PS124 Final Paper Unit 9 Heather Bradle

According to the Journal of Medicine, Major Depressive Disorder is related to normal emotions of sadness and temperament. When the external cause of these emotions scatter in different directions, the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder requires a change of mood, sadness and accompanied by at least several psychological changes. They do not sleep well, their appetite changes and lack sexual desire. Depression is a heterogeneous disorder with a highly variable course, an inconsistent response to treatment.

Depression is characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in weight or appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating, or recurrent thoughts of death. A diagnosis of major depressive disorder requires the presence of five or more symptoms during the same two-week period and

Major depressive disorder, we all have probably heard of it, but do we really know what is it is ? Major depressive disorder is “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest… major depressive disorder or clinical depression, affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems”(Mayo Clinic Staff). Having this disorder puts you in a very unstable position because you are constantly feeling depressed so it affects the way you think and feel and that can be very dangerous. Sometimes this happens to a person for one day, but put yourself in the shoes of someone who experiencing this for more than two weeks? When you have major depressive disorder, the signs of depression disorder can last for two weeks or more(myers646). This dis order must be treated immediately because “depression may make you feel as if life isn 't worth living”(Mayo Clinic Staff). Feeling this way can lead you to doing things that you can not take back such as committing suicide and sadly that can happen when you have major depressive disorder. Kiyohara and Yoshimasu conducted a research that showed that 90% of suicides have were dealing with major depressive disorder(qtd. in The World Health Organization). Throughout this paper I will be discussing the causes, symptoms and treatment when dealing with major depressive disorder.

Mental disorders can be diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adolescence. Major depression is a lost of interest or pleasure in all activities. People with major depression experience symptoms such as a change of appetite, restlessness sleep, decreased energy, feeling of worthlessness, difficulty concentrating, and/or suicidal thoughts. A major depressive episode can lasts for about 2 weeks or more. A major depressive episode can be caused by stress, social anxiety, or other reasons. People with a milder depression are able to function and seem normal (DSM-IV-TR). A major depressive disorder affects about 14.8 million adults in America with 6.7 million at age 18 and older in the United States population. A depressive disorder can develop in any age and more likely to occur more often in women than in men and any person who is going through a hard time can develop depression. A treatment for individuals with depression is medication, psychotherapy, or attending social groups, 80 percent of the people who follow up with these treatments begin to show improvement with in four to six weeks. About 50 percent of the patients that take medicine to “cure” the depression are unsuccessful with the treatment, because they stop taking their meds due to the side effects, but the people who are in the support

This paper will focus on depressive disorders, and it will describe what they are, how they manifest themselves, what causes them and/or what makes certain individuals susceptible to the disorder as compared to others. This piece will also describe the most common treatment practices, and the effectiveness of these treatments. It will conclude by offering some testimonials from individuals who suffer from depressive disorders as well as some additional commentary about depressive disorders and their implications/challenges.

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

Clinical Manifestations and DSM 5 Criteria Bipolar major depression causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or daily functioning that is not attributed by another medical condition or current substance abuse (APA, 2013). During a two week period of time, the patient will display at least five or more the following depressive symptoms daily or nearly every day: 1) depressed mood most of the day, feels sad, empty, hopeless 2) markedly diminished interest or pleasure in nearly all activities 3) significant weight loss or weight gain without purposeful dieting, increased or decreased appetite 4) insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day 5) psychomotor agitation or retardation observable by others 6) fatigue or loss of energy 7) feelings of worthlessness or excessive feelings of guilt 8) diminished ability to think, or concentrate, indecisiveness 9) recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation with or without specific plans or attempts (APA, 2013)

Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Schizophrenia: Signs, Types & Causes." Schizophrenia: Signs, Symptoms, Types, Causes, and Effects. N.p., July 2013. Web. 17 Sept.

The main features of Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) include a depressed mood for most days and loss of interest and pleasure in enjoyable activities (also known as ahedonia). For the diagnoses of a MDE to be made, these symptoms must be experienced for at least two weeks and symptoms must cause significant impact on day to day functioning (APA, 2013). Additional symptoms include lack of concentration (e.g unable to focus on everyday tasks, work), lack of

A major depressive episode is described as having a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure along with five (or more) of the following symptoms: (a) significant weight loss, (b) insomnia or hypersomnia, (c) psychomotor agitation or retardation, (d) fatigue or loss of energy, (e) feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt, (f) diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, and (g) recurrent

"College Mental Health Fact Sheet: Depression." Healthy Minds. Healthy Lives. American Psychiatric Association. 2 Apr. 2008 .

First, M. B. (2010). Paradigm Shifts and the Development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Past Experiences and Future Aspirations. Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 55(11), 692-700.

DSM-5 criteria defines major depressive disorder would be qualified for a diagnosis if it demonstrate five or more of the following symptoms during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning: depressed mood, marked diminished interests or pleasure in activities, significant changes in weight or appetite, insomnia/hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, fatigue, hopeless and worthless feelings, diminished concentration, and suicide thoughts or intentions (Kosslyn, Rosenberg, & Lambert, 2012). Previous literatures have identified a number of possible causes that may lead to depression, such as genetics, brain differences, social factors like poverty, ethnicity, and childhood experience (Read, J. & Sanders, P., 2010). There are different schools that use different theories as the basis to analyse how psychological problems and symptoms start and develop into life-affecting depression and distress.

This fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM will be the standard classification of mental disorders (Nauert, 2011). Mental health professionals and other health professionals will use this standard in their diagnoses and researches. The American Psychiatric Association released a draft of proposed changes after a decade of review and revision by the Association. Allen Frances, chairman and editor of DSM IV, and Robert Spitzer, editor of DSM III, expressed objections to the task force conducting the revisions and the proposed revisions. Present chairman is David Kupfer and vice chairman is Darrel Regier (Nauert; Collier, 2010).

Major Depressive Disorder is marked by sadness and any four of the following seven criteria: weight loss or weight gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, motor slowing or agitation, fatigue, worthlessness or guilt, impaired concentration, and thoughts of suicide or suicide attempt. Those with Major Depressive Disorder have never had mania or hypomania and may also have anxiety symptoms. When the Major Depressive Disorder is combined with melancholic features, then the person has a “loss of pleasure in all, or almost all, activities [and has a] lack of reactivity to usually pleasurable stimuli (does not feel better, even temporarily, when something good happens” (American Psychiatric Association, p. 185). Observations made by others, such as being tearful, is also a criterion of this disorder (American