Characteristics Of Major Depressive Disorder - 1373 Words

Major depressive disorder characterized by depressed mood and/or loss of interest affects 7% of all Americans. In addition to its primary characteristics, people diagnosed with MDD present with at least five of the following characteristics for the majority of the day every day for 2 weeks: altered psychomotor activity, loss of interest, problems concentrating or making decisions, altered sleep patterns, weight loss or gain, fatigue, recurrent thoughts of death, and feelings of worthlessness or excessive/inappropriate guilt. In order to meet the standards for clinical diagnosis, the patient’s symptoms must prevent normal functioning (social, occupational, or otherwise) and cannot be explained alternatively by a medical condition or†¦show more content†¦One possibility is the decrease in diagnosis of MDD by primary care physicians due to somatic rather than psychological presenting symptoms. Functional consequences of MDD vary but typically depend on the severity of the symptoms. Symptoms vary from no noticeable outward changes to total functional incapacity. Suicide attempts are higher in females, but completion rates are higher in males. Other risk factors for suicide include living alone, feelings of helplessness and borderline personality disorder. Treatments Based on a systematic review of 44 clinical trials dating from January 1, 1990 to January 13, 2015, an effective evidence-based first-step intervention for managing mild to severe MDD is second generation antidepressants. Approximately 60 % of patients respond; however 70% do not remit. Of the several different families of antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRIs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed. SSRIs, initially discovered as more tolerable forms of TCAs and MAOIs, based on the monoaminergic hypothesis, the theory that depression results from low levels of serotonin in the brain, work by inhibiting serotonin reuptake receptors present on presynaptic neurons producing an increase of serotonin in the brain.Show MoreRelatedDiagnostic Characteristics And Treatment Of Major Depressive Disorder1396 Words   |  6 Pagessleep-wake, condu ct, substance-related, neurocognitive, personality and numerous other disorders. Amongst these mental disorders, the 2014 survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 2014), demonstrate that affective/mood, anxiety and substance-use disorders are most prevalent in Australians. Therefore, the diagnostic characteristics and treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder and alcoholism will be further explored. It is important to note that in conjunctionRead MorePersonality Assessment Inventory1448 Words   |  6 Pages The Beck Depression Inventory is a testing tool which is used to evaluate the continuation and severity of the symptoms of depression, as recorded in the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 2000). The test includes questions which asses the symptoms of serious depression, which may possibly call for hospitalization. The latest revised edition replaces the BDI and the BDI-1A, w hich includes items intending to indicate symptoms of severeRead MoreBipolar Disorder And Mental Disorders1249 Words   |  5 PagesBipolar Disorder, also known as manic/depressive disorder once was a disorder that carried a severe societal stigmatism. It now has carries less stigmatism but is a disorder which has become difficult to diagnosis and extremely prevalent in today’s society. Due to the manic characteristic of the disorder it differentiates itself from the typical form of depression. Even though both depression and bipolar disorder can be due to an imbalance in brain chemistry and biology, genetics, or effected byRead MoreDepression Is a Common but Serious Illness776 Words   |  4 Pagesactivities of an individual and the people that surround them. Depression can occur in many different ways. Major depressive episode, or major depression, is a period of intense depressed mood. This particular type of depression can occur at any age and have diverse characteristics depending on the circumstance. Individuals may experience a single episode or may have reoccurring episodes. Major depressive can affect a person’s sleep, school, work, and activities that once were enjoyable to them. The symptomsRead MoreBipolar Disorder : Symptoms And Symptoms943 Words   |  4 Pages Bipolar Disorder is a severe mental illness that causes shifts in mood swings by being overly excited or overly depressed, and can have suicidal thoughts. â€Å"All people with bipolar disorder have manic episodes- abnormally elevated or irritable moods that last a week and impair functioning.† (htpp://www.apa.org, 2015) Bipolar disorder is a long-term illness, can be controlled with prescription medication and psychotherapy sessions. Bipolar disorders are broken down into many partsRead MoreThe Anatomy Of Melancholy By Robert Burton1086 Words   |  5 Pagesfor a short period of time, it is depression. On the other hand, when these feelings heavily impact daily activities and bring severe and long-lasting psychological pain, this is major depressive disorder (MDD). In addition to major depressive disorder identified as MDD, it may be referred to as unipolar depression, major depression, or clinical depression. According to Nemade, Reiss, and Dombeck (2013) the history of depression dates back as early as the second millennium B.C.; initially depressionRead MoreDescriptive Epidemiology Of Major Depressive Disorder In Canada1111 Words   |  5 Pageslooked at the data regarding Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Bipolar Disorder (BD) from four countries and compared it with the data from the United States. The countries are Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Mexico. For Canada, we referred to the study Descriptive Epidemiology of Major Depressive Disorder in Canada in 2012. In this study, they used a survey called Canadian Community Health Study - Mental Health (CCHS-MH) to evaluate Major Depressive Disorder among their participants. CCHS-MHRead MoreDoes Major Depressive Disorder in Parents Predict Specific Fears and Phobias in Offspring? 1208 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction I chose to analyze this research article which tries to answer if major depressive disorders in parents lead to specific fears and phobias in offspring, because I like psychology and I wanted an article that was related some way to this interest. Before this research two studies were conducted that reported an increased risk of phobias in offspring of parents with major depressive disorder (MDD) when compared to children of normal parents. These findings suggested a connection betweenRead MoreDepressive Disorder Essay1004 Words   |  5 Pagesamong Patients with Major Depressive Disorder in Mental Health Settings: A Research Proposal Introduction Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has a high prevalence rate; it affects more than 16.1 million American adults of the US population aged 18 years or older (Anxiety and Depression Association of America [ADAA], 2017). MDD is more common in women than in men and can develop at any age (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, 2003). Major depressive disorder is defined as a mental disorder that is characterizedRead MoreEffects Of Major Depressive Disorder On Adolescents1633 Words   |  7 Pages Collin Lahr The Effect of Major Depressive Disorder on Adolescents Contemporary Health Issues Dr. Kim â€Æ' Abstract This paper researches the possible causes and mechanisms of Major Depressive Disorder amongst adolescents age 15 to 24. It’s widely believed to be a mixture of an imbalance of neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain, psychological trauma or abuse from the past, and hereditary chromosomal similarities. There are several possible ways to attempt to fix this problem including;