Depression Essay, Research Paper

Depression is a

psychiatric disorder characterized by feelings of

worthlessness, guilt, sadness, helplessness, and

hopelessness. It is different then normal sadness or

grief from the loss of a loved one because it is

persistent and severe. Clinical depression has

many related symptoms trouble sleeping, eating

disorders, withdrawal and inactivity,

self-punishment, and loss of pleasure. People that

are depressed do not like to do things they may

usually like to. Surveys that have been taken that

show approximately 20 in 100 people suffer from

depression at any one time. About one if four

Americans will suffer from a depression over the

course of their lifetime. Depression strikes men

and women of all ages, in all races, but most

studies indicate that women are more often

afflicted. There are two major forms of depression

that people get. One form is called depressive

disorder. It is diagnosed only by episodes of

depression. Episodes can be short or long but are

usually brought about by an incident in a persons

life. An example of this is if someone close to them

dies. The other kind is called bipolar or manic

depressive illness, it is recognized by alternating

depressed and manic episodes. This is an actual

brain dysfunction. In the major depression or the

depressed phase of bipolar illness, a depressed

mood predominates, even though the patient may

not be aware of feeling sad. Typically, he or she

loses all interest in activities. Symptoms include

sleep disturbances, not able to concentrate or to

make decisions, loss of appetite or greatly

increased appetite, slowed thinking and decreased

energy feelings of worthlessness, guilt,

hopelessness, diminished sexual interest, and

recurrent thoughts of suicide and death, sometimes

leading a person to actually committing suicide. In

the manic phase of bipolar disorder the patients

behavior is bizarre and sometimes obnoxious.

Symptoms of this are the person being hyper and

have lots of energy, they talk a lot, racing thoughts,

and a decreased need for sleep. In this stage it is

very hard to recognize. Both depressive and

bipolar disorders run in families. Meaning if your

father or mother had it you have a high chance of

getting it yourself. Most people who are

depressed are women. They may be biologically

induced depression. Meaning that there is a lack

of or too much of a chemical or protein. Or it may

be that women learn social roles that favor feelings

of helplessness. Because women in trouble are

more likely to seek professional assistance than

men, statistics report that more people who are

depressed are mostly women. The depressive

disorders are among the most treatable in

psychiatry. The usual treatment in modern practice

involves administration of a drug plus supportive

psychotherapy. Basically going to a psychiatrist

and talking to them. The two major drugs that are

used to treat depressive disorders are

tricyclic/tetracyclic antidepressants and the

monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. The last

one requires the patient to follow a special diet

because the drugs react to tryamine. Tryamine is

found in cheeses, beer, wine, chicken livers, and

other foods, and causes higher blood pressure.

The tricyclic antidepressants require no special

diet. Lithium carbonate is a common mineral that is

used to control the manic phase of

manic-depressive illness. In small doses it is also

used to regulate the mood fluctuations of this

bipolar disorder. I also found a little amount on

something called electroconvulsive therapy, or

ECT, is considered most effective for depressions

that do not respond to drug therapy. ECT is not

widely used and is very controversial. It brings

rapid relief from severe depression and can often

prevent suicide. But it did not tell me how it

works.