Topic: Depression
Course: Clinical psychology PSX_002
Student: Eray Duz 440632
Teacher: PhDr. Pavel Humpolíček
9 April, 2015
What is Depression?
A depressive disorder: is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts
Depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or
pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of
tiredness, and poor concentration.
Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s
ability to function at work or school or cope with daily life
Medications, psychotherapies, and other methods can effectively treat people with
depression.
History of Depression
During Ancient Greek Period depression was initially called “melancholia”
Melancholia means extreme, persistent sadness or hopelessness in old Greek
language.
Ancient Greeks and Romans were divided in their thinking about the causes of
melancholia. Literature of the time was filled with references to mental illness
caused by spirits or demons. In the 5th century B.C., the Greek historian
Herodotus wrote about a king who was driven mad by evil spirits. In contrast,
early Roman and Greek doctors thought that depression was both a biological and
psychological disease. Gymnastics, massage, special diets, music, and baths, as
well as a concoction of poppy extract and donkey’s milk were used to alleviate
depressive symptoms.
After the fall of the Roman empire in the 5th century, scientific thinking about the
causes of mental illness and depression again regressed. During the Middle Ages,
religious beliefs, specifically Christianity, dominated popular European
explanations of mental illness. Most people thought that mentally ill people were
possessed by the devil, demons, or witches and were capable of infecting others
with their madness. Treatments of choice included exorcisms, and other more
barbaric strategies such as drowning and burning.
Robert Burton (1599‐1640): “The Anatomy of Melancholy”. “This Melancholy of
which we are to treat, is a habit, a serious ailment, a settled humour…not errant,
but fixed: and as it was long increasing…, it will hardly be removed”.
Emil Krapelin (1856‐1926): origin of psychiatric disease to be biological and
genetic malfunction. ¬
Charles Darwin (1809‐1882): “The expression of the emotions in man and
animals”. Genetically determined aspects of behavior.
Henry Maudsley (1835‐1918): Influenced Darwin proposed the term affective
disorder.
Sigmund Freud (1856‐1939): Founder of psychoanalysis. Melancholia could result
from mourning for an objective loss and of a subjective one when the individual’s
ego is compromised.
Currently: Depression is either endogenous (melancholic) considering a biological
condition, or reactive (neurotic) a reaction to a stressful events, and/or –
depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in neurotransmitters in the brain.
Forms Of Depressive Disorders
Major depression:severe symptoms that interfere with your ability to work,
sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. An episode can occur only once in a person’s
lifetime, but more often, a person has several episodes.
Persistent depressive disorder:depressed mood that lasts for at least 2 years.
A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of
major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms
must last for 2 years.
Psychotic depression, which occurs when a person has severe depression plus
some form of psychosis, such as having disturbing false beliefs or a break with
reality (delusions), or hearing or seeing upsetting things that others cannot hear
or see (hallucinations).
Postpartum depression which is much more serious than the "baby blues"
that many women experience after giving birth, when hormonal and physical
changes and the new responsibility of caring for a newborn can be
overwhelming. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of women experience
postpartum depression after giving birth.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): which is characterized by the onset of
depression during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. The
depression generally lifts during spring and summer. SAD may be effectively
treated with light therapy, but nearly half of those with SAD do not get better
with light therapy alone. Antidepressant medication and psychotherapy can
reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or in combination with light therapy.
Bipolar Depression: also called manic-depressive illness, is not as common as
major depression or persistent depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder is
characterized by cycling mood changes—from extreme highs (e.g., mania) to
extreme lows (e.g., depression).
Epidemiology
An estimated 121 million people around the world currently suffer from some
form of depression
Over 80% of the people that have symptoms of clinical depression are not
receiving any specific treatment for their depression.
60-80% of all depression cases can be effectively treated with brief structured
forms of psychotherapy and antidepressant medications.
Overall women have higher rates of depression than men υWomen are twice as
likely to have depression and symptomps of depression as men of the same age
1 in 10 women experiences symptoms of depression in the weeks after having
a baby
Signs and symptoms include
People with depressive illnesses do not all experience the same symptoms. The severity,
frequency, and duration of symptoms vary depending on the individual and his or her
particular illness.
Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
Irritability, restlessness
Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
Fatigue and decreased energy
Difficulty concentrating,remembering details, and making decisions
Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
Overeating, or appetite loss
Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
Causes
Most likely, depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological,
environmental, and psychological factors.
Some types of depression tend to run in families. However, depression can occur
in people without family histories of depression too. Scientists are studying certain
genes that may make some people more prone to depression. Some genetics
research indicates that risk for depression results from the influence of several
genes acting together with environmental or other factors. In addition, trauma, loss
of a loved one, a difficult relationship, or any stressful situation may trigger a
depressive episode. Other depressive episodes may occur with or without an
obvious trigger.
Depressive illnesses are disorders of the brain. Brain-imaging technologies, such
as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have shown that the brains of people who
have depression look different than those of people without depression. The parts
of the brain involved in mood, thinking, sleep, appetite, and behavior appear
different. But these images do not reveal why the depression has occurred. They
also cannot be used to diagnose depression.
Treatments
Once diagnosed, a person with depression can be treated in several ways.
Psychotherapy
Medication
Light Therapy
Electric Shock Treatment
Counselling
Social Training
Used literature
• Nemade, R., Reiss,N. S.,&Dombeck, M. (2007, September 19).Historical
Understandings Of Depression. Retrieved March 30, 2015, from
https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/historical-understandings-of-depression
• Bartha C, Parker C, Thomson C, Kitchen K for the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health. Depressive Illness: A Guide for People with Depression and Their
Families. 1999. Available at www.camh.net.
• MayoClinic.com. Depression (major depression): Definition. Accessed June 18,
2010. Available at www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175
• Pine, D. S., Cohen, E., Cohen, P., & Brook, J. (2014). Adolescent depressive
symptoms as predictors of adult depression: moodiness or mood disorder?.