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Diagnosis and Treatment

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Diagnosis and Treatment
Elizabeth Rodriguez
BEH/225
February 22, 2012
Richard Miller

There are close to 15 million Americans who suffer from major depressive disorder today according to figure 12-1 in the Understanding Psychology textbook on page 396 (Morris & Maisto, 2010). Depression is a mood disorder in which a person is stuck in the emotional state of sadness regardless of any positive events in his life. Clinical depression last much longer than “normal” depression. Everyone, at some point in their lives, will experience “normal” depression which is usually a reaction to a stressful event or experience; when that depression continues long after the event it is considered a mood disorder. Depression is brought on by social, biological, and psychological factors and can be treated by therapies and medication.
“Major depressive disorder is an episode of intense sadness that may last for several months…” (Understanding Psychology, Chapter 12, pg. 398). Besides the overwhelming feeling of sadness there are usually other symptoms. Concentration may be impaired making reading, working, or making decisions difficult. Problems with concentration and changes in short-term memory can be the first signs of depression. A person can lose interest in food, sex, or other activities he used to take pleasure in. Lack of sleep, Insomnia, or too much sleep is common. In some cases people may develop suicidal thoughts or tendencies; teenagers and young adults are more likely to act on these thoughts than the older, depressed population but all are at risk. Overall a depressed person may feel like a failure or worthless. Adults are not the only people who suffer from depression; children can develop depression but their symptoms are slightly different making it harder to diagnosis. A young child may fail to gain weight, develop antisocial behavior, constantly worry, have

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