Research Paper on Major Depressive Disorder

Have you ever felt as though you have lost hope, or that you lost all interest for something you loved? Maybe you have stopped eating and sleeping, and it has become a problem. Those were just a few of the more broad signs and symptoms of Major Depressive disorder, more commonly known as depression. Out of all health issues ranging from diseases to politics. I felt today all around the world mental health is the biggest problem we face, and diving into mental health a further explanation would be that MDD or major depressive disorder, as it is most important. In this essay I will go over major depressive disorder symptoms, statistics/causes, and treatment options.

Something that will normally come with disorders and illness are symptoms. One symptom of MDD is the “Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness” as stated on MayoClinic Website. Having the feeling of hopelessness, emptiness and sadness are some deep and hard feelings to deal with and live with day after day, and can be life changing.  The Mayo Clinic also stated “Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much” “Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort” Living without being able to get good sleep or have enough energy will not only let alone be pestering but also a burden, to never feel as though you were fully rested. Other symptoms posted by the Mayo Clinic include “Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things.” In my opinion I would say that not having the best cognitive skills or in other terms not being able to think or concentrate and comprehend things, adding on also being very forgetful these are things that would negatively affect your life when working in school and life in general. Lastly the point that the Mayo Clinic gave was that you are frequently may have “Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide.” “Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches.” First off having thoughts of death and also suicide is a serious issue that you should talk to someone over and also having unexplained physical pain such as back pain or headaches will make life miserable. When You can't do simple things like sleeping and eating and you also have thoughts of death it shows how much of a burden and how bad MDD is.

Today Depression (MDD) is a leading cause in suicide. Depression is a huge thing around the world and in the United States and can be debilitating . Depression is a common disease around “264 million people in the world.'' Have depression as found in an article from the American anxiety and depression association or the AADA. Back in 2017 they did research on how many Americans over 18 had major depressive disorder their facts stated “17.3 million people over 18 in the United States have major depressive disorder.” All together at that time that was 6.7 percent of Americans over 18 that had major depressive disorder. These statistics bring to mind how many people suffer from MDD. 

Some leading causes of MDD are abuse, conflict, death or loss, and major events. These are some of the larger leading causes of getting MDD. “Abuse: Physical, sexual, and or emotional abuse can make you more vulnerable to depression later in life.” WebMD states. Abuse is a hard thing to go through whether it be mental, emotional, sexual, or physical. “Conflict: Depression in someone who has the biological vulnerability to it may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.”-WebMD. Conflict can also be a huge aspect as it creates problems that can lead up to major events and trauma. On WebMD, it tells us that “Death or a loss: Sadness or grief after the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can increase the risk of depression.” Again loss of a loved one is a Major event and may lead to trauma. WebMD explains that “Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring. However, the syndrome of clinical depression is never just a "normal" response to stressful life events.” Throughout all of the Main causes of MDD, we can see that the main idea across them is that they are traumatic experiences/major events which have been proven to bring out MDD.

The main treatments for MDD could include pharmaceutical medication treatment. “Antidepressant medications work well to treat depression,” says ADAA in an online article that they published over the fact. Normally antidepressants will be taken to help with depression (MDD) and help your eating and sleeping habits before helping with your mood. Another option that the ADDA recommends is physiotherapy “Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy are evidence-based psychotherapies that are effective in the treatment of depression.” In other words, they feel as though physiotherapy will help by going into your memory and trying to mentally help the disorder. The ADAA states as a last resort to help treat MDD they would use Electroconvulsive therapy, “(ECT) is useful for patients who are not responding well to medications or are suicidal.” This again is the last resort if the person suffering from MDD has been on prescription drugs and other therapy methods and they don't work and are a harm to themselves they will be put through ECT. In better words, electroconvulsive Therapy is exactly as it states Electro-ConVulsive Therapy puts their patient under anesthesia and sends small electric currents through the person to help flip and quickly reverse the symptoms of certain mental health issues.

All together MDD has a huge impact on the world not only by the number of people that have it or by how easy it could be to get this mental disorder, as people can get it just from major events in one’s life and also by implied family genes. But also by how much it affects your life with the tedious symptoms that you get. Through all MDD, is a powerful disorder and a huge issue in mental health and health overall especially today because of how broad of an aspect it is with symptoms, the causes, and statistics of how many people suffer from it daily, and all the different treatments. MDD is a huge issue and one we are slowly learning how to solve and improve on. In my opinion, Major depressive disorder is the most important health issue.