...psychologists and scientists that all mental disorders are brought about by a complex correlation of psychological, biological, and social factors. A serious loss, chronic illness, relationship problem, work stress, family crisis, financial setback, or any unwelcome life change can ignite a depressive disorder (Psychologyinfo.com). Depression is a serious disorder in the United States and has only become more prevalent among individuals as their lives become more stressful and overwhelming. One theory for the cause of depression is the bio-psycho-social model of causation and is the most commonly recognized theory for the cause of disorders such as depression by professionals. As stated earlier, it consists of a complicated correlation of psychological, biological, and social factors. This can be caused by fluctuated levels of hormones, which would explain why many people first experience depression during puberty. (Grohol, 2006). The exact causes of depression are vast and unknown. Some types of depression have been found in families from generation to generation, which may possibly suggest that it can be inherited (Grohol, 2006). With that said, major depression seems to be present generation after generation, in some families, but not with a frequency that suggests clear biological causes. Furthermore, it also occurs in people who have no family history of depression (Psychologyinfo.com). This is also found in people with bipolar disorder. A study on family members that belong...
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...her lifetime. (Psych Central p. 4). Trying to keep up with the simplest of tasks can be the hardest of struggles when distractions are among them. The inability to focus can affect the skills needed to accomplish everyday tasks. Many other stresses can consume ones thoughts and ability to pay attention. Ruta Nonacs, M.D., Ph.D. says depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors affecting women more often during child bearing years. As a person ages it’s only natural to have more responsibilities in life. By the age of fifteen, females are twice as likely to suffer from depression then males due to the different types of hormones in females (Psyc Central, 2006, p. 8). Meeting new people, diving into a career, and starting a family are just a few major changes women embrace within a lifetime. This can add additional pressure to keep up with society or keep our families happy by going above and beyond the call of duty. Women tend to be the caretaker of the family and in general want to please everyone especially their children. The daily routine of a mother is often unappreciated and misunderstood. This added stress, whether it be at home or at work, can trigger different reactions such as eating disorders, anxiety, and drug and alcohol addiction. There are different levels and types of depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (WebMD, 2012, p.1), major depressive disorder, also known as...
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...Modern Technology and Depression: Traditional Chinese Medicine Alternatives Sabura Abstract The 20th century brings with it a plethora of the useful and convenient inventions including a continuous introduction of the latest digital gadgets and services including cell phones, computers, televisions, and cable and internet services. With all of these conveniences, studies show that there is a steady increase of depression, mania, and suicides over recent years. As technological advances increase, the need to preserve and strengthen our ability to make bonds with each other through interpersonal intimacy. Since advancements are inevitable, there still remain some simply and ancient healing methods to counteract some of the devastating effects of modern technology. Traditional Chinese Medicine and simple lifestyle changes have been a highly effective and inexpensive natural alternative, breaking down many of the barriers to living a healthy and happy life. Modern Technology and Depression: Traditional Chinese Medicine Alternatives In 2013, modern technologies of internet, cell phones, laptops, and tablets have given us access to a larger capacity and quality of information, and productivity. The internet has also been noted for giving us the convenience of connecting to more people from different cultures of places around the country and the world than we would be able to have access to every day. In contrast, all of these modern technologies have also...
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...Depression Paper Jamie Erwin PSY/270 June 8, 2015 Professor Ratonya Gibson Depression Paper A lot of times when you hear people talk about being diagnosed with and/or treated fpr depression, they are most likely referring to unipolar depression. There are several important differences such as: how you feel and act and how they are dealt with through treatment. Other difference such as, someone who is bipolar has low moods and high moods which are known as mania. They can also high energy, feelings of euphoria, be unable to sleep and can suffer from impulsive behaviors. Someone who is unipolar does not go through highs. Systems of unipolar depression include: * Suicidal thoughts and feelings * Extreme sadness and loneliness * Lack of energy * Lack of interest in activites and things they used to enjoy * Feelings of helplessness * Unable to sleep * Difficulites focusing Systems of bipolar depression include: * Euphoric moods * Extreme moodiness * Decreased need for sleep without feeling tired * Racing thoughts * Problems concentrating * Agitation * Impulsive behaviors * Restlessness, increased energy * Higher sexual impulses * Abusing drugs and alcohol * Aggressive, intrusive, or provocative behaviors Bipolar depression is very difficult to diagnose, one out of three people are misdiagnosed because bipolar depression does look similar to unipolar depression when it is in its low phase...
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...Psychiatric Diseases, Disorders, and Drugs LaTisha Davis Psych 240 April 15, 2012 Psychiatric Diseases, Disorders, and Drugs Mood disorders are by definition disturbances in mood or prolonged emotional state. Almost anyone can suffer from mood disorders including children. These disorders range from depression, bipolar disorder to mania. In each of the states of the disorder, the person is either in a euphoric state or extremely sad state of mind. Although a person may experience mood changes in their life, and may be happy at times and then sad other time, it become a psychological disorder when the symptoms last longer than a certain amount of time. Depression is the most common mood disorder. With depression comes feelings of overwhelming sadness, lack of interest in activities, and excessive feelings of guilt or worthlessness. People who suffer from depression feel they have failed tremendously in life and therefore find it hard to be sociable, they are always tired, and they never feel comfort or pleasure. They find it hard to concentrate on anything and they lose interest in sex and food as a result. Some of the signs of depression include changes in short-term memory, insomnia, and in extreme cases suicide weighs heavily on their minds. There are two categories for depression; major depressive disorder is the term used to describe intense sadness, depressed mood, and loss of interest in almost everything. Dysthymia is a milder form of depression with the same symptoms...
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...research indicate about clinical depression? What are the implications for treatment? Shvawn Christensen Psych 435 Athabasca University What does research indicate about clinical depression and what are the implications for treatment? The purpose of this paper is to logically provide a review about the biological and situational aspects of depression and the various forms of treatment. I will define what depression is, evaluate who depression affects and why, then proceed with the description of the most widely used methods of treatment, behavioral therapy and prescribed medication. I What is Depression? When it is referred to as your mood no one is exempt from some imbalance from time to time. This would be considered as normal day to day stress and living. However a diagnosis of depression is arrived at after a person has had or displayed a long struggle with feelings of sadness and hopelessness. As well if these feelings continue to affect and interfere with the person’s daily life. Unipolar and Bipolar are two types of mood disorders that can affect anyone of us. [People only troubled by depression would be diagnosed with “unipolar disorder” as this emotional disorder only affects one end of the mood continuum. However “bipolar disorder” affects both emotional ends of the mood continuum. People with this disorder will experience periods of both depression and mania] (Weiten & McCainn, 2007, p. 591) Depression has a...
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...INTRODUCTION Many studies have been suggested that marijuana is the root cause of many mental disorders. In spite of government warnings about health risks, many people see it as a harmless substance that helps you to relax and ‘chill’ – a drug that, unlike alcohol and cigarettes, might even be good for your physical and mental health. On the other hand, recent research has suggested that it can be a major cause of psychotic illnesses in those who are genetically vulnerable. This paper looks at the research on mood disorders and the use of cannabis for its treatment. It will brief on the types of mood disorders, their symptoms, and treatment and finally discuss both positive and negative effects of using marijuana as a ‘cure’ for mood disorders. WHAT ARE MOOD DISORDERS? Mood disorders, or affective disorders, are mental health problems such as all types of depression, bipolar disorder, and mania (Klasco, 2011). The disorders in this category include those where the primary symptom is a disturbance in mood; in other words, inappropriate, exaggerated, or limited range of feelings. There are chemicals in the brain, called endorphins, which are responsible for positive moods. Other chemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters, regulate endorphins. Most likely, depression (and other mood disorders) is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain (The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center). Life events (such as unwanted changes in life) may also contribute to a...
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...Major Depressive Disorder Ethan Scott Oral Roberts University Major Depressive Disorder Overview and Symptoms “Depression is related to the normal emotions of sadness and bereavement, but it does not remit when the external cause of these emotions dissipates, and it is disproportionate to their causes” (Belmaker, 2008, p. 55). Severe states of depression often have no external precipitating cause, but it is hard to truly know if there was an external cause or not when dealing with severe depression (Belmaker, 2008). It is also known to occur with other mental health conditions such as anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, etc. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, which equals about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. It is also the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44. While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the median age at onset is 32 and is more prevalent in women than in men (Numbers Count, 2014). Diagnosis of Major Depression “The diagnosis of major depression requires a distinct change of mood, characterized by sadness or irritability and is accompanied by some psychophysiological changes” (Belmaker, 2008, p. 56). Major depression can be easy to diagnose from anyone with experience dealing with depression, but understanding the cause of the depression, internally or externally, can be a tough challenge (Carey, 2013). Symptoms of major depression...
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...depression can coexist and their susceptibility can run in families (Merikangas and Gelernter 1990). In addition , other studies carried out by Merikangas et al 1994 patients often use alcohol as a form of self medication for an affective disorder. In other words, depression may develop as a result of alcoholism; in this case alcoholism is the primary disorder and depression is considered an organic mood disorder (ie mood disorder with a physiological cause). Conversely, is was argued in other studies that there was no unequivocal effect on mood. ( Tilburg and Vingerhoets 2001). While come studies found that drinking was associated with inducing positive feelings of pleasure or reduction in negative feelings like uncertainty and tension ( ref 3,4) others have reported reported an increase in negative emotions (ref 5,6) or no direct effects on the mood at all ( ref 7,8) . Perkins at al (7) observed that alcohol intake decreased self- report Heavy alcohol use or alcohol misuse and major depressive disorder or depressive symptoms commonly co-occur in late life (Grant and Harford, 1995; Friedmann et al., 1999; Graham and Schmidt, 1999; Merrick et al., 2008; Sacco et al., 2009). A few studies also report a relationship between alcohol misuse and major depression or depressive symptoms in older adults of both genders (Grant, 1997; Brennan et al., 2001; St. John et al., 2009). In...
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...Antidepressants Work, so what’s the Problem Kurt Anderson Utah Valley University Course: Online English 2020 Instructor: Robert Crane Abstract Efficacy of antidepressants is under such scrutiny by the general public, because of a few scientists. Antidepressants are the most researched substance worldwide. The long history of research analysis proves the efficacy of antidepressants, but there are those who will falsely interpret clinical trials, or pool together selected studies to justify their claims. Scientists will agree that there are many flaws with antidepressant research, but with ever increasing new ways to re-test old research, the evidence of positive improvements are becoming harder to deny. This report shows that even though scientists are trying to disprove the effectiveness of antidepressants, the evidence of the scientific facts prove that antidepressants work for depression. Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables iv Glossary of Terms v General Information vii Thesis Statement vii Report Audience vii Author’s Purpose vii Argumentative Requirements Fulfillment Statement vii Introduction 1 Americans and Depression 2 Background of Depression and Antidepressants 4 Depression 4 Antidepressants 5 Depression Scale 5 Clinical Trials 6 Claims..................... 6 The Truth ......................................................................................................................................6 Prescribing methods...
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...seeking a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. It will delve in depth into the behaviors that the intern observed during his internship. It will connect those behaviors to theory. It will explain and educate as to the benefits of doing such work under the supervision and tutelage of trained experts. It will also recommend to anyone interested in getting into the field ways to be successful and get the most out of the time they spend and lastly it will chronicle the personal growth that the author experienced during his internship. As stated in the abstract, the internship chronicled in this paper was done over a 14-week period at an agency that houses and educates developmentally disabled and mentally retarded adults with psychological disorders. Though most of the information in this paper was gathered over the 14-week period previously mentioned, the author has been employed with the agency for close to three years and has gathered even more information during this three-year tenure with the agency. The agency has in the neighborhood of sixty-five clients and has been open for over forty years. Currently the agency has eleven houses that house an average of six clients apiece, five all-male houses, 5 all-female houses and one co-ed house. The clients range from mild or no developmental disability to moderate developmental disability. There are no profoundly mentally disabled adults in the agency. All but two houses get behavior services from the agency; each client is...
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...POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION: LITERATURE REVIEW OF RISK FACTORS AND INTERVENTIONS Donna E. Stewart, MD, FRCPC E. Robertson, M.Phil, PhD Cindy-Lee Dennis, RN, PhD Sherry L. Grace, MA, PhD Tamara Wallington, MA, MD, FRCPC ©University Health Network Women’s Health Program 2003 Prepared for: Toronto Public Health October 2003 Women’s Health Program Financial assistance by Health Canada Toronto Public Health Advisory Committee: Jan Fordham, Manager, Planning & Policy – Family Health Juanita Hogg-Devine, Family Health Manager Tobie Mathew, Health Promotion Consultant – Early Child Development Project Karen Wade, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Planning & Policy – Family Health Mary Lou Walker, Family Health Manager Karen Whitworth, Mental Health Manager Copyright: Copyright of this document is owned by University Health Network Women’s Health Program. The document has been reproduced for purposes of disseminating information to health and social service providers, as well as for teaching purposes. Citation: The following citation should be used when referring to the entire document. Specific chapter citations are noted at the beginning of each chapter. Stewart, D.E., Robertson, E., Dennis, C-L., Grace, S.L., & Wallington, T. (2003). Postpartum depression: Literature review of risk factors and interventions. POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION: LITERATURE REVIEW OF RISK FACTORS AND INTERVENTIONS Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 OVERALL METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK 5 CHAPTER 1: RISK FACTORS FOR...
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... making it more difficult to live a normal, productive life. I will outline the differences between unipolar and bipolar disorders. In addition, I will address the underlying causes of unipolar and bipolar disorders, I will indicate the symptoms that an individual with unipolar or bipolar may be suffering from, and provide the treatments that are available for individuals who suffer from unipolar or bipolar disorders. Bipolar Disorder is a disease thought to be caused by changes in the chemistry of the brain. The symptoms and severity of the condition can vary, but with the proper treatment, Bipolar Disorder symptoms can be managed. Amongst the more than five million adults in America who have Bipolar Disorder, these “mood swings” can be extreme or frequent. These changes in mood aren’t as simple as transitioning from “happy” to “sad.” With Bipolar Disorder, symptoms can include both a lowering of mood (depression) and an exaggerated elevation of mood (mania). These changes occur in cycles and are referred to as “episodes.” People with Bipolar Disorder experience extreme mood swings that can take three different forms: manic, depressive, and mixed episodes. On average, people with Bipolar Disorder spend ten years seeking treatment before finally getting diagnosed. One survey found that as many as 70% of people with Bipolar Disorder are initially diagnosed with a different condition. Often, this is because...
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...Depression Shauna Carton Psy 270 October 23, 2011 Kavita Leone Depression Mood disorders are a category of mental health problems including depression and bipolar disorder (The Ohio State University Medical Center, 2011). According to The Ohio State University Medical Center (2011), “The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that research indicates that depression onset is occurring earlier in life today than in past decades.” Depression is described as a low, sad state in which life is a dark, challenging, overwhelming place to be. There will be many people that will go through a depressive stage some point in their life and be able to move past it. However, there are people that are unable to move past this part in their life and will have depression for most of their life and can be diagnosed as having unipolar depression. Others can suffer from mania. Mania is the complete opposite of depression where a person has extreme excitement and euphoria about life. Then there is a small group of people that suffer from mania and depression known as bipolar disorder. Unipolar Disorder Between 5 and 10 percent of adults in the United States will suffer from severe unipolar depression. Women are twice as likely to experience severe depression then men (Comer, 2005). Depression not only affects a person emotionally, but can affect a person behaviorally, cognitively, physically, and motivationally. Many people will...
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...Presented here it is a critical evaluation of biological approach for treatment of depression. Antidepressant are the most common biological treatment for this type of disorder, but treatments such as Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), alteration in sleep patterns following body temperature cycle are also used to relief the symptoms of depression. However antidepressant drugs provide an effective and inexpensive help, studies have found that the behavioural effects of these drugs could take over two weeks before showing any benefit and any perceived effect before this period would be a placebo effect (Kalat, 2001). Some studies proposed the existence of a two models markers for depression: Biological/endogenous & psychological/reactive depression. Based on this assumption an endogenous depression would only respond to a pharmacological treatment while a psychological depression would only respond to psychological treatment (Free & Oei, 1989). Further we will evaluate the effectiveness of a combined (cognitive-behavioural therapy and antidepressant) intervention in order to achieve a better outcome on treatment of depression. Depression is one of the most common illnesses and is characterised by symptoms such as loss of energy, sadness, difficulty in concentration and in the most serious cases the patient can contemplate or commit suicide. Research found that women are more likely to suffer from depression, with depressive episodes more probable to occur between 25 to 44 years...
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