Mental Disorders: The Cause Of Major Depression

In today 's day and age there are quite a bit of things that can prevent someone from being able to work, or work efficiently. There are even legalities in situ both deter and reward people for straying from the work force. From gender roles to physical or mental-illness the list of barriers blocking people from reaching corporate America is a long and tedious one. The latter, being mental-illnesses or disorders, may be the most conspicuous and common disabling obstacle that – in the same light – remains the most unheeded. The term, mental-illness, is defined as “a medical condition that disrupts a person 's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning (nami.org),” And although most, if not all, mental-illnesses …show more content…
While depression does not usually have one overall cause there are a few causes that psychologist and psychiatrists. According to the American Psychological Association, these causes are biochemistry or the chemical make up of your brain, genetics, low self esteem, and your environment. Any one of those factors could trigger a depressive episode. The most common from of depression is Major Depression, a form in which feelings of sadness last for two weeks or longer and interferes with daily life (psychiatry.org).” With this form of a depression the depressive period can be a one time event, such as when a relative dies, or reoccur over time (nimh.nih.gov). Persistent depressive disorder is defined as when a person experiences “episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, [where] symptoms last for 2 years (nimh.nih.gov).” This particular form of depression can actually be broken down into various illnesses, such as psychotic depression, postpartum depression, and seasonal affective disorder. Manic-depressive illness or bipolar disorder, the most uncommon form of depression, is diagnosed when someone goes from a extreme high or manic state to a low depressed state interchangeably …show more content…
Medication in the form of anti-depressants may be prescribed to help stabilize the patients mood and decrease changes of future depressive episodes. Psychotherapy or counseling is also and option and “is sometimes used alone for treatment of mild depression; for moderate to severe depression, it is often used in combination with antidepressant medications (psychiatry.org).” My least favorite treatment, and I say that because it sounds the least pleasant is electroconvulsive therapy. “Electroconvulsive therapy is a medical treatment most commonly used in patients with severe major depression or bipolar disorder that has not responded to other treatments