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Misconceptions Of Depression Essay

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Depression can present itself in many ways depending on the person it is effecting. The most commonly known symptoms of depression are persistent sad moods, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, change in weight or appetite, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, agitation, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or unneeded guilt, difficulty thinking or concentrating, and thoughts of death or suicide. A common misconception is that all people with depression are suicidal. While there are many cases of suicidal thoughts in sufferers of depression, not every person with depression has suicidal thoughts. The type of depression one is diagnosed with depends on how many of the symptoms the person is showing. Major depressive disorder, also known as unipolar major depression, is diagnosed if the patient has five or more of the symptoms during a two-week period. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is diagnosed through the symptoms of major depression episodes, abnormal and constant elevated moods or irritability. Bipolar disorder also presents in symptoms such as lack of need for sleep, increased talkativeness, racing thoughts, increased physical agitation, increased involvement in activities that have a high risk of painful consequences. Dysthymic disorder is the next most common depression disorder next …show more content…

Since there can be so many causes this makes it difficult for doctors and researchers to understand, diagnose and treat the disorder. Roughly 80% of people with depression respond well to the treatment that is currently practiced, while the other significant amount of people do not. While development into treatment of this illness has improved there have been little to no cases of treatment completely eradicating depression or having lasting

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