...Depression Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders By Laura 04/24/2011 Unipolar and bipolar are as different as their clinical names, uni, meaning one and bi, meaning two. Unipolar is considered a clinical depression that does not go away after a period of just feeling unhappy, or experiencing a sad event. This type of depression can be life altering if untreated, rendering the person that is suffering from it unable to cope with the activities of daily living. Unipolar differs from bipolar as it does not have any history of mania involved. People with unipolar basically suffer depression from mild to severe in nature. On the other hand, people that have bipolar disorder that ignites the feeling of euphoria, the person may have grandiose ideas, believing that idea will be the next billion dollar deal, and nothing can sway that exaggerated thought. People who suffer from bipolar can spend days at a time without sleeping as their mind races with one exaggerated thought after another. This can last for days, weeks, even months, followed by the crash of depression. This can be just as severe and last as long as the manic. There are several symptoms that can occur in unipolar disorder such as fatigue, feeling hopeless, worthless, and having no desire to do anything. In more severe cases even thoughts of suicide can arise. There are different theories to the underlying causes of unipolar disorder, some say it is biologically, environmentally, or psychologically induced...
Words: 780 - Pages: 4
...Did you know that 300 million people worldwide are affected by depression and depression could lead to suicide? Currently, about 800,000 people die every year to suicide and there is not enough help for all of these people who are suffering from depression and taking their lives. Many people think that depression isn’t as big of a problem compared to some other diseases. However, depression can lead to many other types of problems that can affect your body and your mental health. It also can lead to suicide, the second leading cause of death. This research paper will inform people about the causes of depression, how people are affected by it, and how people can be helped through depression. How is depression genetic? Well it could be because...
Words: 1700 - Pages: 7
...YEAR 2 ESSAY TITLE: DEPRESSION DUE DATE: 13/04/07 DATE SUBMITTED: 13/04/07 Everyone experiences variations in moods. Many people at some point in life feel disappointment, grief that accompanies the loss of a loved one, or just the simple blues. Severe or prolonged depression that interferes with one’s ability to function, feel pleasure or maintain interest is not a mere case of the blues. It is an illness. Researchers have demonstrated that it results from a biochemical imbalance in the brain called depression. Depression is a major unrecognized health problem and is among the most common and destructive of illnesses in the Ireland today Depression, it’s something all of us have experienced in some point and time in our lives, whether it was for a day or for years. Most of the people that it affects aren’t even aware of the serious complications depression creates and if they are they don’t admit to themselves they would be clinically diagnosed with depression. One in fourteen workers, or 300,000 Irish People are currently suffering from Depression. (7.7% of the population) And 10,000 people are hospitalised with Depression each year. One in four men and one in two women will experience depression in their lives. Three out of four people hide their depression from their employers, supervisors and work colleagues. The economic cost for this disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. However, once depression is diagnosed, 80% of these...
Words: 1608 - Pages: 7
...Loss Research says that the untreated hearing loss can have fatal consequences, especially as we age. If you have noticed yourself asking people to repeat things more often, it may be the early signs of a hearing loss condition. A hearing impairment can affect the people of all ages. And the obvious reason to get early assistance is that the hearing problem can get worse if you ignore them. While not everyone will deal with the same level of seriousness, the question is - if getting a hearing loss is so easy and accessible, is taking a chance really worth it? Image Credit 1: [Health line] Ignoring Your Hearing Loss Can be Fatal The quality of life is greatly affected while ignoring the hearing...
Words: 885 - Pages: 4
...Severe Depression Latashia Bennett ABS 200 Audrey Hall November 4, 2013 Severe depression is a mood disorder when you have delusions or hallucinations. Severe depression is a mental disorder usually when people have low mood, loss interest in normally gratifying activities. The depressed person can be diagnosed with psychosis, which makes them paranoid and out of touch with reality. There is no test for diagnosing severe depression. The person’s self-reported experiences, behavior reported, and a mental status examination determine the diagnosis. Severe depression has impacted a lot of the world in today’s society. The general public believe that depression is caused by both nature and nurture factors. A majority of the public believed that nurture has a greater influence on whether the person gets depression or not. Biological psychologists believe that a person usually develop depression because of genetic factors. Family history is very important evidence for doctors to see when trying to diagnosis depression since the family history will show whether depression illness runs through the families that could have been inherited. Children of depressed parents have a twofold- to- threefold greater risk of developing depression than children of nondepressive parents (Ainsworth, 2000). When someone has depression, it can seem like things will never get better. Overall severe depression can cloud a person’s thinking. This thinking can sometimes make it harder to reach out...
Words: 448 - Pages: 2
...world was falling apart, and there was not anything that you could do to fix it? Unfortunately, this is the case for millions of people every day who suffer from major depression. Major depression can present itself in many forms, display various symptoms, and have different treatment options based on the individual’s level of depression. Although some do not consider major depression severe, it is a disease that can cripple and destroy one’s life if they do not receive adequate help. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a mood disorder having a clinical course involving one or more episodes of severe psychological depression lasting two or more weeks each with no intervening episodes of mania (Major Depressive Disorder, n.d.). Major depression makes it almost impossible to sleep, eat, study, and enjoy the everyday joys in life. Major Depression can last for six months and range from mild to severe if not treated. A person suffering from major depression has a much shorter life span compared to people not suffering from depression (Major Depressive Disorder, 2013). This crippling disease often leads to cowardly actions by people suffering and they end up committing suicide due to frustration. Researchers have found that approximately 3.4% of suicidal cases in the United States are a result of depression. This is a major cause of concern in our society. Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the United States for ages 15-44 (National Institute...
Words: 1704 - Pages: 7
...involves a severe distortion of reality; there are five different types and it is difficult to determine the difference between them. Additionally, because symptoms of schizophrenia tends to develop slowly over time and vary from patient to patient, it is often difficult to diagnose the disorder. This being said, it is important that there is an effort put forth to try to discover more beneficial treatments and hopefully a cure. Furthermore, through research, the diagnosing process of the disorder can be sped up and made to be much more accurate. Symptoms that set schizophrenia apart from other disorders include, but are not limited to: a decline in functioning, illogical thinking, delusions, hallucinations, lack of emotion, and withdrawal from social events. From there the disorder is divided into five categories or types: disorganized schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, undifferentiated schizophrenia, and residual schizophrenia. Disorganized schizophrenia often consists of inappropriate laughter, incoherent speech, infantile and sometimes obscene behavior. Paranoid schizophrenia symptoms include: delusions, hallucinations, lack of judgement, and unpredictable behavior. Disturbances in movement, which can include the loss of all movement or wild, violent movements, occurs in catatonic schizophrenia. Those labeled under undifferentiated schizophrenia have a mix of symptoms from other types and those with residual have minor signs after a severe episode...
Words: 1236 - Pages: 5
...happiness to extreme sadness. Humans by nature have a wide emotional range. One moment a person can be “up” and then “down” the next depending on circumstances. For those with a mood disorder, this range of emotion is significantly constrained. Both Biological and Psychological Factors play a role in the development of mood disorders. There is evidence that exist that proves that this disorder can be passed down through genetics and are caused by certain chemical imbalances in the brain (Morris and Maisto, 2005). The most common mood disorders are depression, and bipolar disorder. When a person is persistently dealing with feelings of sadness beyond a time span of a few weeks, he or she may have depression. The mechanisms that trigger depression are still unknown to researchers. However, two natural substances that allow brain cells to communicate with one another-are also known as neurotransmitters are implicated in depression: serotonin and norepinephrine. Mood disorders are thought to be caused by nature and nurture. Biological factors that may lead to a bipolar episode are chemical imbalances in the brain, hormonal imbalances, and inherited traits. Physiological factors that may lead to a bipolar episode include maladaptive cognitive distortions. The text defines this as “an illogical and maladaptive response to early negative life events that leads to feelings of incompetence and worthlessness that are reactivated whenever a new situation arises that resembles...
Words: 794 - Pages: 4
...RUNNING HEAD: CASE STUDY #1 SEVERE DEPRESSION 1 Severe Depression July 20, 2014 SEVERE DEPRESSION 2 What causes severe depression? It's not known exactly what causes depression. As with many mental disorders, a variety of factors may be involved. Depression is a serious disorder that can take a terrible toll on individuals and families. Untreated depression can result in emotional, behavioral and health problems that affect every area of your life. Neurotransmitters are naturally occurring brain chemicals that likely play a role in depression. When these chemicals are out of balance, it may be associated with depressive symptoms. Because traumatic events such as the death or loss of a loved one, financial problems, high stress, or childhood trauma can trigger depression in some people, depression is more common in people whose biological (blood) relatives also have this condition. Researchers are trying to find genes that may be involved in causing depression, and changes in the body's balance of hormones may be involved in causing or triggering depression. Hormone changes can result from thyroid problems, menopause or a number of other conditions. Numerous depression treatments are available. Medications and psychological counseling (psychotherapy) is very effective for most people. Psychotherapy...
Words: 828 - Pages: 4
...What is the economic impact of depression in adults in the United Kingdom and how should medicines be used to reduce that economic impact? According to World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the second most common cause of disability in the world and it will be the biggest health burden out of all wellbeing issues on society both economically and sociologically within 20 years [1]. This statement is indeed disheartening but what actually is depression that it will have such a great impact? Depression refers to a state of low mood and presence of negative affect which is usually associated with a range of emotional, cognitive, physical and behavioral symptoms [2] . These include two core symptoms as in persistent depressed mood plus loss of interest in most activities and several other symptoms such as significant weight change due to increased or reduced appetite, sleeping disorder, psychomotor agitation, fatigue, reduced ability to think or concentrate, feelings of worthlessness, guilt or inappropriate grief as well as recurrent thought of death or suicide. There is no definite cause of depression but some risk factors which can trigger depression have been identified. First, one’s family history of mental disorder. American Psychiatric Association expresses that if one identical twin is diagnosed with depression, the other twin has a 70% chance of getting the same problem [3] . Next, females are more susceptible to get depression compared to males. In the UK...
Words: 2964 - Pages: 12
...One contributor is the early age of onset that accompanies several mental illnesses (Bauer, Baggett, Stern, O'Connell, & Shtasel, 2013). This early onset interrupts education and vocational achievement in many individuals, thus limiting job skills, leading to unemployment and poverty (Bauer, Baggett, Stern, O'Connell, & Shtasel, 2013). Severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia all are common mental illnesses that, when left untreated, can also contribute to homelessness (Maness & Khan, 2014). These disorders, along with other SMI’s, tend to have disruptive effects on one’s life. Simple daily tasks such as personal hygiene and self-care frequently go undone by those who suffer from SMI. Due to the inability or lack of control...
Words: 294 - Pages: 2
...Mental Illness Mental illness is a behavior or condition that influence the way a person thinks, the way a person feels and the way a person relates to others. Mental illness can range from being mild to severe. The cause of mental disorders remains unclear. Mental disorder is a leading cause of disability. Complications can also occur, and untreated mental illness can be dangerous, sometimes can even end on fatalities. Other complications with mental health condition include; major depression, conflicts with family members and friends, financial and legal problems, poor self-steam, social isolation, self-harm and harm others this includes homicide or suicide. Mental illness can affect anybody no matter the age, gender, religion or...
Words: 260 - Pages: 2
...Depression is not an inclination, nor is it a feeling. It is an emotional instability that influences numerous individuals. It has been around for a huge number of years. Depression comes in numerous structures. It influences all races, ethnicities, and religions. Depression is defined as “a condition of mental disturbance characterized by such feelings to a greater degree than seems warranted by external conditions, typically with lack of energy and difficulty maintaining concentration or interest in life”. (New Oxford American Dictionary). Major depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression or recurrent depressive disorder is the most severe depressive disorder out of all of the depressive in my estimation. Major depressive disorder is a condition in which affects a person’s family, work or school life, sleeping, eating and general health. It is important to emphasize that we can understand the mechanics of this disorder and how it affects people with major depressive disorder. Etiology By understanding who gets a particular illness it is possible to better develop methods to control, treat, and prevent a particular condition. However, depression is so widely experienced by so many people it is important to establish the patterns that might further help manage this disorder. It is clear that depression impacts many people personality and professionally, it dramatically reduces the quality and quantity if creative and productive work and often ruining people’s careers...
Words: 1907 - Pages: 8
...Depression is a serious mental health condition that often goes undiagnosed. It is common to occasionally feel sad or down and out, but those with depression feel this way a majority of the time. People with severe depression can feel so hopeless that they often become suicidal. Depression interferes with daily life and causes pain for both the person and their family. Most people do not seek treatment, but for those who do, they can get better with medications and psychotherapy. Depressive illnesses are disorders of the brain. It is caused by genetics, medications, biological, and cognitive factors. According to the World Health Organization, 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression. It is the leading cause of disability...
Words: 758 - Pages: 4
...Depression, according to Encyclopedia Britannica is a mood or emotion shown by a reduced ability to enjoy life. This paper is an informative writing about depression. Depression is definitely a bad thing, because it is a problem that affects millions of people, it creates a lot of issues, but there are solutions. Depression is a problem that affects millions of people. Depression is odious, and often people affected by it languish for happiness. According to the National Institute of Health, 6.7% of the adult population in the US, or 15 million people have major depressive disorder. Depression is caused by unfavorable life events, negative thoughts about oneself, and low levels of norepinephrine and serotonin. Dysthymia is the presence of...
Words: 341 - Pages: 2
