Major depressive disorder: Mood Based disorder

Depression is getting to be the most common mental disorder, which is being diagnosed in teens as well as middle-age adults. Living these days is filled with so much of stress and stress triggering experiences, that depression has taken a center stage is research and studies conducted by experts in mental illness. The feeling of low and as if all is finished or not able to do anything but just feel sad etc is common symptoms of depression.

There are different types and forms of Depression such as

• Postnatal depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Reactive depression
• Dysthymia
• Major depressive disorder

Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder is one type of psychological illness that is known to affect millions of individual’s world wide. Medical professionals refer this type of mental illness as the “Clinical Depression”. In some instances, it is also referred as “Unipolar Depression”. Major depressive disorder is a form of depression, which is characterized by individual experiencing mood that is considered of being “low”.

In 1980, American Psychiatric Association releases the manual called as the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” in which the organization included term of “major depressive disorder” as one of most common form of depression disorder based on mood.

Major depressive disorder typically involves the patient suffering from one or mostly more then one episodes of depression. It is different from reactive depression, in which the trigger or source can be related to some specific event, in the Major depressive disorder the patient is recognized for having predispositions towards this illness.

Major depressive disorder mostly has genetic/ biological cause, thereafter triggered by or set off when these are combined with the increase in the levels of the stress. As most of the cases no specific cause is ever found because sufferer can be in denial of these conditions or rather may be berate him/ herself for having feelings of  being depressed regardless of any of the circumstances.

The Symptoms of Major depressive disorder

Symptoms of Major depressive disorder are many but for patient to be diagnosed as suffering from Major depressive disorder, then the symptoms must be experienced for no less than two weeks. The mood that is being reflected in the patient must be significantly different than what it was typically experienced as normal by the patient. These mood based symptoms should be such that it must affect the patient as negatively in as a minimum in one of following ways:

• Occupational
• Personal Relationship
• Social
• Educational

Common symptoms that are experienced because of major depressive disorder are mentioned below though the list is not literally complete and sufferer can have other symptoms as well:

• Most of the time person keeps feeling of being depressed.
• Loosing of interest in the daily activities, or situations, and even in people etc even in those once he or she had interest in.
• Eating disorders as well as fluctuations in weight that is gaining or loosing weight in excess which is common.
• Sleep disorders: That is person may be sleeping most of the time or in most cases person is not able to sleep and has insomnia or having difficulty to keep asleep.
• Distressing feelings such as feeling as if one self is worthless and has absolutely no sought of value whatsoever in other people’s life.
• Most persons suffering from this illness experiences complications while performing their day to day activities, coz of low concentration levels, affects even their cognitive functions.
• Suicide: their feelings are so intense and distressing and mood is so low that they may even consider suicide and some people loose their nerves so much that they actually make an attempt

Major Depressive Disorder is a Recurring Illness

Unfortunately, person who once suffered from a depressive episode is very like to have recurring episodes. It is very rarely that there is a case which is just an isolated incident. Patient is likely to suffer from frequent episodes in both the cases because of stressor or trigger and even seemingly without having any of the apparent cause. Nothing like the seasonal affective disorder, where in depression occurs in same time or similar time of the year, major depressive disorder occurs at any time.

Such is the recurring form of illness that without receiving of treatments, depressive episodes often lasts for longer span of time and results in increasing of severe/ intensity of the symptoms.

Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder

Treatment is very much vital. Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder involves:

• Medication
• Psychotherapy
• Mostly combination of the above two

Medications prescribed for treatment of the major depressive disorder helps patient to cope with its symptoms such as of sleep difficulties, fatigue, weight gain/loss etc. These include antidepressants, tyicyclics and some cases are prescribed with antipsychotics.

Psychotherapy is exceptionally beneficial for helping the sufferers in understanding the illness as well as in learning new skills/ techniques/ tools that will help in managing symptoms and even challenge their default thinking patterns and behaviors that are causing the depression. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is key treatment that is widely used for management of depression.

Major depressive disorder is known to cause mostly severe implications in person’s physical, mental as well as the emotional well-being. Nevertheless, in the course of effective treatment, then most of the symptoms gets greatly reduced and thus enables the patient in leading a normal, productive life.