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See main article: Major depressive disorder

In the fields of psychology and psychiatry, the terms depression or depressed refer to both expected and pathologically chronic or severe levels of sadness, perceived helplessness, disinterest, and other related emotions and behaviours. Depression is a widespread illness. There are many types of depression, “ranging from dysthymia (low-grade, chronic depression) to so-called bipolar disorder or manic depression".^[1] In between those two extremes are many other types of depression. “About two-thirds of persons with major depression are not treated, even though the disorder carries about a 15% risk of suicide, as well as an increased risk of… heart attack and stroke” .^[2]“Depression that begins as a mood fluctuation may deepen and persist when equilibrium cannot be restored because of poor internal regulation or external stress” .^[3] Depression can be a serious illness when not taken care of.

See also: Neurobiology

Biological influences of depression are varied, but can include malnutrition, heredity, hormones, seasons, stress, illness, neurotransmitter malfunction, long-term exposure to dampness and mold^[4] and to aerosol exposure.^[5][6] There are also correlations between long term sleep difficulties and depression. Up to 90% of patients with depression are found to have sleep difficulties.^[7]

Symptoms

There are many symptoms to indicate if someone is depressed. Some of the symptoms are, “empty mood, difficulty sleeping, change in appetite, anxiety or panic attacks and thinking about death or suicide” .^[8] Another sign of depression is if an “individual pulls away from others, isolating themselves within walls of apathy, indifferent to those around them” .^[1] These are warning signs to a depressive mood. Any one of these symptoms can develop into a different type of depression.

Causes

Depression can be caused by many things. It may be inherited. The Mayo Clinic says, “Some studies show that depression is more common in people whose biological family members also have the condition. Researchers are trying to find genes that may be involved in causing depression.” Researchers are not sure yet if there is a certain type of gene that makes you have a higher chance of getting depression. However, “children of depressed parents may get a ‘double whammy’… they are more likely to inherit risk alleles for depression, and they suffer the environmental stressor of a less responsive primary attachment figure” (Pennington, 109). Bruce Pennington says, “Children with depressed parents are undoubtedly at greater risk for depression, but some of that increased risk is mediated genetically” (111). Another cause of depression is biochemical problems. “Depression alters the balance of certain crucial chemicals within the brain, including neurotransmitters…serotonin and norepinephrine, that allow brain cells to communicate with one another” (Kim, 16). Depression may also be environmentally induced. Bruce Pennington says, “Adult depression is correlated with loss and lack of social support, such as early parent loss, later loss of close relationship, or lack of a confidant” (110). Some environmental factors are poverty, a stressful workplace, or a stressful home. Everyday people can be faced with challenges. “Depression may be a state that many of us enter in order to deal with the crisis and hopefully ‘emerge’ more true to ourselves”.^[2] Depression can be a way to cope with a hard life style by shutting down your life and becoming numb.

Milder depression has been associated with what has been called depressive realism, or the "sadder-but-wiser" effect, a view of the world that is relatively undistorted by positive biases.^[9]

Psychological disorders

Episodes of depressed mood are a core feature of the following psychological disorders, as specified by the DSM-IV:

• Major depressive disorder
• Dysthymia
• Bipolar disorder
• Cyclothymia
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Seasonal affective disorder
• Adjustment disorder with depressed mood
• Postnatal depression
• Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

See also

• Happiness
• Grief
• Emotion
• Clinical depression
• Treatment for depression

References

External links

The external links in this article may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links.

• Depression at the Open Directory Project
• Depression Research News at ScienceDaily
• National Alliance on Mental Illness – Depression support, advocacy, and education
• National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association - National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association
• Stanford Depression Research Clinic
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) – United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

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