What is a Depression?

Major depression (also known as clinical depression, major depression, unipolar depression, or unipolar disorder) is a mental disorder characterized by an overall bad mood due to low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. The term "major depression" was adopted by the American Psychiatric Association, for this symptom cluster as a mood disorder in the 1980-version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) classification, and has far has spread. The general concept of depression is often used to define the disease, but it can also be used to cover other types of mental depression, more precise terminology for the disease in clinical research and application. Major depression is a disabling condition, which adversely affects a person's family, at work or in school life, sleeping and eating habits, and general health. In the United States, approximately 3.4% of people with severe depression commit suicide, and up to 60% of all people who commit suicide have depression or another mood disorder.

The diagnosis of major depression based on the patients' own reported experiences, the behavior of relatives or friends, and a mental status examination. There are no laboratory tests for major depression, although physicians generally test for physical conditions can cause similar symptoms. The most common time of onset is between the ages 30 to 40 years, with a later peak from 50 to 60 years. Major depression is about twice as common in women as in men, with men at higher risk for suicide.

Most patients are in communion with antidepressant medication and psychotherapy or counseling. Hospitalization may be necessary in cases associated with self-neglect or a significant danger to themselves or others. A minority are treated with electric convulsive therapy (EKT), under a short-term, the general anesthesia. The course of the disease vary greatly from one episode lasting months to a lifelong disorder with recurrent depressive episodes. Depressed individuals have a shorter life expectancy than those without depression, partly because of the greater vulnerability to medical disorders. Current and former patients may be stigmatized.

The understanding of the nature and causes of depression has evolved over the centuries, although many aspects of the Depression still incompletely understood and are the subject of discussion and research. Psychological, psychosocial, and biological evolution have been proposed. Psychological treatments are based on theories of personality, interpersonal communication, and learning theory. Most biological theories focus on the monoamine chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, naturally present in the brain and the communication between nerve cells. Monoamines have been used in depression, and most antidepressants work to increase the active levels of at least one.