Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heterogeneous mental disorder where many fundamental presentations may share a similar phenomenology but possess different etiology. The disorder has been classified according to severity, for instance, mild depressive disorder, duration, the cause, and the symptom profile. For many years, health specialists have debated whether it should be classified using categories or dimensions. It has led to categorical treatments (Uher et al., 2014). The paper unfolds facts about the Major Depressive Disorder and acts as an extension of knowledge in research done on the disorder.
The major depressive disorder is caused by many factors including genetics, brain chemistry imbalance, circadian rhythm disturbance, female sex hormones, poor nutrition, drugs, physical health problems, loss of a loved one and finally stressful life occurrences. The disorder can also co-occur with other diverse diseases such as heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer. Moreover, these conditions can worsen depression or vice versa due to the side effects involved in the administration of treatment to the diseases. MDD has no age restriction, it can happen at any age, but it is more common in teens at the age of mid-‘20s, and up to adults.
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Diagnosis is mainly based on various methodologies including, physical examination. It is a method whereby a doctor can perform a physical exam by asking questions concerning your health status. The may also do blood tests respectively known as complete blood count to ensure there is normal functioning. Psychiatric evaluation is also an alternative, whereby a mental health professional seeks detailed information about behavioral patterns, symptoms, feelings, and thoughts. Lastly, the mental health specialist may make use of the listed criteria found in the DSM-5 (Otte et al., 2016).
Major depressive disorder is either treated by administering antidepressants such as Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Further, the patient can go through psychotherapy where he or she opens up to a mental health professional about the condition or issues related to the illness. The health specialist chooses the most suitable therapy for a patient which can either be cognitive-behavioral therapy, problem-solving therapy or interpersonal therapy. Apart from the mentioned treatments, one can also take self-care steps that positively impact a patients’ health status, for instance, avoidance of drug abuse (Cipriani et al., 2018).
Research has shown that everybody is at risk of major depressive disorder; this is because of the environmental factors or genetics. However, this has not been fully accredited. Research is currently underway, to determine how genetics comes in line with the disorder or how the environment triggers the condition (Li et al., 2013). How the two factors can help discover new treatment methods. Some people have not responded well to antidepressant medication, which is supposed to supply chemicals that depressed people lack. It has also called for research on finding a better way to treat the disease (Moylan et al., 2013).
In primary care, the disorder is the most encountered chronic condition. However, it has remained considerably undertreated. Online therapy sessions should be greatly advocated for as they provide service to those people who uncomfortable in making hospital visits. Additionally, there should be quality improvements to address the screening and diagnosis of the MDD.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Cipriani, A., Furukawa, T. A., Salanti, G., Chaimani, A., Atkinson, L. Z., Ogawa, Y., ... & Egger, M. (2018). Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Focus , 16 (4), 420-429.
Li, J. Z., Bunney, B. G., Meng, F., Hagenauer, M. H., Walsh, D. M., Vawter, M. P., ... & Schatzberg, A. F. (2013). Circadian patterns of gene expression in the human brain and disruption in major depressive disorder. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 110 (24), 9950-9955.
Moylan, S., Maes, M., Wray, N. R., & Berk, M. (2013). The neuroprogressive nature of major depressive disorder: pathways to disease evolution and resistance, and therapeutic implications. Molecular psychiatry , 18 (5), 595.
Otte, C., Gold, S. M., Penninx, B. W., Pariante, C. M., Etkin, A., Fava, M., ... & Schatzberg, A. F. (2016). Major depressive disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers , 2 , 16065.
Uher, R., Payne, J. L., Pavlova, B., & Perlis, R. H. (2014). Major depressive disorder in DSM ‐ 5: Implications for clinical practice and research of changes from DSM ‐ IV. Depression and anxiety , 31 (6), 459-471.
