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08 Jan 13
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Depressed people may be preoccupied with, or ruminate over, thoughts and feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt or regret, helplessness, hopelessness, and self-hatred.
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Most lose interest in school and show a decline in academic performance. They may be described as clingy, demanding, dependent, or insecure.
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and show varying symptoms depending on age and situation.
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Depressed children may often display an irritable mood rather than a depressed mood
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epression may also coexist with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), complicating the diagnosis and treatment of both.
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02 Nov 11
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Dysthymia is a chronic, milder mood disturbance in which a person reports a low mood almost daily over a span of at least two years.
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Other disorders need to be ruled out before diagnosing major depressive disorder
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06 Jun 11
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04 Apr 11
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See also: List of people with depression
People's conceptualizations of depression vary widely, both within and among cultures. "Because of the lack of scientific certainty," one commentator has observed, "the debate over depression turns on questions of language. What we call it—'disease,' 'disorder,' 'state of mind'—affects how we view, diagnose, and treat it."[271] There are cultural differences in the extent to which serious depression is considered an illness requiring personal professional treatment, or is an indicator of something else, such as the need to address social or moral problems, the result of biological imbalances, or a reflection of individual differences in the understanding of distress that may reinforce feelings of powerlessness, and emotional struggle.[272][273]
The diagnosis is less common in some countries, such as China. It has been argued that the Chinese traditionally deny or somatize emotional depression (although since the early 1980s the Chinese denial of depression may have modified drastically).[274] Alternatively, it may be that Western cultures reframe and elevate some expressions of human distress to disorder status. Australian professor Gordon Parker and others have argued that the Western concept of depression "medicalizes" sadness or misery.[275][276] Similarly, Hungarian-American psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and others argue that depression is a metaphorical illness that is inappropriately regarded as an actual disease.[277] There has also been concern that the DSM, as well as the field of descriptive psychiatry that employs it, tends to reify abstract phenomena such as depression, which may in fact be social constructs.[278] American archetypal psychologist James Hillman writes that depression can be healthy for the soul, insofar as "it brings refuge, limitation, focus, gravity, weight, and humble powerlessness."[279] Hillman argues that therapeutic attempts to eliminate depression echo the Christian theme of resurrection, but have the unfortunate effect of demonizing a soulful state of being.
Historical figures were often reluctant to discuss or seek treatment for depression due to social stigma about the condition, or due to ignorance of diagnosis or treatments. Nevertheless, analysis or interpretation of letters, journals, artwork, writings or statements of family and friends of some historical personalities has led to the presumption that they may have had some form of depression. People who may have had depression include English author Mary Shelley,[280] American-British writer Henry James,[281] and American president Abraham Lincoln.[282] Some well-known contemporary people with possible depression include Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen [283] and American playwright and novelist Tennessee Williams.[284] Some pioneering psychologists, such as Americans William James [285][286] and John B. Watson,[287] dealt with their own depression.
There has been a continuing discussion of whether neurological disorders and mood disorders may be linked to creativity, a discussion that goes back to Aristotelian times.[288][289] British literature gives many examples of reflections on depression.[290] English philosopher John Stuart Mill experienced a several-months-long period of what he called "a dull state of nerves", when one is "unsusceptible to enjoyment or pleasurable excitement; one of those moods when what is pleasure at other times, becomes insipid or indifferent". He quoted English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Dejection" as a perfect description of his case: "A grief without a pang, void, dark and drear, / A drowsy, stifled, unimpassioned grief, / Which finds no natural outlet or relief / In word, or sigh, or tear."[291][292] English writer Samuel Johnson used the term "the black dog" in the 1780s to describe his own depression,[293] and it was subsequently popularized by depression sufferer former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.[293]
Social stigma of major depression is widespread, and contact with mental health services reduces this only slightly. Public opinions on treatment differ markedly to those of health professionals; alternative treatments are held to be more helpful than pharmacological ones, which are viewed poorly.[294] In the UK, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of General Practitioners conducted a joint Five-year Defeat Depression campaign to educate and reduce stigma from 1992 to 1996;[295] a MORI study conducted afterwards showed a small positive change in public attitudes to depression and treatment.[296]
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05 Jun 10
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characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. T
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disabling condition which adversely affects a person's family, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health.
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patient's self-reported experiences, behavior reported by relatives or friends, and a mental status exam.
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though this understanding is incomplete and has left many aspects of depression as the subject of discussion and research.
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Psychological treatments are based on theories of personality, interpersonal communication, and learning.
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significantly affects a person's family and personal relationships, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health
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inability to experience pleasure in activities that formerly were enjoyed.
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ruminate over, thoughts and feelings
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worthlessness, inappropriate guilt or regret, helplessness, hopelessness, and self-hatred
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Insomnia is common among the depressed.
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Hypersomnia, or oversleeping, can also happen
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Appetite often decreases, with resulting weight loss, although increased appetite and weight gain occasionally occur
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person wakes very early and is unable to get back to sleep
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may report multiple physical symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, or digestive problems
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Older depressed persons may have cognitive symptoms of recent onset, such as forgetfulness
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more noticeable slowing of movements
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hopelessness or pessimism, self-harm or suicide, and an absence of positive thoughts or plans
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Non-psychiatrists miss two-thirds of cases and unnecessarily treat other patients
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Primary care physicians and other non-psychiatrist physicians have difficulty diagnosing depression.
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presence of a severely depressed mood that persists for at least two weeks
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psychotherapy, medication, and electroconvulsive therapy
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physical exercise has beneficial effects.
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combination of medication and psychotherapy may be used
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Psychotherapy has been shown to be effective in older people
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Research beginning in the mid-1990s suggested that CBT could perform as well or better than antidepressants in patients with moderate to severe depression
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CBT is particularly beneficial in preventing relapse
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Short Psychodynamic Supportive Psychotherapy, this modification was found to be as effective as medication for mild to moderate depression.[152]
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The effects of prescription antidepressants are somewhat superior to those of psychotherapy, especially in cases of chronic major depression, although in short-term trials more patients—especially those with less serious forms of depression—cease medication than cease psychotherapy, most likely due to adverse effects from the medication and to patients' preferences for psychological therapies over pharmacological treatments.[154][155]
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Response rates to the first antidepressant administered range from 50–75%, and it can take at least six to eight weeks from the start of medication to remission
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It is not uncommon for SSRIs to cause or worsen insomnia
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24 May 09
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03 Apr 09
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is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. The term "major depressive disorder" was selected by the American Psychiatric Association to designate this symptom cluster as a mood disorder in the 1980 version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) classification, and has become widely used since. The general term depression is often used to describe the disorder, but as it is also used to describe a more temporarily depressed state of mind, more precise terminology is preferred for the disorder in clinical and research use. Major depression is a disabling condition which adversely affects a person's family, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health. In the United States, approximately 3.4% of people with major depression commit suicide, and up to 60% of all people who commit suicide have depression or another mood disorder.
The diagnosis of major depressive disorder is based on the patient's self-reported experiences, behavior reported by relatives or friends, and a mental status exam. There is no laboratory test for major depression, although physicians generally request tests for physical conditions that may cause similar symptoms. The most common time of onset is between the ages of 30 and 40 years, with a later peak between 50 and 60 years. Major depression is reported about twice as frequently in women as in men, although men are at higher risk for suicide.
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12 Feb 09
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08 Oct 07
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27 Aug 07
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25 Feb 07
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18 Feb 07
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10 Nov 06
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02 Nov 06
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4 to 6 months of continuing treatment after symptom resolution to prevent relapse.
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is a state of intense sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individual's social functioning and/or activities of daily living.
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It is important to understand that there is no blood test or brain scan for depression.
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- Feelings of overwhelming sadness and/or fear, or the seeming inability to feel emotion (emptiness).
- A decrease in the amount of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, daily activities.
- Changing appetite and marked weight gain or loss.
- Disturbed sleep patterns, such as insomnia, loss of REM sleep, or excessive sleep (Hypersomnia).
- Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day.
- Fatigue, mental or physical, also loss of energy.
- Intense feelings of guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness, isolation/loneliness and/or anxiety.
- Trouble concentrating, keeping focus or making decisions or a generalized slowing and obtunding (to dull or blunt, especially sensation or pain) of cognition, including memory.
- Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), desire to just "lay down and die" or "stop breathing", recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
- Feeling and/or fear of being abandoned by those close to one.
- Self-loathing.
- A decrease in self-esteem.
- Inattention to personal hygiene.
- Sensitivity to noise.
- Physical aches and pains, and the belief these may be signs of serious illness.
- Fear of 'going mad'.
- Change in perception of time.
- Periods of sobbing.
- Possible behavioral changes, such as aggression and/or irritability.
- Loss of appetite.
- Irritability.
- Sleep problems, such as recurrent nightmares.
- Learning or memory problems where none existed before.
- Significant behavioral changes; such as withdrawal, social isolation, and aggression.
Other symptoms often reported but not usually taken into account in diagnosis include:
Depression in children is not as obvious as it is in adults. Here are some symptoms that children might display:
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A diagnosis is made when an individual meets a sufficient number of the symptom criteria for the depression spectrum
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An additional indicator could be the excessive use of drugs or alcohol. Depressed adolescents are at particular risk of further destructive behaviours, such as eating disorders and self-harm.
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