Running head: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER
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PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER
Clinical Depression
Bailey Keyes
PSYC 2130-W01
4/5/2019
The National Institute of Mental Health reported that, in 2017, 17.3 million adults in the United States had experienced at least one episode of clinical depression in their lifetime (“Major Depression,” 2019). Clinical depression, or Major Depressive Disorder, is a severe form of depression and requires a physician's treatment. Clinical depression is a severe mental illness and can cause life-threatening harm. Untreated clinical depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and actions and self-harm tendencies. Depression is not a personal flaw or sign of weakness. Understanding the symptoms, treatments, and cause of clinical depression can assist the next generations in staying safe and getting proper help.
Symptoms
While a few people may only experience one episode, many people typically have multiple episodes throughout their life. Recognizing the symptoms of Clinical depression can help keep. Symptoms are different for everyone and can affect others differently, especially people of different age groups. People with Clinical depression will have symptoms nearly every day and occur most of the day for at least two weeks. For many people, symptoms are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in usual activities, such as school, work, social relationships.
Adults and Elderly
Common symptoms for adults are irritability, hopelessness, loss of interest, reduced/increased appetite, and frequent thoughts of death (Hall-Flavin, 2017). The elderly may find getting out of the house difficult, have memory difficulties, and physical aches and pains; these are common symptoms of Clinical depression (“Depression and Older Adults,” 2017).
Children and Teenagers
While symptoms of clinical depression in children are like that of adults, there are some differences. Symptoms in children may include sadness, irritability, worry, aches and pains, protesting school, and clinginess (“Depression,” 2018). Teenagers are likely to feel worthless, self-harm, use drugs or alcohol, and poor performance in school (“Depression,” 2018).
Treatments
Treatments for clinical depression differ from patient to patient, but people with clinical depression will almost always need treatment from a physician. Many people think suffers can “snap out of it” and become their usual selves. Medications and counseling help most people alleviate their symptoms. Most medications work by changing chemicals in the brain known as neurotransmitters (Smith, 2019). The most popular class of antidepressants is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and affect serotonin in the brain (Smith, 2019). While medication and counseling help most people, some patients require inpatient treatment until symptoms improve. Treatments differ for everyone and will affect others differently.
Causes
Clinical depression does not discriminate and can affect anyone at any time in their life. Clinical depression has no definitive cause. As with any mental disorder, a multitude of factors may contribute to a person having clinical depression. If a family member has had clinical depression, a person may have a higher likelihood of developing depression (“Causes,” 2018). Researchers are attempting to find genes that may increase the chances of getting clinical depression (“Depression,” 2018). Personality is another factor of clinical depression if a person has certain personality traits, such as being overly self-critical or low self-esteem (“Causes,” 2018). Like genetic predisposition and personality traits, life events are another factor that is out of one's control. Upsetting or stressful life events, such as chronic illness, loss of job, sudden or unexpected loss of a loved one, can all lead to clinical depression (“Causes,” 2018). Any variation of these factors can cause clinical depression.
Conclusion
Clinical depression is a severe widespread disorder that affects millions worldwide. Recognizing the symptoms, knowing the treatments, and understanding the cause can help keep everyone safe. Symptoms look and feel different for everyone. Treatments help lessen severe symptoms by giving patients access to medications and counseling. Clinical depression has several factors that can cause depression. While clinical depression is different for everyone, nobody must go through it alone reach out to a physician to receive help.
References
Causes. (2018, March 6). National Health Services. Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/clinical-depression/causes/
Depression (major depressive disorder) - Symptoms and causes. (2018, February 3). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007
Depression and Older Adults. (2017, May 1). National Institute on Aging. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/depression-and-older-adults
Hall-Flavin, D. K. (2017, May 13). Severe, persistent depression. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/clinical-depression/faq-20057770
Major Depression. (2019, February). The National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml
Smith, K. (2019, March 26). Depression Medications: A Closer Look at Medication for Depression. Retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/depression-medications/
