An Overview of
Major Depression Disorder
Major depression disorder is one of many different types of depression. It is sometimes referred to as unipolar depression which basically means that the person who has it consistently feels down and depressed. This is of course converse to Bipolar depression which is when the person has mood swings going from a depressed mood to a hyper, energetic mood over time.
Symptoms of Major Depression Depression
As with many serious depressions, a major depression disorder can significantly impact a person’s life and the lives of the people around them. It can affect the career life, relationships with friends and family, and their health and overall well being. There are many symptoms and signs of major depressive disorder. They include the following:
These symptoms should be present for a minimum of 2 weeks to be considered clinical.
Often times the major depressive disorder is accompanied by other conditions as well such as high levels of anxiety and stress, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and an increase in the use of alcohol and/or drugs.
Causes of Major Depression Disorder
The causes are many as they can range from psychological, social or biological. The psychological causes include low self esteem, pessimistic self talk, low level of coping skills and distorted sense of what’s real.
Social causes include an experience with physical, verbal or emotional abuse, a recent divorce, the passing of a loved one, experiencing poverty, being rejected, and having no real support to rely on.
Biologically, the person may have a chemical imbalance in the brain where the levels of monoamines – the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine and are out of whack.
Treatment Options
Treatment options vary widely and include antidepressants, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, deep brain stimulation, physical exercise, natural remedies for depression and other herbal remedies for depression.
If you are suffering with a major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression, you might want to take a depression test. It is a good indicator of whether you might need to seek out professional help. Note that these tests are not to be used for formal diagnosis. Rather, they are an indicator so you can determine the appropriate course of action.
Major Depression Disorder to Home Page
