Worthlessness or Depression

Head | Psychiatry | Worthlessness or Depression (Symptom)


Description

Depression, known among specialists as the major depressive disorder (or unipolar disorder) is one of mood disorders and is characterized by the appearance of one or more severe depressive episodes. According to epidemiological studies, high prevalence of major depression in women ranges from 5-9% and 2-3% in men, with higher values between 25 and 44years old and a small peak in adolescence. The risk of major depressive episode in lifetime reaches up to 25% for women and 12% for men.

Causes

The general accepted opinion on major depressive disorder is that this disease has a multifactor determinism; they are involved in the genesis of many causes. Incriminated etiologic factors can be grouped into three broad categories: biological, psychological and social.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode are: Five (or more) of the following symptoms present during the same period of two weeks and represent a change from the previous level of functioning, at least one of the symptoms is either depressed mood or loss interest or pleasure: depressed mood (equivalent sharp sense of sadness, emptiness inside) in most of the day, nearly every day in children and adolescents, mood can be irritable; anhedonia (marked reduction of interest or pleasure for all or for almost all activities), most of the day, nearly every day, even performing activities or hobbies happy not give pleasure to the person affected.

Significant weight loss or weight gain not related to a particular diet (e. g. a change of more than 5% of body weight in one month) or decrease / increase in appetite nearly each day (appreciating that many individuals forces is to eat); insomnia or hypersomnia (prolonged episodes of sleep, waking-up difficulty ) almost every day; psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day; fatigue (fatigue, exhaustion) or lack of energy nearly every day; feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day ; reduction in the ability to think or to concentrate or indecisiveness nearly every day; recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

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