When people think of clinical depression, they think of it as an actual psychiatric disorder rather than merely being “down in the dumps” for a while. The illness’s official designation is major depressive disorder, named so clinicians can distinguish it from depression that’s symptomatic of other mental illnesses. But the former term has the widest use among the general populace. The symptoms of clinical, depressive disorder major tend to take over people’s lives, sometimes involving physical manifestations like lethargy, weight gain, or loss of sex drive along with emotional symptoms like sadness, negativity, lack of self-esteem and concentration problems. In extreme cases, thoughts of suicide or self-harm are common.
Things we tend to think of separately, like post partum depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), are actually sub-categories of major depressive disorder. One of the distinguishing features of all the categories is that the pervasive low mood lasts for at least two weeks or even longer, and the patient experiences at least five of the typical clinical depression symptoms. That’s the point where it’s clear that this is more than simply being “a bit down,” and therapy and treatment become necessary.
Standard treatments recommended for major depressive disorder usually include medication, psychotherapy, and in severe cases, electroconvulsive therapy. But in recent years, many new treatments have been created. Some aren’t yet regarded very highly by the medical establishment or the general populace, but others, like light treatments for SAD, have moved into legitimacy as their effectiveness has been witnessed. More natural treatments like acupuncture may be on the cusp of general acceptance, but the use of herbs like St. John’s Wort still has proponents and critics on both sides.
What matters, of course, is getting help, whether that involves alternative, psychiatric, or medical treatments. The person is usually too immersed in the depression to do the work alone, so they need to find a therapist who can function as a bit of a sleuth. The doctor will check possible triggers of the depressive episodes, like a recent bereavement or a past traumatic history. They will investigate possible physical causes like family genetics. They might even be able to rule out major depressive disorder as a diagnosis, if they discover that some other physical ailment is really the root cause, and can be treated medically. Professional help is needed to go through all these possibilities, to discover the correct diagnosis and help put the depressed person on the road to recovery.
As a leading expert in the field of treat anxiety attacks, Beth Kaminski is always on the lookout for ways to treat panic attacks. Visit her site for more information on how to prevent panic attacks and much more.
Diseases, Conditions and Treatments • September 26th, 2009 •