Clinical Depression Overview - Research Proposal Example

 Depression Feelings of disappointment, loneliness, and hopelessness are all indispensable parts of everyone’s life. We all feel down and miserable at some points in our lives. However, there are cases when these negative feelings seem to be the dominant force in one’s life for long periods of time, to the point that they already exhibit severe physical manifestations. This is a sign that the person in question has crossed the line from normal loneliness to a case of clinical depression. Clinical depression is a psychological condition that affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, social behavior, and sense of physical well-being (Franklin). When depression strikes, a person will not only feel down, it may affect his ability to function normally in society, and in some extreme cases, it provokes the person to commit suicide. Being the most common mental disorder in the United States, depression affects over 17 million Americans each year (“Understanding Depression”). With these, depression is obviously a serious condition that should on no account be ignored. In identifying depression, certain factors such as gender, age, and culture should be taken into account. The manifestations of depression in different people are likely to vary in accordance with the aforementioned factors (Smith, R. Segal, and J. Segal). For instance, an elderly man would most probably exhibit different signs and symptoms of depression from a teenage girl. However, there are common signs and symptoms that we can watch out for. These signs and symptoms can be categorized into those involving the person’s mood, his thinking, his behavior and physical manifestations (“Depression – Types, Causes and Symptoms”). Symptoms that involve the person’s mood include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, numbness, emptiness, anxiousness, and guilt. People who are depressed find it hard to enjoy and feel good about things that they used to do normally (“Depression – Types, Causes and Symptoms”). A depressed person’s thinking is closely tied with his feelings and moods, that is, they tend to think negatively. They are overly self-critical and they believe that everything is out of control and that they can’t cope. People suffering from depression also find it difficult to think clearly and they have poor concentration and memory (“Depression – Types, Causes and Symptoms”). In some cases, as earlier mentioned, depressed people have suicidal thoughts and some actually attempt to kill themselves. Everyone’s behavior is very much affected by the way they think and feel. A depressed person’s behavior changes with his thoughts and emotions. Among the symptoms involving behavior are the significant lack of energy and motivation, loss of interest in things that one usually enjoys, and excessive crying (“Depression – Types, Causes and Symptoms”). A depressed person’s behavior towards the people around him is also affected by his condition. Depression often causes a person to withdraw from his friends and family or be overly dependent on them (“Depression – Types, Causes and Symptoms”). Depression also involves physical symptoms. People who are depressed tend lose appetite or overeat, have headaches or stomach aches, and find it difficult to sleep or else oversleep (“Depression – Types, Causes and Symptoms”). As an effect, their physical health deteriorates and they begin to lose their ability to function well in society. There are times when the above symptoms are exhibited by a person regularly short periods of time, or they can be persistent and long-lasting. This all depends on what type of depression a person is suffering from. There are several types of depressive disorders and the duration of depression for each type varies. Major depression involves a depressive episode that lasts for around six months (Smith, R. Segal, and J. Segal). Throughout this entire six months, the person feels depressed the almost all the time. Atypical depression is a subtype of major depression. It involves temporary, fleeting mood lifts in response to positive events (Smith, R. Segal, and J. Segal). Some people experience only one major depressive episode throughout their lives, but more often, it is a recurring disorder (Smith, R. Segal, and J. Segal). Cases of less severe depression are usually cases of Dysthymia or Seasonal Affective Disorder. Dysthymia is not as bad as major depression but it lasts longer, for at least two years. People suffering from dysthymia may have periods of normal mood, but most of the time, they feel moderately depressed. Many people with dysthymia also experience a condition known as “double depression” in which they experience an episode of major depression (Smith, R. Segal, and J. Segal). Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, as the name implies, is a type of depression that occurs seasonally. The depressive episodes occur in fall and winter when there is less sunlight, and they go away once spring comes again (Smith, R. Segal, and J. Segal). As this type of depression is related to the turning of the seasons, it is more common in the northern areas of the world. Women can also suffer from depression following birth giving and this is known as Postpartum Depression or PPD. This condition pertains to a range of emotional and physical changes that mothers undergo after having a baby (“Depression – The Invisible Disease”). It is usually associated with the hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy and birth giving. Any depression that occurs within six months of childbirth is most likely PPD (Smith, R. Segal, and J. Segal). Different things cause different people to become depressed. Depression may be caused by biological or environmental factors or a combination of the two. Things to be taken into account in rooting out the cause of a person’s depression are susceptibility or predisposition, what may have triggered the depression, and what keeps them depressed (“Depression Causes”). Some people are really more likely to suffer from depression than others. There are cases when depression runs in families (“Causes of Depression”). This gives us the idea that depression is related to the genetic makeup of a person. A person may also be taking medicines that cause changes in the hormone or chemical levels in their bodies thus making them more susceptible to depression. However, studies show that less than 10% of depression cases are biologically caused (“Medical Causes of Depression”). Moreover, not everyone who is more supposedly more susceptible to depression suffer from it. A number of people who suffer from depression usually say that a certain event or change in their life triggered their depression (“Depression Causes”). This is especially true in cases when the person lost a family member or some other important person prior to his depression. The trigger could also have been a series of bad events in one’s life. Even when the said trigger event is already far behind in the past, some people still cannot get over it and still stay depressed. This could be due to other factors in the person’s environment that affects his thinking. While there are many kinds of depression and many possible causes, their effects on the depressed person and his family and friends are usually similar and all of them are not good. This is why it is very important to seek treatment. Depression not only affects the depressed but also the people around him. To the person suffering from depression, it may seem like he can never feel better again, but depression is not an untreatable condition. There are various ways in which depression can be treated. The first kind of treatment is called talk therapy (Smith). This usually involves sessions with a psychologist in which the possible cause of the person’s depression is discussed and possible ways of coping with it are tackled. Basically, the aim of talk therapy is to give the person the tools he needs to cope with and ultimately overcome his depression (Smith). Another method of depression treatment is through antidepressant medication (Smith). Depression is associated with low levels of chemicals in our brain called neurotransmitters. This method of treatment deals with that through the intake of medicines that will increase the level of these neurotransmitters. While antidepressants can help alleviate depression temporarily, this isn’t effective for everyone. Nearly one out of three people don’t respond to antidepressants (Smith). Intake of antidepressants also causes undesirable side effects. This is why medication isn’t the first option when dealing with depression. One should only take them when death seems to be the only other alternative (Myhre). Intake of antidepressants regularly for a long period of time may also cause dependency on the drug and people who take them often experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop. Talk therapy is still the better option and medication should only be a last resort. With all these, we can see that depression is a serious medical condition that can be devastating not only for the one depressed but also for the people around him. In extreme cases, it can even lead to suicide. As such, we should pay attention to it. If someone experiences symptoms of depression, he should seek professional help immediately. We should always bear in mind that depression is treatable but only if we make an attempt to treat it. Works Cited “Causes of Depression”. About.com. 5 June 2006. 20 April 2008 . “Depression Causes”. Depression-Guide.com. 4 March 2008. 20 April 2008 . “Depression – The Invisible Disease”. Hopeline. 20 April 2008 . “Depression – Types, Causes and Symptoms”. Reach Out. 21 February 2008. Inspire Foundation. 20 April 2008 . Franklin, Donald. “Depression – Information and Treatment”. Psychology Information Online. 19 April 2008 . “Medical Causes of Depression”. Depression Learning Path. 20 April 2008 . Myhre, Mark Ivan. “Depression as a Disease”. Emotional Healing. 20 April 2008 . Smith, Melinda. “Professional Help for Depression: Diagnosis and Treatment Options”. Helpguide. 19 November 2007. 20 April 2008 . Smith, Melinda, Robert Segal, and Jeanne Segal. “Understanding Depression: Spotting the Signs and Symptoms and Getting Help”. Helpguide. 6 November 2007. 20 April 2008 . “Understanding Depression”. KidsHealth for Parents. David Sheslow. April 2006. Nemours Foundation. 19 April 2008 . Read More