Introduction
Depression is a serious and prevalent problem in the 21st century and had been for a long time. It is the most common mood disorder and has a lifetime prevalence rate of 6-25% in international studies (Carr, 2012). Reliable diagnosis is vital for the study of mental disorders (Fried, Epskamp, Nesse, Tuerlinckx & Borsboom, 2016) and with the rising issue that depression is, individuals with multiple chronic diseases can be tackling depression occurring at the same time thus, it may complicate the treatment of these chronic illnesses. However there is a question of whether it is due to chronic illnesses as to why individuals develop depression or whether the development of depression can lead to prospects of developing a
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Symptoms of depression can vary depending on what type of depression one is diagnosed with. However, general signs of depression can vary from having an irritable mood, anxiety and apprehension, loss of emotional reactivity, agitation, deterioration in family relationships, withdrawal from ones social life, fatigue, loss of appetite or overeating, negative view of self, cognitive distortions, suicidal thoughts and perceptual bias towards negative events. Through watchful clinical cross-examining of individuals and their family members, the symptoms of depression and applicable history are attained. A diagnosis is given in agreement with the criteria outlined in ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR, and the preparation clarifying the symptoms entailed by the diagnosis may be given in which the appropriate prompting, advancing, conserving and defensive factors are outlined. Episodes of depression may be sub-classified as mild, modest or severe, depending on the amount of symptoms present and the degree of severity (Carr, 2012).
The assessment of depression has been a test, as symptoms cover a wide-ranging spectrum; from melancholy to major depressive disorder, mood change is often problematic to judge. When patients are
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.
A major depressive episode is not a disorder in itself, but rather more of a description or symptoms of part of a disorder most often depressive disorder or bipolar. A person suffering from a major depressive episode must have a depressed mood or a loss of interest in daily activities consistently for a minimum of a two-week time span (Psych Central, 2013). In diagnosing the mood must reflect a change from the person’s normal mood. A person’s daily activities and functions, such as work, social routines and friends, education, family, and relationships must also have been negatively impacted by the change in their mood. A major depressive episode is also identified by presence of five or more of the following symptoms. The patient can show signs of significant weight loss or weight gain even not dieting or trying to lose or gain weight. The patient will also display a change in appetite almost everyday, either with an increase or a decrease in their normal eating habits. The weight change is typically set at an increase or decrease in weight of more than 5% per month. The patient will display a depressed mood almost the entire day and this sadness, emptiness, loneliness, crying, and distant is observed by others or indicted by the patient, is typically
After reviewing the case of my patient Tom, I have come to the conclusion that he suffers from depression. At this stage of analysis of this case, we can look at the symptoms and signs shown by the patient and match them with the symptoms and signs of depression. Looking at the DSM IV (Diagnostic Statistic Manual 4) we can understand that the most basic symptoms of depression include loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities for more than two weeks, being in a mood that is different from
If you 've been treated for depression but your symptoms haven 't improved, you may have treatment-resistant depression. Taking an antidepressant or going to psychological counseling (psychotherapy) eases depression symptoms for most people. But with treatment-resistant depression, standard treatments aren 't enough. They may not help much at all, or your symptoms may improve, only to keep coming back.
Depression is defined as “an alteration in mood that is expressed by feelings of sadness, despair, or pessimism” (Neeb’s, 397). There are seven types of depressive disorders which are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, postpartum depression, major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern, substance-induced depressive disorder, depressive disorder associated with another medical condition, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Each type of depression has it’s own criteria for a patient to be diagnosed under. Depression often goes hand in hand with anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders (ATI, 97).
Depression is classified as a mood disorder by the DSM-IV (1994) and is defined as a mental illness characterized by sadness, general apathy, a loss of self-esteem, feelings of guilt, and, at times, suicidal tendencies (Lexicon, n.d). Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses that individuals receive treatment for today. In any six-month period, 9.4 million Americans, and 340 million people in the world, suffer from this disease. One in four women and one in 10 men will develop depression during their lifetime (An Overview of Depression, n.d). Although the DSM-IV has defined depression, its etiology, contributing factors, and interventions differ among the schools of thought in psychology. One such example is the different
Christine is a 47-year old married Caucasian female. She currently takes Lexapro, 50mg, and has been taking it for 8 years. She reports a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. She has twice attempted suicide, both times she was under the influence of alcohol and took pills (two handfuls of ibuprofen). She reports to you that she often thinks about “not wanting to be here [alive].” What questions would you ask her? What are things you would consider about her case? What would you report to her prescriber? As her counselor, what would you want to work on?
Depression is a most prevalent diverse mood disorder .It’s a chronic disorder which upsets a person’s mood, thoughts, physical health and performance. Symptoms of this mind disorder are biological elements like impedance of thought, sleep disorder, loss of appetite and libido. The symptoms of emotional factors are sadness, apathy, pessimism, low self- respect, feeling of guilt, loss of enthusiasm and indecisiveness. The main two types of depression are unipolar depression and bipolar depression. Depression is one of the five leading causes of disability and disease burden worldwide. Prevalance rate of this disorder is more in woman, school dropouts and in geriatric
The popular Western conception of the depressed patient remains both culturally-pervasive and largely homogenous. From Eeyore to Hugh Laurie's portrayal of Dr. House, pop-cultural depressive symptomology oftentimes equates to images of despair, withdrawal, and an almost palpable air of sadness. This understanding of depression, indeed, too echoes in diagnostic criteria for depressive disorders as recently published within the fifth edition of the DSM. Accordingly, for example, the DSM-V classifies those exhibiting either (1) depressed mood and/or (2) anhedonia in conjunction with at least five of such other symptoms as “recurrent suicidal ideation” and “significant weight loss” for a significant portion of two-weeks, as clinically diagnosable with suffering from a “Major Depressive Episode.”
Depression is a psychiatric syndrome that affects at least 350 million people of all ages worldwide, (1) and it is an important global cause of morbidity and mortality, because patients with this disease have high risk of suicide or attempted suicide (2). This disorder has particular symptoms that interfere with social and personal abilities. These symptoms are related to a mood state and there are some criteria developed by DSM-IV that illustrate the features of the major depressive disorder, which includes depressed moods or loss of interest or pleasure, significant bodyweight loss or bodyweight gain, insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue or daily loss of energy, and others (2). At present,
In individual that suffer from depression, their work, school, eating, and the ability to enjoy life over an extended period are all affected. Depressed patients find it hard to function normally, focus, and participate in once-enjoyable activities. They also lack motivation or energy and may find it difficult making it hard to get through each day (Kroning & Kroning, 2016). All these symptoms are seen in this patient. Hence this is the primary diagnosis
Severe depression can have a devastating effects on not only individuals, but also on their families and communities. Depressive disorders when severe or prolonged enough can cause some patients to seek to harm themselves, or worse; to seek to end their lives. While over the last century there have been significant strides in the treatment of depression, there still is much work to be done. May medication that treat depression take a long time for patient to reach therapeutic dosages, mean that patients often have to wait weeks on longer for their symptoms to improve. Because of the significant time for these medication to begin to cause patients depression to enter remission, there is a critical time frame in which patients need help or
Everyday, people read whether they want to because it helps them do many daily actions, such as reading signs while driving or ordering food at a restaurant. Everyone likes to read because they have to, so why can’t people read to help clear their minds? In today’s society, a newly introduced psychiatric therapy called bibliotherapy helps restore many people’s ailments, such as depression, one piece of literature at a time. Depression is a major disorder that thousands have to live with everyday, but less than half go to a form of therapy for the disorder. Bibliotherapy can either be prescribed by themselves or they can get a doctor to give recommendations. Bibliotherapy helps with depression by showing better results than other therapies and by empathizing with many characters and situations within different pieces of literature, such as novels, self-help books, and poetry.
History has had a huge impact on the how major depressive disorder has been developed into the diagnosis that is today. In the past, mood disorders such as major depressive disorder was thought of as organic and responsive by the DSM-I (Richards, 2011). In the DSM-II, described mood disorders to be psychotic and neurotic (Richards, 2011). Depression was considered to be a disease within the brain (Richards, 2011). Mood disorders such as depression were believed to be cured once the source of it was removed (Richards, 2011). The DSM-III diagnosed individuals with a mood disorder such as depression regardless of meeting a specific criteria (Richards, 2011). It was the goal of the mental health professional to reduce the symptoms of the disorder (Richards, 2011). It was not until the 1980’s that professional were researching the long-term effects of depression and patient’s outcomes in regards to treatment (Richards, 2011).
My enthusiasm on studying psychiatric disorders drives me to pursue the doctoral program in XX school, and I devote to further the research on depression as my future career. As one of the most significant public health issues, depression often co-occurs with other chronic diseases, including psychiatric disorders. Moreover, people suffering from chronic diseases with comorbid depression are at a higher risk of worse prognoses than those without comorbidity. Therefore, identification of etiologic factors for depression could lead to early interventions to prevent depression and associated negative health outcomes.