Depression comes in many forms and levels of severity. But "clinical depression" is the term most people are familiar with, and is used to describe the more serious form of depression. Clinical depression's official designation is "major depression disorder," which identifies it as a particular type of mental disorder.
Most people, however, are more familiar with the term, "clinical depression" when describing MDD. In any case, people with MDD can often do little more than just deal with their symptoms; dealing with this disease is a full-time job by itself. The symptoms of major depression disorder can include physical as well as emotional problems, including loss of sex drive, weight fluctuations, sadness, lethargy, negativity, and lack of self-esteem, among others. Suicide and other thoughts of self-harm often accompany more extreme cases.
We often think of some forms of depression such as Seasonal Affective Disorder and postpartum depression as being separate types of depression, when these are actually "sub-categories" of major depression disorder. But for a person to be considered to have major depression disorder - no matter what other sub-types of depression they may have - they must be in a down mood for at least two weeks and have five or more of the typical clinical depression symptoms. When a person has these symptoms, he or she is definitely experiencing clinical depression and should be treated as soon as possible by trained medical personnel.
Treatments for MDD have changed over the years, but one controversial treatment is still used 70 years after its introduction: ECT or ElectroConvulsive Therapy.
Some new treatments are starting to be used today, with some people swearing by their effectiveness and others swearing at them. Light therapy, for instance, has proven effective for seasonal affective disorder, whereas it was once considered bogus.
But most natural treatments - although more attractive from a side-effect standpoint - are nevertheless not proving themselves as being effective. Certain herbal remedies have been touted as being effective - such as St. John's Wort - but have proven only mildly effective in some cases.
But no matter what treatment is selected, getting SOME treatment going (so as to eliminate what works and what doesn't) is critical. People affected by Major Depressive Disorder need help, whether the treatment is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), medicine, alternative therapy, or a combination of all three.
Any possible physical causes for the depression should be examined first. Often the cause is a hard-to-diagnose disease, bad diet, or simply genetic - inherited predisposition to depression.
Then emotional problems should be looked into, and this includes past trauma, bereavement, any suppressed mental struggles and so forth.
So the therapist needs to be a good detective of sorts, along with being a trained therapist. Because lots of things can contribute to MDD, including a history of drug and alcohol abuse, prior sexual abuse, lack of enough sunlight, just to name a few. These are important skills to have in order to accurately identify the cause of the depression and be able to put together the best treatment program. - 29881
Most people, however, are more familiar with the term, "clinical depression" when describing MDD. In any case, people with MDD can often do little more than just deal with their symptoms; dealing with this disease is a full-time job by itself. The symptoms of major depression disorder can include physical as well as emotional problems, including loss of sex drive, weight fluctuations, sadness, lethargy, negativity, and lack of self-esteem, among others. Suicide and other thoughts of self-harm often accompany more extreme cases.
We often think of some forms of depression such as Seasonal Affective Disorder and postpartum depression as being separate types of depression, when these are actually "sub-categories" of major depression disorder. But for a person to be considered to have major depression disorder - no matter what other sub-types of depression they may have - they must be in a down mood for at least two weeks and have five or more of the typical clinical depression symptoms. When a person has these symptoms, he or she is definitely experiencing clinical depression and should be treated as soon as possible by trained medical personnel.
Treatments for MDD have changed over the years, but one controversial treatment is still used 70 years after its introduction: ECT or ElectroConvulsive Therapy.
Some new treatments are starting to be used today, with some people swearing by their effectiveness and others swearing at them. Light therapy, for instance, has proven effective for seasonal affective disorder, whereas it was once considered bogus.
But most natural treatments - although more attractive from a side-effect standpoint - are nevertheless not proving themselves as being effective. Certain herbal remedies have been touted as being effective - such as St. John's Wort - but have proven only mildly effective in some cases.
But no matter what treatment is selected, getting SOME treatment going (so as to eliminate what works and what doesn't) is critical. People affected by Major Depressive Disorder need help, whether the treatment is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), medicine, alternative therapy, or a combination of all three.
Any possible physical causes for the depression should be examined first. Often the cause is a hard-to-diagnose disease, bad diet, or simply genetic - inherited predisposition to depression.
Then emotional problems should be looked into, and this includes past trauma, bereavement, any suppressed mental struggles and so forth.
So the therapist needs to be a good detective of sorts, along with being a trained therapist. Because lots of things can contribute to MDD, including a history of drug and alcohol abuse, prior sexual abuse, lack of enough sunlight, just to name a few. These are important skills to have in order to accurately identify the cause of the depression and be able to put together the best treatment program. - 29881
About the Author:
Chuck's impossible survival of a suicide attempt when he was just sixteen years young inspired him to write a book to help others. To discover more about Major Depression Disorder, go to his site at http://www.dealwithdepression.org
