Major Depressive Disorder Symptoms

Major depressive disorder (MDD) or major depression is also referred to as clinical depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, this form of depression affects 6.7% of the America population over age 18, and it is estimated that between 20% and 25% of people may go through an episode of major depressive disorder during their lifetime.

Depression is defined to be the psychological state of mind in which the ‘self’ ego incorporates extreme pessimism to the extent that it affects the person’s whole well-being. Major depression occurs in men, women, teens and children. The symptoms of major depressive disorder will vary according to the sex and the age of a person.

Someone can be said to suffer from a major depressive disorder when his mood changes from his normal mood and when this has an impact on his performance in his everyday life, during at least 2 weeks.

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Clinical depression can be caused by many factors which primarily include having a very low self-esteem, which is usually the case for teens; emotional shock, like rejection and sudden death of a family member or a close friend; or in rare cases, an aftermath of a traumatic experience.

As it raises serious health concerns and can be indirectly fatal, monitoring major depressive disorder symptoms is always crucial. The most common signs of major depression include a combination of the following;

• Extensive Pessimism

People with clinical depression frequently encounter feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and hopelessness, which can even lead to self-hatred. Their ‘self’ ego or their concept of themselves becomes unclear and negative and so they think of themselves as ‘unworthy’ of existence. This may even lead to thoughts of possible suicide.

It is also important to take note that a low self-esteem may not only be a cause but may also already belong to the symptoms of major depressive disorder. The boundary for this case is not really defined as being negative is always brought out by not having self-confidence.

• Moodiness and Lack of Focus

People who experience a major depressive disorder always find themselves thinking about their experience. They are distracted and preoccupied, to the extent that they become unaware of their surroundings. Moreover, they become irritable and short tempered; this is especially the case for children.

Their motivation, interest and pleasure diminish and they tend to withdraw from social affairs. They also experience ‘slowed movement’ in which their responses and actions are slower than usual. They cannot focus and are not able to think clearly, and as a result they cannot perform effective decisions and often resort to pessimistic impulse.

• Changes in eating and sleeping habits

Major depression is a mental disorder. It can alter the normal hormonal balance of the endocrine system causing the brain and other glands to perceive incorrect signals. This causes more imbalances in the body like having a faster/slower rate of metabolism and sleeping disorders.

People with clinical depression often experience extensive gain or loss of weight. This is brought about by hormonal imbalances discussed earlier. Their rate of metabolism is altered and as a result, their appetite also becomes irregular. At times they may eat a lot though sometimes they may eat nothing at all. A sudden gain or loss of weight is then a result.

Irregularities in sleeping like being unable to sleep or sleeping too much also are experienced by a person under a major depressive disorder. This is also a result of the said hormonal imbalance. Children also often experience nightmares at night.

Major depression may also trigger attacks of asthma, hypertension or stroke, especially in older people. General weakness and fatigue are also experienced.

During the course of the disorder, people tend to find ways to alleviate their depression. They often resort to alcohol, or sometimes even drugs. Furthermore, people under a major depressive disorder may repress their feelings through anger and violence, as they may see others as the cause of their misery. These symptoms however are more often seen in men.

In some cases, work can also be their way of repression, however their performance remains dull, and they tend to engage on activities that can further repress their depression like gambling after work.

Isolation is also a repressive action performed by some individuals. They tend to spend time alone and think about themselves. This however, might induce negative effects as they are emotionally unstable.

As with any other illnesses, being able to track the main major depressive disorder symptoms as early as possible is the key to minimizing the risk of having other health complications. Remember that emotional health is also part of your well-being, and you should always take care of it.