Major depressive disorder is a disease, usually characterized by permanent negative emotional state and pessimistic thoughts. Unlike regular depression, major depressive disorder may include a complex of symptoms that have no connection with oppression or bad mood.
According to stats, over 15% of people in the world have had a state similar to major depressive disorder at least once in their life. Most of them have never sought a psychological or medical help. This is the reason that major depressive disorder is progressing, causing severe consequences.
During medical examination, many people suspect, yet do not talk about depression, which does not let doctors make a proper diagnosis. People are worried that if major depressive disorder word gets into their medical card, their employer will find out about this, and it will damage their careers. Some people think that control over emotions is their own business but not doctor’s concern. Others just afraid they will be sent to psychiatrist.
Major depressive disorder causes
Major depressive disorder is one of the common causes of temporary disability in developed countries today. Depressive episodes more often occur in inhabitants of megalopolises and less often in people from villages and small towns.
Low level of major depressive disorder in people from small towns and in developing countries can be partially explained by a lower healthcare level and infrequent seeking for medical help. However, it has been proven that overcrowding of large cities and modern pace of life have a significant impact on psychoemotional state of people.
One of the main causes of major depressive disorder is social and economic status of every person. Unemployment, lack of own place to live and low wages all that increases the number of stressful situations. High incomes of a monotonous, boring, hard and not interesting work also increase the risk of major depressive disorder.
It often happens that major depressive disorder develops after a sudden change of lifestyle, which caused a psychological trauma. These causes are for instance: moving to a new place, loss of old social connections, severe illness of someone you love, bankruptcy, loss of job and divorce.
Increased frequency of major depressive disorder episodes is observed in patients, who suffered or still suffer from migraines. Typically, the disease develops due to mild stress or for no obvious reasons.
Symptoms and diagnosis of major depressive disorder
Major depressive disorder may have various symptoms and occur with varying degrees of severity. Clinical depression leads to psychomotor, cognitive and other violations. The most common symptoms of major depressive disorder are:
- Dismal mood during the most of the day, or daylong.
- Lack of interests, satisfaction and feeling of guilt.
- Reduced vigor and fatigue.
- Reduced sexual drive and loss of interest to one’s appearance.
- Sleep disorder, change of appetite, overweight or underweight.
- Gloomy and pessimistic thoughts about future and low self-esteem.
- Hesitancy, loss of concentration and working capacity.
Patients with different types of major depressive disorder are prone to use psychotropic substances to improve their sleep and remove other symptoms. Many of them drink a lot of alcoholic beverages. However, major depressive disorder rarely causes alcohol or any other kind of dependence, rather than it is commonly believed.
Diagnosis of major depressive disorder is based on revealing of symptoms and signs, described above. There are some tests helping to reveal some symptoms. Tests (including online tests) allow determining the danger of major depressive disorder.
Major depressive disorder severity is determined by the duration of symptoms, degree of suffering and dysfunctions (social, physical and professional). Thoughts of harming yourself also indicate the severity of the disease. To prevent major depressive disorder, doctors recommend some prophylaxis measures.
Treatment of major depressive disorder
Major depressive disorder may cause very severe consequences. Therefore, this disease requires a safe treatment. Often people are not aware of depression seriousness, thinking that they just have a bad mood. Major depressive disorder is a syndrome, combining a complex of symptoms that are more dangerous than just usual mood swings.
Prolonged major depressive disorder can change the level of neurotransmitters in the brain, negatively affecting the brain biochemistry and reducing total brain activity levels. It should be emphasized that having some signs of major depressive disorder, a patient should seek medical help immediately.
Non-drug treatment of major depressive disorder involves most measures and recommendations used to treat ordinary depression. The difficulty of the treatment is that patients have not enough willpower and desire to help themselves.
If not to cure the major depressive disorder, it may cause a temporary stabilization, but eventually, it is getting only worse. The disease may become chronic, lasting for many years or until the end of a patient’s life. Chronic forms of the major depressive disorder are very hard to treat.
The combination of psychotherapy and drug therapy is an important component in clinical depression treatment. Major depressive disorder can be cured quickly by means of up-to-date drugs. During the treatment of severe major depressive episodes, patients should take some extra course of antidepressants.
The effect of many drugs for effective treatment of major depressive disorder symptoms is based on the maintenance of neurotransmitters (serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine). Effective drugs normalize the activity of stress hormones, without changing the personality of an individual. These drugs do not cause a drug dependence if used properly.
Paroxetine and Fluvoxamine are two antidepressants that help to treat the major depressive disorder. These antidepressants are sold under such trade names as: Brisdelle, Paxil, Pexeva and Luvox. Before you buy and begin using them, you should consult a doctor.