BLOG 1- Depression Awareness in Adults and in Adolescents

As being a common mood disorder, depression is also known as major depression disorder or clinical depression. Depression is a mood disorder that can affect an individual feeling of sadness that is persistent and tends to affect their cognitive, physical, and mood as being some of their symptoms. Major depression disorder (MDD) when it can lead to not being able to do daily activities and having the feeling of not worth of living which from Mayo Clinic site has mentioned as well (Mayo Clinic, 2018). According to National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM), it states that it causes severe symptoms of that affects how you feel, think and function throughout your day which is present for at least two weeks to be diagnosed with depression. 

There are many forms of depression and they are: Persistent depressive disorder (also called dysthymia) is a depressed mood that lasts for at least two years and have episodes of MDD; Postpartum depression is when women with postpartum depression experience full-blown major depression during pregnancy or after delivery (postpartum depression); Psychotic depression occurs when a person has severe depression with delusions and hallucinations; and these are more in detailed in the diagnostic classification of DSM-5 which also contain more additional depressive disorders. 

The symptoms that tends to being diagnosed a person with depression are: not be able to do daily activities such as eating, driving, and sleeping; persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness, difficulty concentrating, making decisions, appetite or weight changes, thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts, and aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and/or that do not ease even with treatment according to  National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) site. 

Also, not only depression is in adults but is also the leading cause of disability in the United States according to US Preventive Task Force ( USPSTF), children and adolescents with MDD tend to have functional impairments in their daily activities and interactions with their families and peers. As reported from the nationally representive U.S. surveys, about 8% of adolescents having major depression in the past year and little are known about the prevalence of MDD in children.

 As in the figure from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2009-2012, 7.6% of Americans aged 12 and over had Major Depression or severe depressive symptoms in the past 2 weeks. The highest rate of depression were Females especially women aged 40-59 and the rate of depression increased by age, from 5.7% among youth aged 12–17 to 9.8% among adults aged 40–59, but adults aged 60 and over had a significantly lower rate of depression (5.4%) than those aged 18–39 and 40–59. The lowest  were for males aged 12–17 (4.0%) and 60 and over (3.4%).

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2012. Retreived from September 15, 2019 from Thttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db172.htm

Since there are little known prevalence in children with MDD the importance is to have screenings for depression which can benefit of early detection, intervention and therapy which US Preventive Services Task Force found adequate evidence that treatment of MDD detected through with help of screenings are associated with moderate benefit for example improved depression severity and depression symptoms. However, with being treated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have known harms compare to use of Psychotherapy, or collaborative care which tend to help more for adolescents. 

Treatments for depressive disorder are best to be combined with medications (antidepressant), psychotherapy and therapies to help reduce the symptoms. If these treatments do not shown signs of reducing the symptoms then the next treatment is called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) which is a brain stimulation therapy. 

As also mentioned in the NIHM website it states that beyond these treatments there are more ways that you can do to help yourself by not isolating yourself from loved ones, be active and exercise, find hobbies that you might enjoy, continue to educate yourself about depression by maybe joining a awareness group where there are others who also experienced the same as you. Being around supportive and knowing the best resources if in need is a step getting closer of overcoming having a depressive disorder. Especially there are many hotlines or phone numbers you can seek for help when in thinking of suicide or just need to talk to someone. 

• Call a suicide hotline number — in the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Use that same number and press "1" to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
• Reach out to a close friend or loved one

References

Depression (major depressive disorder). (2018, February 3). Retrieved from      https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007

Depression. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

Final Recommendation Statement. (2019, May). Retrieved from https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/depression-in-children-and-adolescents-screening1

Products - Data Briefs - Number 172 - December 2014. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db172.htm