What is Clinical Depression?

Clinical depression is a state of severe sadness or despair that has progressed to the point of interrupting a person's daily life for an extended period of time. This disorder, also known as major depressive disorder, affects approximately seven to eighteen percent of the population at least once in life. To be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, an individual must present with symptoms for a period of at least two weeks.

Symptoms include: depressed mood (an intense state of melancholy or sadness), lack of concentration, recurring thoughts of death, recurring thoughts of suicide, insomnia, hypersomnia, feelings of anxiety, worthlessness, hopelessness, or helplessness, change in weight and/or eating patterns, feelings of emptiness, fatigue, extreme apathy, and a loss of the ability to experience pleasure from normally pleasurable life events (social/sexual interactions, exercise, eating, etc.). Other symptoms that may be present include low self-esteem, excessive crying, behavioral changes (aggression and irritability), and alcohol or substance abuse. If symptoms are left out of control, self-harm and mutilation can become an issue as well.

There are numerous proposed causes of depression. A predisposition to developing the disorder may be hereditary, although environmental factors can also play a role. "Major depression is thought to be 40-70 percent inheritable, but likely involves an interaction of several genes with environmental events." (National Institute of Mental Health, 2004). Other research has shown that there may be a connection between depression and neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly seratonin. Low levels of seratonin production may be linked to the development of depression, as seratonin plays a role in moods and emotions. Various medical conditions (lifelong illnesses such as HIV, or terminal conditions such as cancer, for example) and other stressors and anxiety-causing factors can also lead to depression. Some medications can lead to depression as a side-effect (some steroids or contraceptive methods that alter hormone levels, for example). Other causes include psychological factors, such as early traumatic experiences and constant negative thoughts (especially about oneself), long-term stress, and major negative life events such as job loss, divorce, rape, and death of a loved one.

Treatment of major depressive disorder varies as widely as the symptoms. Medication can be used to treat chemical imbalances in the brain and relive symptoms. Typical medications are of the "selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor" type, such as Celexa, Prozac, and Zoloft. These drugs work by preventing the brain from reabsorbing seratonin and not taking it where it needs to go. Other drugs known as anti-depressants can be prescribed, and they supplement the production of neurotransmitters that the brain may not be making enough of, such as norepinephrine (another chemical involved with emotions and mood). Psychotherapy can be used to reverse psychological factors of depression and end negative thinking patterns, raising mood level. In less severe cases, a patient may only require light therapy or a natural boost in endorphins for mood that can come from exercise. When a suicidal case is presented, it may sometimes be necessary to hospitalize the individual until he or she is no longer a danger to him or herself or the people around him or her.