Depression: Major Depressive Disorder and Effective Treatment Plans Essay

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Depression

One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Depression is defined as an illness; the feelings of depression persist and interfere with the ability to function. It can be a very difficult and painful experience that affects not only the individual suffering from it, but also the people around them. People who are depressed do not like to do the things they usually love to do. There is a major difference between having normal feelings of sadness in reaction to a situation, such as a death in the family, and having depression. Normal feelings of sadness, although painful, generally resolve after a short time. For people with depression, feelings of sadness linger beyond a short time and intensify to the point that they interfere with the ability to function normally. There comes a point in ones life where social isolation, low energy, sadness, low self-esteem, and the feeling of hopelessness, cannot be taken anymore. In today’s society, we are faced with many stressful situations. However, many of us manage to analyze situations and maintain our sanity, experiencing only a mild form of depression, if any. It is the most common psychological disorder that affects both the young and old. Truth is we all are targets. There are a total of five types of depression. One of the many forms is major Depression, which is probably one of the most common forms. Major Depression is a mood disorder characterized by extreme and persistent feelings of worthlessness, and hopelessness causing impaired emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical functioning. The person who suffers seems to walk around with the weight of the world on his or her shoulders. He or she seems disinterested in becoming involved in regular activities and seems convinced that he or she will always be in this hopeless state. There is also lack of interest in sexual activity and in appetite and a weight loss. Another form of depression is Atypical Depression. This form is a variation of depression that is slightly different from major depression. The person who suffers is sometimes able to experience happiness and moments of feeling “normal”. Symptoms of atypical depression include fatigue, oversleeping, overeating and weight gain. People who suffer from atypical depression believe that outside events control their mood (i.e. success, attention and praise). Episodes of atypical depression can last for months or a sufferer may live with it forever. Psychotic Depression: sufferers of psychotic depression begin to hear and see imaginary things, sounds, voices and visuals that do not exist. These are referred to as hallucinations, which are generally more common with someone suffering from schizophrenia. The hallucinations are not "positive" like they are with a manic depressive. The sufferer of psychotic depression imagines frightening and negative sounds and images. Another form is Dysthymia: Many people just walk around seeming depressed, simply sad, blue or melancholic. They have been this way all of their lives. They go through life feeling unimportant, dissatisfied, frightened and simply don't enjoy their lives. Medication is beneficial for this type of depression. At last, there is Manic Depression, which can be defined as an emotional disorder characterized by changing mood shifts from depression to mania which can sometimes be quite rapid. People who suffer from manic depression have an extremely high rate of suicide.

Depression is a serious illness and is treatable. Treatment of depression varies depending on the severity of the condition, and a person's medical history, age, lifestyle, and general health. The
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