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Depression

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Shamodi De Silva
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12 views

Depression

Uploaded by

Shamodi De Silva
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Depression is a mental state of low mood and aversion to activity.[3] It affects about 3.

5%
of the global population, or about 280 million people of all ages (as of 2020).[4] Depression
affects a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings, and sense of well-being.[5] Experiences that
would normally bring a person pleasure or joy gives reduced pleasure or joy, and the
afflicted person often experiences a loss of motivation or interest in those activities.[6]

Depressed mood is a symptom of some mood disorders, also categorized and


called depression, such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and dysthymia.[7] It
is a normal temporary reaction to life events, such as the loss of a loved one; and it is also a
symptom of some physical diseases and a side effect of some drugs and medical
treatments. It may feature sadness, difficulty in thinking and concentration, or a significant
increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping. People experiencing depression
may have feelings of dejection or hopelessness and may experience suicidal thoughts.
Depression can either be short term or long term.

Contributing factors

Allegory on melancholy, from c. 1729–1740, etching and


engraving, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)

Life events

Adversity in childhood, such as bereavement, neglect, mental abuse, physical abuse,


sexual abuse, or unequal parental treatment of siblings, can contribute to depression in
adulthood.[8][9] Childhood physical or sexual abuse in particular significantly correlates with
the likelihood of experiencing depression over the survivor's lifetime.[10] People who have
experienced four or more adverse childhood experiences are 3.2 to 4.0 times more likely to
suffer from depression.[11] Poor housing quality, non-functionality, lack of green spaces,
and exposure to noise and air pollution are linked to depressive moods, emphasizing the
need for consideration in planning to prevent such outcomes.[12] Locality has also been
linked to depression and other negative moods. The rate of depression among those who
reside in large urban areas is shown to be lower than those who do not.[13] Likewise, those
from smaller towns and rural areas tend to have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and
psychological unwellness.[14]

Studies have consistently shown that physicians have had the highest depression and
suicide rates compared to people in many other lines of work—for suicide, 40% higher for
male physicians and 130% higher for female physicians.[15][16][17]

Life events and changes that may cause depressed mood includes, but are not limited to,
childbirth, menopause, financial difficulties, unemployment, stress (such as from work,
education, military service, family, living conditions, marriage, etc.), a medical diagnosis
(cancer, HIV, diabetes, etc.), bullying, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, social isolation,
rape, relationship troubles, jealousy, separation, or catastrophic injury.[18][19][20][21][22] Similar
depressive symptoms are associated with survivor's guilt.[23] Adolescents may be
especially prone to experiencing a depressed mood following social rejection, peer
pressure, or bullying.[24]

Childhood and adolescence

Main article: Depression in childhood and adolescence

Depression in childhood and adolescence is similar to adult major depressive disorder,


although young sufferers may exhibit increased irritability or behavioral dyscontrol instead
of the more common sad, empty, or hopeless feelings seen with adults.[25] Children who are
under stress, experiencing loss, or have other underlying disorders are at a higher risk for
depression. Childhood depression is often comorbid with mental disorders outside of
other mood disorders; most commonly anxiety disorder and conduct disorder. Depression
also tends to run in families.[26]

Personality

Depression is associated with low extraversion,[27] and people who have high levels
of neuroticism are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and are more likely to
receive a diagnosis of a depressive disorder.[28] Additionally, depression is associated with
low conscientiousness. Some factors that may arise from low conscientiousness include
disorganization and dissatisfaction with life. Individuals may be more exposed to stress and
depression as a result of these factors.[29]

Side effect of medical treatment

It is possible that some early generation beta-blockers induce depression in some patients,
though the evidence for this is weak and conflicting. There is strong evidence for a link
between alpha interferon therapy and depression. One study found that a third of alpha
interferon-treated patients had developed depression after three months of treatment.
(Beta interferon therapy appears to have no effect on rates of depression.) There is
moderately strong evidence that finasteride when used in the treatment of alopecia
increases depressive symptoms in some patients. Evidence linking isotretinoin, an acne
treatment, to depression is strong.[30] Other medicines that seem to increase the risk of
depression include anticonvulsants, antimigraine drugs, antipsychotics and hormonal
agents such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist.[31]

Substance-induced

Several drugs of abuse can cause or exacerbate depression, whether in intoxication,


withdrawal, and from chronic use. These include alcohol, sedatives (including
prescription benzodiazepines), opioids (including prescription pain killers and illicit drugs
such as heroin), stimulants (such as cocaine and amphetamines), hallucinogens,
and inhalants.[32]

Non-psychiatric illnesses

Main article: Depression (differential diagnoses)

Depressed mood can be the result of a number of infectious diseases, nutritional


deficiencies, neurological conditions, and physiological problems,
including hypoandrogenism (in men), Addison's disease, Cushing's syndrome, pernicious
anemia, hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, Lyme disease, multiple
sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, celiac disease,[33] chronic pain, stroke, diabetes, cancer,
and HIV.[34][35][36]

Studies have found that anywhere from 30 to 85 percent of patients suffering from chronic
pain are also clinically depressed.[37][38][39] A 2014 study by Hooley et al. concluded that
chronic pain increased the chance of death by suicide by two to three times.[40] In 2017, the
British Medical Association found that 49% of UK chronic pain patients also had
depression.[41]
As many as 1/3 of stroke survivors will later develop post-stroke depression. Because
strokes may cause damage to the parts of the brain involved in processing emotions,
reward, and cognition, stroke may be considered a direct cause of depression.[42]

Psychiatric syndromes

Main article: Depressive mood disorders

A number of psychiatric syndromes feature depressed mood as a main symptom.


The mood disorders are a group of disorders considered to be primary disturbances of
mood. These include major depressive disorder (commonly called major depression or
clinical depression) where a person has at least two weeks of depressed mood or a loss of
interest or pleasure in nearly all activities; and dysthymia, a state of chronic depressed
mood, the symptoms of which do not meet the severity of a major depressive episode.
Another mood disorder, bipolar disorder, features one or more episodes of abnormally
elevated mood, cognition, and energy levels, but may also involve one or more episodes of
depression.[43] Individuals with bipolar depression are often misdiagnosed with unipolar
depression.[44] When the course of depressive episodes follows a seasonal pattern, the
disorder (major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, etc.) may be described as a seasonal
affective disorder.

Outside the mood disorders: borderline personality disorder often features an extremely
intense depressive mood; adjustment disorder with depressed mood is a psychological
response to an identifiable event or stressor, in which the resulting emotional or behavioral
symptoms are significant but do not meet the criteria for a major depressive
episode;[45] and posttraumatic stress disorder, a mental disorder that sometimes
follows trauma, is commonly accompanied by depressed mood.[46]

Inflammation

This section is an excerpt from Inflammation § Connection to depression.[edit]

Inflammatory processes can be triggered by negative cognition or their consequences,


such as stress, violence, or deprivation. Negative cognition may therefore contribute to
inflammation, which in turn can lead to depression. A 2019 meta-analysis found that
chronic inflammation is associated with a 30% increased risk of developing major
depressive disorder, supporting the link between inflammation and mental health.[47]

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