Clinical Depression Essay

495 Words2 Pages

Feeling sad, or what many call “being depressed”, happens to everyone. This feeling of sadness usually passes after a few days. However, those with a depressive disorder, or clinical depression, find that the long term feeling of melancholy interferes with daily life. For people with clinical depression, their normal functioning is affected to such an extent that not only themselves, but the family members and friends that they care about are affected by it as well. It is a serious disorder, and can affect those who suffer from it in a number of ways. Depression is a disorder that is often overlooked, or not taken as seriously as it should. And though there is an abundance of medications on the market that are able to treat depression, none …show more content…

Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. This “imbalance” is caused when mood-related chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine are low in the brain during major depressive episodes. According to studies on clinical depression, the enzyme MAO-A, breaks down chemicals like serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. This enzyme has much higher levels with those who suffer from non-medicated clinical depression. This lack of chemicals in the brain causes the sufferer to become lethargic, feelings of sadness, among a number of different symptoms. There are various symptoms of depression, and depression is in no way uniform. There are symptoms that one sufferer may feel, but another may not feel, and vise versa. Symptoms include a general feeling of sadness, pessimism, loneliness, emptiness and anxiety. Sufferers can feel restless or irritable, or a loss of interest, hobbies or activities that they would usually enjoy. Sleeping patterns and eating habits, sufferers can eat or sleep too little, or too much. In very serious cases, sufferers can experience suicidal thoughts, but may or may not act upon these thoughts. No matter the combination or severity of the symptoms, those diagnosed with clinical depression find these effects to be a detriment to their daily