Major Depressive Disorder is one of the several types of Depression. It is a silent but dangerous mental condition that is characterized by a combination of depressive symptoms that severely cripple and disrupt the life of an individual.
It is sometimes referred to as Major Depression, Clinical Depression or Unipolar Depression; unipolar, in the sense that it exhibits only one extreme mood (pole) and that is – a depressed mood. Bipolar depression, on the other hand, may exhibit shifting moods of depression and mania.
Major Depression may occur only on one occasion throughout a person’s life – but unfortunately, in most cases, major depressive episodes commonly happen more than once. Usually, the depressed mood of individuals suffering from this type of depression occurs each day and lasts for about two weeks.
Major Depressive Disorder Statistics
It is significant to note that Major Depression in adults occurs twice as many in women than in men. In children, however, the rate is the same.
In an entire lifetime, the likelihood that Major Depressive Disorder will affect women is 10%-25%; in men, it’s 5%-12%. In any given point in time, 5%-9% of women will most likely fall for this condition while only 2%-3% of men would.
Major Depression is most common among the ages 25 to 44, and unlikely to occur in those aged 65 and above. It may most likely develop in those who are in their mid-20s, although it can possibly just occur at any age.
Familial tendencies are hard to ignore. Those who have parents or siblings suffering from major depression have a great possibility of developing this condition; 1.5 – 3 times higher than a person with normal family members.
Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder
Primarily, two characteristic symptoms distinguish Major Depressive Disorder: a depressed mood and anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure in activities); then, the rest of the symptoms is a combination of five or more of the following:
- Change in weight and appetite
- Abnormal sleeping pattern
- Either Agitation or slowing down of movements
- Anergia (lack of energy)
- Feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness
- Marked difficulty to rationalize
- Suicidal ideations
- Suicidal attempts
Aside from using these symptoms to diagnose Major Depressive Disorder, mental health professionals also do history taking and use diagnostic tools to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
Treatment Modalities for Major Depressive Disorder
Depression is actually highly treatable; a combination of therapy and medications is usually used to uplift the depressed mood of affected individuals.
If the origin of the illness is highly biological; that is, it is due to neurochemical imbalances in one’s brain such as lack of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, pharmacotherapy (drugs or antidepressant medication therapy) is used.
The medications used for Major Depressive Disorder are classified into several types namely: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs), Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), Atypical antidepressants, Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) and Norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors.
Each drug classification acts on a specific neurotransmitter to normalize or balance the brain’s neurochemical condition.
On the other hand, if the origin of the depressed mood is highly psychological, psychotherapy or counseling is adopted. In worst-case scenarios, Electroconvulsive therapy is used; it is the last resort.
Generally, a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy is still more powerful in treating Major Depressive Disorder than the individual use of each treatment modality.