The blues, blahs, and a general malaise commonly refer to the feelings some people exhibit during certain portions of the year, particularly in the winter months. General complaints include: The weather gets to me, I always get this way this time of year, or I just do not like this time of year. The condition, once deemed the winter blues, now identifies as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD sufferers experience depressive episodes during certain portions of the year. Once considered a winter condition, SAD now appears to occur in both the winter and the summer with the symptomology varying from season to season. Sakamoto et al. (1995) conducted a longitudinal follow-up study of 41 individuals affected by SAD, with the mean follow-up period being 10.4 years. Sakamoto et al. hoped to determine if the study participants exhibited “patterns of recurrent depression” (p. 862) and if “atypical vegetative symptoms could predict future seasonal relapses” (p. 862); the researchers believed that such symptoms indicated future relapses. Sakamoto et al. also hoped to identify factors as to why study participants experienced alterations in the seasonal pattern of their depressive episodes. The research conducted by Sakamoto and her partners falls into the core area of abnormal behavior, more specifically, the areas of individual differences and mood disorders. Sakamoto et al.’s findings appear consistent with their stated objectives. A review of Sakamoto et al.’s study, “A Longitudinal Follow-up Study of Seasonal Affective Disorder,” shows that the researchers identified three reasons for the study. Sakamoto et al. (1995) hoped to “evaluate the long-term stability of a seasonal pattern of recurrent depression, identify possible factors a... ... middle of paper ... ...ww.aafp.org/afp/1998/0315/p1340.html. Sakamoto, K., Nakadaira, S., Kamo, K., Kamo, T., & Takahashi, K. (1995). A longitudinal follow-up study of seasonal affective disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 152(6), 862-868. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220449064?accountid=458. Takahashi, K., Asano, Y., Kohsaka, M., Okawa, M., Sasaki, M., Honda, Y., Higuchi, T., Yamazaki, J., Ishikuza, Y., Kawaguchi, K., Ohta, T., Hanada, K., Sugita, Y., Maeda, K., Nagayama, H., Kotorii, T., Egashira, K., & Takahashi, S. (1991). Multi-center study of seasonal affective disorders in Japan: a preliminary report. Journal of Affective Disorders, 21(1), 57-65. Targum, S.D., & Rosenthal, N. (2008). Seasonal affective disorder. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 5(5), 31-33. Retrieved February 15, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686645/.
“Typus melancholicus mirrored a particularly respected personality style in Japan: those who were serious, diligent, and thoughtful and expressed great concern for the welfare of other individuals and the society as a whole” (Watters 520). It’s reasonable to believe that this personality type is one of the reasons for depression in Japan. Sadness or depression is viewed as a way of creating stronger connections with family and their community. Kirmayer noted that personal hardships build character and connected it to the “Buddhist belief that suffering is more enduring and more definitive of the human experience than transient happiness.” (Watters 522).
Measuring depression in different culture is a complicated task, “there is a need for tools for multicultural mental health primary in order to promote communication and improve clinical diagnosis” (Lehti et al, 2009). This results indicated that there is still a need for a tool to accurately measure depression in patients from different countries/cultures. Each culture is unique in its very own, and certain abnormal behavior can only be found in certain culture. For instance, in western society we have the histrionic personality disorder, in which an individual desperately seek out attention, while in Japan, there is a phenomenon called “hikikomori” is an abnormal behavior where a person would go great length to avoid any social contract at any means. This abnormal behavior is similar to the avoidant personality disorder, however hikikomori is more severe. “Hikikomori is used to refer to group of young people who have withdrawn from social life and have had no relationships outside of family for a period in excess of six months.” (Furlong, 2008). The long period of time to be withdrawn from society is quite serious and will have many psychological damage. Another factor that is important when looking at abnormal behavior is the gender. The gender of an individual have play an important role in shaping the diagnosis and the diagnostic feature of these symptoms.
The severe mood fluctuations of bipolar or manic-depressive disorders have been around since the 16-century and affect little more than 2% of the population in both sexes, all races, and all parts of the world (Harmon 3). Researchers think that the cause is genetic, but it is still unknown. The one fact of which we are painfully aware of is that bipolar disorder severely undermines its victims ability to obtain and maintain social and occupational success. Because the symptoms of bipolar disorder are so debilitation, it is crucial that we search for possible treatments and cures.
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Brown, G. (1996). Beck Depression Inventory-II. Retrieved August 18, 2011from EBSCOhost.
Weisman, M.M., Livingston, B.M., Leaf, P.J., Florio, L.P., Holzer, C. (1991). Psychiatric Disorders in America. Affective Disorders. Free Press.
middle of paper ... ... Retrieved June 16, 2002, from http://nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm. National Mental Health Association. 2000 May 15.
In life we all go through experiences that cause our moods to change for better or for worse. There are times that we experience degrees of great joy and happiness just as other times we experience great sadness and despair. These polar emotional opposites can be brought about by a cornucopia of circumstances such as the joy and excitement of getting married or the birth of a child to the deep sadness and grief over the loss of a loved one or one’s employment. Feelings of joy and feelings of sadness are normal parts of human life. Some however are unfortunate enough to be force to cope with these emotions to the extreme and on a regular basis. Some individuals must further cope with an ever present emotion rollercoaster, switching from one emotional extreme to the next with regularity. This personality disorder is known as bipolar disorder.
It's wintertime, and you are gathered for the holidays with all of your family and friends. Everything seems like it should be perfect, yet you are feeling very distressed, lethargic and disconnected from everything and everyone around you. "Perhaps it is just the winter blues," you tell yourself as you delve into the holiday feast, aiming straight for the sugary fruitcake before collapsing from exhaustion. However, the depression and other symptoms that you feel continue to persist from the beginning of winter until the springtime, for years upon end without ceasing. Although you may be tempted to believe that you, like many millions of other Americans, are afflicted with a case of the winter blues, you are most likely suffering from a more severe form of seasonal depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This form of depression has been described as a form of a unipolar or bipolar mood disorder which, unlike other forms of depression, follows a strictly seasonal pattern. (5).
Major Depressive Disorder, according to Coon, is a mood disorder in which the person has suffered one or more intense episodes of depression. Major Depressive Disorder falls under mood disorders subtopic depressive disorders (Coon 2013). “Psychologist have come to realize that mood disorders (major disturbances in emotion) are among the most serious of all psychological conditions. In any given year, roughly 9.5 percent of the U.S. population suffers from a mood disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011a)” (Coon 2013). I was one of the 9.5 percent. I have decided to write on this topic because I want to understand what causes it. I have been depressed before without medication or counseling and I wanted to know why do you get depressed and how does it impact you. This essay will talk about disorder information, disorder triggers, research on depression, treatment for depression, and theorist’s experiments for Major Depression Disorder.
Depression is an illness within itself that affects the “whole body”. (Staywell,1998) The body, feelings, thoughts, and behavior are all immensely altered when someone is depressed. It is not a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be wished or willed away. For some people depression is just temporary, but for others it can last for weeks, months and even years.
Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes.
"Depression." NMH - Depression. National Institute of Mental Health. 1, 3. Web. 6 April 2014.
Depression is defined as "a state of despondency marked by feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness" (Coon, 2001). Some people can mix up depression with just having the blues because of a couple of bad days or even weeks. It is already said that depression affects about one sixth of the population or more (Doris, Ebmeier, Shajahan, 1999). Depression can happen in any age range from birth to death. The cause of depression is still obscure and becoming clear that a number of diverse factors are likely to be implicated, both genetic and environmental. Some causes are leading stressful lives, genetic factors, a previous depressive episode, and the personality trait neuroticism (Doris, et al., 1999).
The effects of sunshine on a person’s mind can also be seen over lengths of time. As the seasons run their course, most people react to the change in environmental light with a gradual shift in energy. The body seems to become slower. Motivation to do anything takes a hit. In fact, in a survey taken in Maryland, over 90% of the people surveyed reported that they noticed a change in mood, behavior, and energy levels with the change of seasons. ...
The most common of them being Major Depressive Disorder. It is characterized as an ever constant low mood and sadness and lack of interest in doing daily activities. Major Depression can occur just once during a lifetime or can occur over an extended period of time. Its symptoms include loss of energy, self-loathing, changes in weight etc. These symptoms can range from anywhere between mild and severe. (Smith & Seagal, 2016). Persistent depressive disorder or Dysthymia is a chronic depressive mood that lasts for at least two years followed by a few days where everything seems to be back to normal. This type of depression is characterized by time duration of the symptoms i.e. symptoms must last for at least two years to be considered persistent depressive disorder. (Depression, 2015). Another type of depression is Perinatal Depression. This type of depression usually occurs a few weeks before the delivery of the baby and a few weeks after the delivery of the baby. It symptoms include extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion which would hinder a new mother from taking care of her baby and herself (Depression, 2015). Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is another type of depression. This occurs when there is a change in the season from spring or summer months to the winter months. This type of depression usually resolves itself once the winter months are over and when there is an increase in