Major Depressive Disorder
I'm sure everyone at one point in their life will feel discouraged or a bit down, but usually will always be able to rise above it. However, there are some people who are not able to rise above and fall into a more intense depression. This can cause a person to feel major depression everyday for weeks at a time. In the book it mentions that, people with depression have thoughts of suicide, trouble sleeping and concentrating, find little pleasure in things that they normally enjoy, and have a hard time thinking they can be happy again.Major depression is diagnosed twice as often in women as it is in men. I wonder why that may be? I do kind of know more women who have said that they feel "depressed" for any little reason. There are many circumstances that can lead to someone feeling depressed such as: Alcohol or drug abuse, sleeping problems, stressful life events, such as breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, failing a class,death or illness of someone close to you, divorce, childhood abuse or neglect, job loss,social isolation ( mostly common in the elderly).
Do anti-depressants really work or do they just increase the problem? The exact cause of depression is not known...but I do know that there are different types of medication to help cure people who have depression. Prozac and Zoloft are the most common forms of medication, but I do not think this is the right way of handling the situation because pretty soon that person is going to have to depend on the drug to help them feel better with whatever it is their experiencing. Why be dependent on a drug? I personally think that psychotherapy would be the best form of mediation. This is also referred to as talk therapy, types of talk therapy include: Cognitive behavioral therapy which teaches you how to fight off negative thoughts. As well as being taught problem solving skills. Psychotherapy can eventually help you understand the issues that may be behind your thoughts and feelings.
Here is a video where a psychiatrist better explains Major Depressive Disorder
Here is another detailed video about non-medicated ways to deal with major depression
I found your blog post on Major Depressive Disorder very interesting and insightful. I especially liked that you questioned whether medication was truly effective or whether it just made matters worse? Medication use is not as effective as the public commonly believes, and I believe that most of the "antidepressant effect" is actually due to the placebo effect. I agree with how you say that psychotherapy is the best form of treatment; it certainly is. Doing nothing does not help at all. I also found your videos on Major Depressive Disorder and especially the video on non-medication alternatives very informative.
ReplyDeleteYes we all have been "depressed" at some point in our lives, but to have to with intense depression and not be able to be okay is terrifying in my opinion. Depression is not something we want to live with especially if we than have to depend on a drug to make us feel a little better. Taking medications such as Prozac has not always been, in my opinion, the way to treat depression; and I'll have to agree that psychotherapy is a better option of treatment. Great blog!
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