Major Depressive Disorders: A Case Study

factors play a big role in making an individual susceptible to major depressive disorder. However, the DSM-V notes that stressful events occurring close to the onset of MDD does not entirely guarantee a correlation. (APA et al., 2013).

Neural structures/ neurotransmitters implicated Several neural structures are implicated in MDD, particularly the medial orbital pre-frontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, ventromedial parts of basal ganglia, and changes in the gray matter volume. Other neural structures include the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, supragenual anterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, ventral striatum, and the dorsomedial thalamus(Grimm, Ernst, Boesiger, Schuepback, Hell, Boeker, & Northoff, 2009). The dorsal medial prefrontal

The receptors involved in serotonin are 5-HT pre and postsynaptic receptors. Understanding the mechanism of serotonin aids in various treatments for depression. For example, understanding the levels of cerebrospinal fluid regarding serotonin has significantly aided scientists in understanding the root cause for depression. These levels are much lower in depressed individuals, as well as depressed individuals who attempted suicide (Holtzeimer et al., 2006). In addition to lower cerebrospinal fluid metabolites of serotonin, abnormalities with serotonin binding and reduced amounts of tryptophan have also lead to an understanding of the causes of depression. Norepinephrine Norepinephrine is produced in the pontine locus ceruleus( Holtzeimer et al., 2006). This neurotransmitter is particularly important in mediating stress response in individuals, and is thought that norepinephrine perform crucial interactions with pre and post synaptic alpha and beta adrenergic receptors. Although it is known that norepinephrine plays an important role in depressive symptoms, further research is needed to understand the role norepinephrine plays on the body, and the mechanisms in which it elicits depressive symptoms.

This involves the patient talking to a clinician about various stressors in their lives, such as environmental, work, or family related stressors. Other names for this therapy include talk therapy, or counseling. Various subtypes of psychotherapy are used, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness techniques(in which an individual becomes aware of current behaviors, and mindfully changes them on a daily basis), and dialectic behavior therapy(where individuals write down thoughts or feelings in a journal). (Mayo Clinic et al.,