depression

Depression



Depression Outline
I. Introduction
II. Major forms of depression
A. Deprsseive disorder
B. Biploar disorder
III. Genetic causes of depression
IV. The experience of depression
A. The patient's experience
B. The family experience
V. Major forms of treatment
A. Prozac
B. Psycotherapy
VI. Conclusion








Selected Bibliography
1. Microsoft Encarta, 1994 ed. S.v. "Depression (phychology)", Funk and Wagnalls Coorporation, 1994.

2. Zimbardo, Philip G. Gerrig, Richard J. Phychology and Life, Philip G. Zimbardo, Inc. 1996.

3. Smith, Harold Ivan. Life Changing Answers to Depression, Harvest House Publishers, 1985.

4. Minirth, Frank B., Meier, Paul D. Ask the Doctors, Baker Book House Company, 1991.

5. Bruckheim, Allen H., M.D., FAAFD The Family Doctor 3rd Edition, Creative Multimedia Coorporation, 1993.

6. DePaulo, J. Raymond Jr. M.D. Ablow, Keith Russell M.D. How to Cope with Depression, Ballantine Books 1989.

7. Elmer-Dewitt, Philip "The Growing Role of Drug Therapies" Time, July 6, 1992, pg. 57-60.




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Table of Contents

Depression Outline

Depression page 1

Selected Bibliography page 7









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Depression has many elements. Almost everyone has experienced depression in one form or another. Sometimes, however, it becomes a full-scale disorder that needs to be professionally treated. "It is estimated that at any given time three to four percent of the nation's population will be suffering from a major depressive or manic episode," (2, p. 649).
"Depression can result from any chronic or severe illness and is a common reaction to stress and disability," (5, What Type of Thinking Can Cause Depression?). People with physical handicaps are "more prone to depression" (4, p.42) because they often think and worry about their loss or disadvantage. "Lacking true intimacy with God, yet desiring it, can also lead to depression, particularly if the person uses a standard defense mechanism of blaming God for everything that goes wrong,"(4, p.21).
A depressive may sometimes have a very negative view of themself. A lot of times they "see themselves as a bad person and blame themselves for events over which they had no control," (6, p.4). Decreased physical and mental energy, a chronic low mood, and a lowered self-attitude are major points to a depressive. "Medical science has proven that resentment-anger turned inward-contributes to the very real biochemical changes that characterize severe clinical depression," (4,21). Depression is probably the most common and can last from one full day, up to several weeks, or longer.
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Bipolar Disorder is like a roller coaster...up one second, down the next. This disorder has very intense mood swings with "possible remissions and recurrences,"(5, Manic Depression;Bipolar). A person with Bipolar Disorder will sometimes show tons of optimism. They will take unnecessary risks, then they will promise everything, and may even end up giving everything they own away. Bipolar Disorder patients experience "a nearly continuous flow of accelerated speech with abrupt changes from topic to topic, usually based on understandable associations, distracting stimuli, or plays on words. When this 'flight of ideas' is severe, the patient's speech may become disorganized and incoherent,"(5, Manic Depression;Bipolar). A person with this illness may not have to get that much sleep every night and may get annoyed that others around him or her are not so active or involved. It could even get to the point where this person thinks that "he or she possesses special abilities or powers,"(2,p. 649).
The patient experiences many different feelings and symptoms when going through a state of depression or an episode of mania. They sometimes feel that it is important to hide their pain from everyone around them because most of the time they could not even really explain it to themselves, let alone anyone else. Many times "an individual expressing a depressive episode will usually describe his or her mood as depressed, sad, hopeless, discouraged, down in the dumps, etc...."(5, Manic Depression;Bipolar). Weight gain or loss is common because
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appetite is greatly increased or decreased. Headaches are frequent symptoms. People experiencing depression "are usually irritable, become upset rapidly and tend to be bothered by little items and insignificant incidents,"(5, Symptoms of Depression). Crying and sadness is very common. What may even happen is that a person may have such "a sense of deadened emotions that can prevent 'normal' crying or sadness,"(6,p.4). "Hallucinations, in which one hears voices or sees things that are not really there, sometimes occur,"(6,p.4). "A small percentage of unfortunate individuals go right from manic episodes to clinical depression and back again in continuous, unending cycles that are devestating to them, their families, their friends, and their co-workers."(2, p.650).
A lot of times the patient may experience even worse feelings of frustration and may have "ideas of suicide or recurrent thoughts of death"(5, Dealing with Depression) which sadly depression is often linked. A depressive can become very hush-hush about their feelings of suicide. They will "brood over death and may take their own lives,"(6,p.4). "Fifteen percent of people who suffer from clinical depression commit suicide,"(4,p.140). Accidents and suicides are more common in depressives and account for a large percentage of deaths.
Not only is a depressive affected, but the family's life may also change with a depressive living with them. "The ripples of pain touch family members and friends who become, in some ways, co-
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victims,"(6,p.46). Having a depressive living with you can be quite hard. The family is always near the "shrinking world, bordered by anxiety and fear"(5, Dealing with Depression) of that particular person, therefore the family may also "be cut off from the social relationships that make for healthy living,"(5, Dealing with Depression). Sometimes the only way to convince a depressed patient to stay in the hospital or to get outpatient treatments is by the family members. "They will play a particularly important role in the treatment of the person,"(6, p.138).
"The risk of a depressive disorder is greater in the families of depressive patients than in the population at large,"(1, Depression). "The higher proportion of depression in women may be biologically induced, or it may be that women learn social roles that favor feelings of helplessness,"(1, Depression). Identical twins have exactly the same genes; therefore, studies show that if one twin suffers from depression or manic-depressive illness, "there is a 67 percent chance that the second twin will also have the disorder,"(2,p.650). By contrast only 20 percent, however, of fraternal twins are affected.
Prozac is the top-selling antidepressant. It is the most popular of drugs "that treat depression by increasing levels of the brain chemical serotonin,"(8, p.3). "The effectiveness of Prozac has led some researchers to speculate that serotonin is the key regulator of mood, and that depression is essentially a shortfall of
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serotonin,"(7,p.3). At one time, scientists thought that Prozac had side effects such as serious violence and had a petition for the FDA in 1991 "to take Prozac off the market,"(8,p.3). That was denied because the FDA could not find "a link between the drug and violent behavior,"(8,p.3). Still, doctors have known for some time now that when the serotonin level gets raised, it can affect a person's mood. "They cannot always be sure that the drug will have the desired effect,"(8,p.3).
There are many different forms of psychotherapy. In more serious cases an antidepressant and psychotherapy are used in a combination. There is also less of a risk of suicide "than if psychotherapy is the only form of treatment,"(4,p.46) "For mild depression, a few sessions of psychotherapy may be enough to identify the issue and help work towards overcoming the problem,"(5, What Type of Thinking can Cause Depression?). In all forms of this therapy it must "involve a confiding relationship between a professional therapist and a patient that allows the patient's experiences and predicaments to be shared"(6, p.135).
While the patient is undergoing the therapy session he or she is being monitored in any feelings, especially suicidal feelings. "The therapist would discuss with the patient the nature of depression as an illness, the fact that it will improve with treatment, and the advisability of deferring major life decisions until depressive symptoms have resolved,"(6, p.141).
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In conclusion, depression is a disease and should be recognized as one. It varies from person to person and can be a very traumatic and even deadly experience from all points of view. Depressive and Bipolar Disorders are just two of the many mental illnesses out there that need to be taken extremely seriously.





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