DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS
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Everyone experiences feelings of
unhappiness and sadness occasionally. But when these depressed
feelings start to dominate everyday life and cause physical and
mental deterioration, they become what are known as depressive
disorders. Each year in the United States, depressive disorders
affect an estimated 17 million people at an approximate annual
direct and indirect cost of $53 billion. One in four women is likely
to experience an episode of severe depression in her lifetime, with
a 10–20% lifetime prevalence, compared to 5–10% for men. The average
age a first depressive episode occurs is in the mid-20s, although
the disorder strikes all age groups indiscriminately, from children
to the elderly.
There are two main categories of depressive disorders: major
depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder. Major depressive
disorder is a moderate to severe episode of depression lasting two
or more weeks. Individuals experiencing this major depressive
episode may have trouble sleeping, lose interest in activities they
once took pleasure in, experience a change in weight, have
difficulty concentrating, feel worthless and hopeless, or have a
preoccupation with death or suicide. In children, the major
depression may appear as irritability.
While major depressive episodes may be acute (intense but
short-lived), dysthymic disorder is an ongoing, chronic depression
that lasts two or more years (one or more years in children) and has
an average duration of 16 years. The mild to moderate depression of
dysthymic disorder may rise and fall in intensity, and those
afflicted with the disorder may experience some periods of normal,
non-depressed mood of up to two months in length. Its onset is
gradual, and dysthymic patients may not be able to pinpoint exactly
when they started feeling depressed. Individuals with dysthymic
disorder may experience a change in sleeping and eating patterns,
low self-esteem, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and feelings of
hopelessness.
Depression can also occur in bipolar disorder, an affective mental
illness that causes radical emotional changes and mood swings, from
manic highs to depressive lows. The majority of bipolar individuals
experience alternating episodes of mania and depression. |
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| DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS RELATED ITEMS |
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