Depression And Healthcare

17 Pages 4134 Words

ed interest or pleasure in day to day activities, significant weight gain or loss (without trying), increase or decrease in sleep, motor skill agitation or retardation, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, diminished ability to concentrate or indecisiveness, and suicidal ideation or recurring thoughts of death. “They [people who are depressed] feel that they are unable to go on or unfit to live. Approximately twice as many women attempt suicide; however, men are more likely than women to actually kill themselves (Sergant 5).”
“The term ‘clinical’ can be applied to any depression where symptoms are severe and last long enough to require treatment. ‘Major’ indicates a clinical depression that meets specific diagnostic criteria as to duration, functional impairment, and involvement of a cluster of both physiological and psychological symptoms. ‘Melancholic’ is a severe form of major depression typified by a set of physiological symptoms which respond to antidepressant medications or electroshock therapy. ‘Unipolar’ means that the individual suffers from major depression but not from manic-depressive disorder, which is called ‘bipolar’ illness. ‘Endogenous’ is used to designate forms of depression manifested by a cluster of the more biological symptoms, such as sleep disturbance and weight loss. Moreover, patients may receive more than one diagnosis since depression is often associated with other disorders, such as alcoholism, anorexia, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders” (Sergant, 6).
An episode of clinical depression can be caused by a dramatic and persistent behavioral change; “…the once very social women becomes reclusive” (Sergant 4). Some people may have only one episode of clinical depression in a lifetime, but more often it is a reoccurring disorder. This kind of depression can follow after a difficult loss, or postpartum (after a women gives birth).
Dysthymia is a n...