder included feelings of sadness, hopelessness, irritability, loss of interest, sleep disturbances, anxiety and a myriad of other troublesome symptoms (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Depression, unlike a host of other morbidities, has a unique manifestation in all those it affects and may not

People who suffer from depression may experience learned helplessness, which is a behavioral view. This can be when someone has so much stress that they cannot handle, they stop trying to handle it. When they can no longer handle their stress, they become helpless, which will lead to hopelessness. The cognitive theory is more about the thought process and what one may believe when he or she is suffering from depression. People who are depressed may think that they are worthless if they fail a test, or if they do not make all As for a semester. People who constantly think about negative experiences may develop depression, but also other disorders. Another sign of depression is when someone is always trying to figure out what caused something else to happen. One may say it is their fault the assignment was turned in late and because of that he or she will now fail the class. He or she looks at something happening because of something negative. When someone looks at life in a negative way he or she has a pessimistic view on life; however, having an optimistic view is the opposite. People with the optimistic view may say the professor will give out more than just that assignment and they can make it up.

Aaron Beck studied depression and focused on what triggers depression. “Beck developed specific cognitive procedures to help depressive clients evaluate their assumptions and beliefs and to create a new cognitive perspective that can lead to optimism and change behavior (Corey, 2012).” The first component of the triad includes clients holding negative views of themselves, they also blame their setbacks on personal inadequacies without considering circumstantial explanations. The people are convinced that they lack the qualities in order to be happy. Examples of this would be “I am a boring person”, “I am uninteresting”, “I am too sad for anyone to like me.” The second component is the tendency to interpret their personal world in a negative manner. They tend to focus on certain facts conform to their negative conclusions. An example for this would be “No one appreciates my job.” The last component

Although the cognitive theory has been modified since its beginnings, it is still consistent with the basic notion which considers depression a disorder of thought (Varga, 2014). Cognitive theorists believe depression is a direct consequence produced by beliefs that are negative in nature, lack logic, or self-destructive (Coady & Lehmann, 2016). Bandura suggests that self-concepts of individuals with depression reveal characteristics of self-blame where they hold themselves entirely responsible for negative events in their lives (Bandura, 1991). Depressed individuals are claimed to exhibit low levels of self-efficacy and are considered to have faulty judgment where they tend to set their personal goals too high and are unable to reach them (Bandura, 1991). This repeated failure is said to intensify an individual’s feelings of not being able to make needed changes which then creates depressive states. Beck’s research concerning depression promoted ideas that depression was a consequence of negative beliefs about self, others and the future (Coady & Lehmann, 2016). Beck reported that depressed individuals are often self-critical, feel hopeless, victimized and view their situations in negative terms (Coady & Lehmann, 2016). Depressed individuals are claimed to exhibit unhealthy thinking styles such as minimizing events or subject matter.

These three cognitive patterns, Beck argues, lead to the depressed mood, the loss of drive, the suicidal feelings and the increased dependency that are features of depression.

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

Depression is one of the common and severe major depressive disorder that affects the way of feeling, thinking and behaving. Depression can lead to a range of emotional and physical difficulties which may result in a person’s capability to function at work and home because of the feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. However, between 80 percent and 90 percent of people gain some relief from their depression symptoms after treatment. Therefore, depression is among the most treatable mental disorders. The development and maintenance of depression can be explained by the critical cognitive theories from Beck’s cognitive model of depression (1976). Furthermore, one of the most effective methods for treating depression has been created by this model. The central constructs within Beck’s model (1976) are schemas, negative, dysfunctional attitudes, cognitive distortions, the cognitive triad, and

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

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

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,