Clinical Depression In Adults: A Case Study

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Depression is a serious medical issue that affects approximately 16 million Americans adults of all ages, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Depression often contributes to decreased quality of life and can impair social and occupational functioning. Depression is linked to decreased education, unstable employment, and higher health care costs. Depression is a mood disorder that includes major depressive disorder (MMD) (clinical depression), persistent depressive disorder, bipolar and unipolar, substance -induced mood disorder and mood disorders associated with medical conditions. Depression is the most common mood disorder in adults. A diagnosis of depression includes the following symptoms, feelings of sadness, hopelessness, …show more content…

Depression is diagnosed in women at least twice as often as men. It has been suggested that this is due to more women seeking help. Depression can occur during any stage of life; it can also accompany serious chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes (The Community Guide, 2016). An estimate 6-12% of the population in the United States will experience depression; one-third to one-half of these patients will experience recurrent episodes. Depression affects patients mentally and physically making them subject to negative thought processes along with physical ailments such as, chronic fatigue, pain or digestive issues that usually do not respond to conventional treatment (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Depression according to the World Health Organization (World Health Organization, 2010), carries the heaviest burden of disability among mental and behavioral disorders. Depression if left undiagnosed, untreated or undertreated is associated with suicidal behavior. The annual suicide rate 12.93 per 100,000individuals. Suicide is the eight-leading cause of death in the United States …show more content…

This technology has led to a better understanding of the areas of the brain that affect mood and other roles, such as memory that can be affected by depression. Specific areas of the brain involved in depression are the amygdala, thalamus, and the hippocampus. Recent findings suggest that nerve cell growth, nerve cell connections, and nerve circuits have more of an influence on depression than the levels of certain brain chemicals, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (Harvard Health Publications -Harvard Medical School,