{"id":11193,"date":"2016-11-02T12:10:30","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T16:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=11193"},"modified":"2019-03-04T15:13:51","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T20:13:51","slug":"mental-health-and-mood-disorders-major-depressive-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/mental-health-and-mood-disorders-major-depressive-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Talk Mental Health and Mood Disorders: Major Depressive Disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abnormal psychology is all around us, if we just care enough to look.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s in the media, the news, and this thing called the real life. We see examples of abnormal behavior\u00a0on our TV screens, on the subway\u00a0or in the streets at 2AM (or 8 AM, at the height of rush hour) and maybe in our own living rooms. Maybe we\u00a0even experience it in our own bodies and brains.<\/p>\n

So let’s talk psychopathology.<\/p>\n

And for\u00a0the first of this MHMD (Mental Health & Mood Disorders) series, let’s talk about<\/strong>\u00a0depression<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As you may or may not know, depression is one of the\u00a0most common, and certainly the most well-known mental\/mood disorder. Globally, it affects more than\u00a0350 million people,\u00a0and roughly 20 million people in the United States suffer from depression each year. Depression is also responsible for 10% of disability worldwide, and about\u00a01 in 4 young adults will suffer an episode of depression before the age of 24, although the average age of onset is 32.<\/p>\n

Ironically, it’s rather scary that depression does not discriminate<\/strong> –\u00a0it affects people of all ages, geographic locations, demographics, and\u00a0social positions…<\/p>\n

[divider]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Disclaimers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before I go on with\u00a0this\u00a0post, I want to say that:<\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I am not an\u00a0expert in this field; I was only a Psychology minor in college.<\/li>\n
  2. The sole purpose of this post is to inform. I used my notes from a class I took as an undergrad– “Abnormal Psychology”– to compose this article.<\/li>\n
  3. I’m not encouraging you\u00a0to\u00a0“diagnose” yourself or others based on the information provided here – rather, my intent is that you learn about it, talk about it, and if needed, seek counseling and get help.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    [divider]<\/strong><\/p>\n

    So now… let’s FIRST\u00a0talk about the hard facts of\u00a0Major Depressive Disorder.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    [divider]<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Common Symptoms of Depression:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    \u27b3 Everyone experiences depression differently and uniquely, but here\u00a0are the 7 main (common)\u00a0symptoms:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Depressed mood\/irritability OR loss of interest\/pleasure for most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks<\/li>\n
    2. Weight gain due to increased appetite OR\u00a0weight loss due to poor appetite<\/li>\n
    3. Insomnia (habitual sleeplessness; inability to sleep) OR\u00a0hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness) nearly every day; fatigue or lethargy nearly every day<\/li>\n
    4. Psychomotor agitation or retardation as observed by others<\/li>\n
    5. Feelings of worthlessness and guilt<\/li>\n
    6. Poor concentration or indecisiveness<\/li>\n
    7. Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide with or without a specific plan<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      According to DSM-5<\/a>, a person who is diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder experiences symptom #1 plus four or more of the other symptoms (from #2 – #7). These symptoms must cause clinically significant distress or impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning, and the episode(s) must not be attributable\u00a0to the physiological effects of a substance or to another medical condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

      [divider]<\/strong><\/h5>\n

      Frequency & Prevalence\u00a0<\/strong>of Depression<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

      \u27b3 As noted\u00a0above, 10%\u00a0of all disability worldwide can be attributed to Major Depressive Disorder. <\/strong><\/p>\n

      Here are some other statistics:<\/em><\/p>\n