DEPRESSION

Depression and Its Affect



Depression And Its Affect

Introduction

Everyone experiences thoughts of sadness and grief occasionally. But when these depressed feelings start to lead everyday life and effect physical and mental deterioration, they become what are identified as depressive disorders. Each year in the United States, depressive disorders influence an estimated 19 million people at an approximate annual direct and indirect cost of $58 billion. One in five women is likely to experience an incident of severe depression in her lifetime, with 12-20% lifetime prevalence, compared to 5-10% for men.( American Psychological Association) The average age a first depressive episode occurs is in the mid-20s, although the disorder strikes all age groups indiscriminately, from children to the elderly.

Discussion

There are two major classes of depressive disorders: foremost depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder. Major depressive disorder is a temperate to critical episode of depression lasting two or more weeks. Persons experiencing this foremost depressive occurrence may have difficulty in sleeping, misplace concern in undertakings they one time took delight in, experience a change in weight, have adversity concentrated, feel minor and hopeless, or have a concern with death or suicide. In young children, the foremost depression may emerge as irritability.(Cloninger,2004)

While foremost depressive episodes may be acute (intense but short-lived), dysthymic disorder is an ongoing, chronic depression that lasts two or more years (one or more years in children) and has an mean duration of 16 years. The gentle to moderate depression of dysthymic disorder may increase and drop in power, and those afflicted with the disorder may know-how some time span of usual, non-depressed feeling of up to two months in length. Its onset is stepwise, and dysthymic patients may not be adept to pinpoint precisely when they begun feeling depressed. Individuals with dysthymic disorder may know-how a change in dozing and consuming patterns, reduced self-esteem, fatigue, problem intensifying, and sentiments of hopelessness.

Depression can furthermore happen in bipolar disorder,an affective mental sickness that determinants fundamental emotional alterations and feeling swings, from manic highs to depressive lows. The most of bipolar person's know-how alternating episodes of mania and depression.(Karp,1996)

Causes and symptoms

The causes behind depression are not simple and not yet fully understood. While an imbalance of certain neurotransmitters,the chemicals in the brain that transmit messages linking nerve cell is believed to be key to depression, external factors such as upbringing (more so in dysthymia than major depression) may be as important.

Signs Of Mental Depression

Depressed mood

Lack of interest or pleasure in daily activities

Significant weight loss (without dieting) or weight gain

Difficulty sleeping

Or excessive sleeping Loss of energy

Feelings of worthlessness or guilt

Difficulty in making decisions

Restlessness

Recurrent thoughts of death

Major Depressive Affect

Person experiencing a major depressive episode have a depressed mood and/or a diminished interest or happiness in activities. Children experiencing a major depressive episode may show or feel irritable rather than depressed. In addition, five or more of the following symptoms will occur on an almost every day basis for a period of at least two weeks:

Significant change in weight.

Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive ...