How
much are you depressed?
People always describe themselves as
‘depressed’ when they feel sad, upset or experiencing a downturn of emotional
swing. Yet, does it mean that they are actually diagnosed with depression? If
not, by what means we define one as a sufferer of depression? In the following,
we will discuss the symptoms, the causes and also the way we should cope with
depressed mood.
Differences between depressed mood and clinical depression
Emotional swing and unipolar depression are different from clinical view. As mentioned, people sometimes find themselves tired of their jobs or frustrated with their study. Especially in civilized district like Hong Kong, citizens are having rapid pace. Thousands of stressors make us neurotic. In some cases, they cannot find the way to cope with certain stressors. These are absolutely normal for everyone. In fact, most of us will get over these troubles. On the other hand, patients of unipolar depression, whose depressive symptoms are sustained, lose interest in things that they usually found pleasurable. They also lose their ability to take care of the simplest things in a normal life, which affect their lives at a much greater extent.
Differences between depressed mood and clinical depression
Emotional swing and unipolar depression are different from clinical view. As mentioned, people sometimes find themselves tired of their jobs or frustrated with their study. Especially in civilized district like Hong Kong, citizens are having rapid pace. Thousands of stressors make us neurotic. In some cases, they cannot find the way to cope with certain stressors. These are absolutely normal for everyone. In fact, most of us will get over these troubles. On the other hand, patients of unipolar depression, whose depressive symptoms are sustained, lose interest in things that they usually found pleasurable. They also lose their ability to take care of the simplest things in a normal life, which affect their lives at a much greater extent.
Symptoms
Generally speaking, symptoms of depression includes psychological and behavioral. Sufferers of depression always think themselves miserable, unattractive and useless. They think pessimistically and blame on themselves for the miserable. This makes them more depressed. Consequently, they lose affection for family, friends and the things that usually please them. Missing passion, they become reluctant to work or to meet people. In serious cases, they are unwilling to do anything. Aaron Beck named this ‘paralysis of will’. They become less productive and prefer to stay in bed doing nothing. Although they may claim that their memory is impairing, researches find that it is their motivation that hindered their performances, not their intelligence. Perhaps, the most horrible symptom would be suicidal thought. Committing suicide is one way of their escaping from lives’ pressure. From Tsuang’s study, 7 to 15 percent of depression sufferers tried to kill themselves.
Generally speaking, symptoms of depression includes psychological and behavioral. Sufferers of depression always think themselves miserable, unattractive and useless. They think pessimistically and blame on themselves for the miserable. This makes them more depressed. Consequently, they lose affection for family, friends and the things that usually please them. Missing passion, they become reluctant to work or to meet people. In serious cases, they are unwilling to do anything. Aaron Beck named this ‘paralysis of will’. They become less productive and prefer to stay in bed doing nothing. Although they may claim that their memory is impairing, researches find that it is their motivation that hindered their performances, not their intelligence. Perhaps, the most horrible symptom would be suicidal thought. Committing suicide is one way of their escaping from lives’ pressure. From Tsuang’s study, 7 to 15 percent of depression sufferers tried to kill themselves.
Kinds of mood disorder/ depression
Depressive disorders are classified into different categories according to their specific symptoms and duration. From DSM-IV-TR, adjustment disorder with depressed mood and dysthymia are two common disorders ranked as mild to moderate depressive disorder, while major depressive disorder, the most common mood disorder, is associated with more severe depressive symptoms. For adjustment disorder with depressed mood, sufferers are unable to cope with a certain stressor. This impairs their social life and normal work. The disorder is usually diagnosed 3 to 6 months after the identified stressor appeared. For patients of dysthymia, they feel upset most of the days for a period of 2 years (normal mood swing should only last for a few weeks at most). Their symptoms include eating disorderly and lowered self-esteem. They also feel tired and hopeless all the time and are unable to concentrate on anything. Dysthymia is a quite common disorder, with an average duration of 5 years. Half of the patients got this disorder during adolescences. If major depressive disorder is diagnosed for a patient, it means that he has even more severe and prolonged symptoms than dysthymia. He may have difficulty to sleep or wake up, considerable weight loss and continual thoughts of suicide. This reaches a dangerous stage for the sufferer and treatments should be applied carefully.
Depressive disorders are classified into different categories according to their specific symptoms and duration. From DSM-IV-TR, adjustment disorder with depressed mood and dysthymia are two common disorders ranked as mild to moderate depressive disorder, while major depressive disorder, the most common mood disorder, is associated with more severe depressive symptoms. For adjustment disorder with depressed mood, sufferers are unable to cope with a certain stressor. This impairs their social life and normal work. The disorder is usually diagnosed 3 to 6 months after the identified stressor appeared. For patients of dysthymia, they feel upset most of the days for a period of 2 years (normal mood swing should only last for a few weeks at most). Their symptoms include eating disorderly and lowered self-esteem. They also feel tired and hopeless all the time and are unable to concentrate on anything. Dysthymia is a quite common disorder, with an average duration of 5 years. Half of the patients got this disorder during adolescences. If major depressive disorder is diagnosed for a patient, it means that he has even more severe and prolonged symptoms than dysthymia. He may have difficulty to sleep or wake up, considerable weight loss and continual thoughts of suicide. This reaches a dangerous stage for the sufferer and treatments should be applied carefully.
Possible causes
We all know that stressors in our daily lives are some of the causes responsible for our depressed mood, yet there are many other possible causes behind the exterior stressors. People that are more prone to depressive life events such like loss of spouse or lovers, traumatic injury or chronic diseases are easier to have depressive disorders. Other than physical factors, biological factors like genetic trait from family, drug use and sleep problem are also lead to depression. One interesting fact is that more women than men are diagnosed with major depressive disorder. It may be because of the high sensitivity of them towards the stress events, enlarging the effect of the stressors.
Precautions
We all know that stressors in our daily lives are some of the causes responsible for our depressed mood, yet there are many other possible causes behind the exterior stressors. People that are more prone to depressive life events such like loss of spouse or lovers, traumatic injury or chronic diseases are easier to have depressive disorders. Other than physical factors, biological factors like genetic trait from family, drug use and sleep problem are also lead to depression. One interesting fact is that more women than men are diagnosed with major depressive disorder. It may be because of the high sensitivity of them towards the stress events, enlarging the effect of the stressors.
Precautions
To summarize, depressive symptoms are
quite commonly observed in Hong Kong citizens, nonetheless, not all of them are
sufferers of depression. If you suspect yourself as a sufferer, you should
visit a psychiatrist for diagnosis. Recent studies reveal that Hong Kong adults
are having high pressure in their routine, and their average ‘happy score’ is
much lower than other citizens in developed country. I suggest that people
should maintain a stable and healthy social life, even they have heavy
workload. Social life is more than just about killing time, it is indeed
essential for our mental health. Always remember, “When happiness is shared,
that happiness is doubled; when sorrow is shared, that sorrow is halved.”
Venus Lai
References
Beck, A. T., & Steer, R. A. (1993b). Manual
for the Beck Depression Inventory. San Antonio, TX: Psychological
Corporation.
Butcher, J.N., Mineka, S. & Hodey, J.M. (2004). Abnormal Psychology. Hong Kong : Pearson Education, Inc.
Comer, R.J. (1992). Abnormal Psychology. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.
Tsuang, M.T. (1978) Suicide in schizophrenics, manics, depressives, and surgical controls. A comparison with general population suicide mortality. Archives of General Psychiatry, 35,153-155.
Butcher, J.N., Mineka, S. & Hodey, J.M. (2004). Abnormal Psychology. Hong Kong : Pearson Education, Inc.
Comer, R.J. (1992). Abnormal Psychology. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.
Tsuang, M.T. (1978) Suicide in schizophrenics, manics, depressives, and surgical controls. A comparison with general population suicide mortality. Archives of General Psychiatry, 35,153-155.
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