Major Depressive Disorder and its Symptoms
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is the most severe form of depression. This is a medical illness that can affect every part of a person’s life. It is not simply feeling low or feeling blue and may require treatment over a long period of time.
Factors that can contribute to the development of MDD include genetic components, brain chemistry, hormonal imbalances, and external influences such as stress, trauma, or significant life changes. Often, people with MDD have a family history of depression or other mental health disorders.
Major Depressive Disorder Symptoms
The symptoms of major depressive disorder can interfere with your functionality in daily life. They can get to a point where they reduce your quality of life. For a diagnosis of MDD, symptoms must be present nearly every day for at least two weeks, and they must cause significant distress or impairment.
Common symptoms of MDD are listed below.
Pervasive sad mood
Clinical depression is characterized in part by consistent low mood and feeling empty or hopeless.
Mood disturbances
People also have trouble with mood regulation. You may feel irritable, frustrated, and have angry outbursts or bouts of crying. Anxiety is another mood disturbance that often presents with MDD. Those with MDD frequently experience persistent worry, restlessness, or feeling on edge. They can also experience anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure. This can have an adverse impact on motivation and energy levels, contributing to a general sense of malaise and despair.
Suicidal thoughts
Those with MDD may have thoughts of suicide or death; or attempt suicide.
Decreased self-worth
With this condition can come shame, guilt, self-blame, and a negative view of oneself.
Loss of interest
There is a loss of interest in the people and activities you once enjoyed. It is hard to find pleasure in things. This lack of interest can also extend to everyday activities.
Physical aches and pains
People often experience unexplained ailments or back pain, headaches, and digestive issues.
Sleep disturbance
MDD causes changes in sleeping patterns. These could be sleeping too much, not being able to sleep, or reduced quality of sleep.
Changes in appetite
You may overeat or not feel like eating at all. This can cause either weight gain or weight loss.
Brain fog
People with MDD also experience brain fog. This is a difficulty in concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Sluggishness
Others may notice that you move and speak slower than normal. Your body movements can become sluggish.
Low energy
Lack of energy, motivation, and fatigue can also present.
Symptoms of Depression in Children
While depression in children and adolescents may share some common symptoms with those of adults with major depressive disorder, there are a few differences. Symptoms of depression in children and teens are listed below.
In young children, symptoms of depression can include:
anxiety
aches and pains
clinginess
not wanting to go to school
low mood
being underweight
In teenagers, depression can involve:
withdrawal and isolation
risk-seeking behaviors
self-harm
sleep and appetite disturbances
low self esteem
anxiety
prolonged negative mood
frequent stomachaches or headaches
Depression presents a little differently in the elderly, and can be hard to diagnose. Symptoms include:
suicidal thoughts
fatigue
loss of appetite
aches and pains
personality changes
problems with memory
Major depressive disorder treatment
Depression is treatable. Medication, therapy, or a combination of both can be used to treat this condition. In depression therapy, you are given a safe, nonjudgmental space in which to share, process, and learn to cope with your emotions. The goal is to provide you with applicable and useable tools and strategies to better navigate your situation. Depression therapy will help you to identify your unhealthy thought patterns and see how they affect your behavior and feelings. You will have a regularly scheduled time and space to talk about what you are going through.
Types of depression therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a type of treatment often used to treat depression, has been shown to increase functioning in people. It aims to improve your emotional regulation by working on your unhelpful thought processes. You will learn and develop coping skills that are applicable to your real life. In time, you will be able to regulate your emotions.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is also used to treat depression. In DBT, people learn how to be mindful, communicate effectively, and manage difficult emotions. It enables those undergoing it to eventually become more tolerant of emotional distress, handle issues calmly, and accept what is. It teaches you how to change undesired emotions and reduce your vulnerability to them. You will also learn how to get your needs met in a self-respectful way and maintain your relationships.
Talk Therapy
Talk therapy is designed to help patients explore the full range of their emotions. It is helpful for people who find it difficult to share how they feel or identify their feelings. It aims to bring awareness to emotions people may not be aware of. It takes the unconscious elements of your life and brings them into your present experience. In this way, it brings insight to how your mood and behavior is influenced by unresolved issue and feelings. Talk therapy can provide you with the tools needed to maintain relationships and bring purpose to your life.
Supporting therapeutic treatment
A certain degree of change to your lifestyle will have to be made in order to support your therapeutic treatment. These involve the basics of self-care, as detailed below.
Self-care
Regular exercise
Regular physical activity boosts the production of endorphins - natural mood lifters. Exercise also enhances self-confidence, encourages better sleep, and serves as a healthy distraction.
A balanced diet
Eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can positively impact your mood and energy levels. Certain nutrients, like Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin B12, are also linked to brain health.
Quality sleep
Depression often interferes with sleep. Disturbed sleep can aggravate depressive symptoms. Establishing a regular sleep schedule, creating a calm sleep environment, and avoiding stimulating activities before bed can improve sleep quality.
Avoid substances
Alcohol and recreational drugs can interfere with antidepressants, worsen depressive symptoms, and might lead to dependence or addiction.
Ask for support
Support from loved ones is important for someone who is in treatment for depressive disorder. Friends and family can provide emotional assistance and practical help, such as accompanying you to appointments or helping manage medication schedules.
Depression can make individuals feel isolated and misunderstood, so having a support network that provides empathy, understanding, and practical assistance can be beneficial.
Educate yourself
If you or someone you love is struggling with major depressive disorder, learn as much as you can about it. When you approach this illness armed with information, it will help you to better understand and manage it.
MDD and your physical health
Untreated depression can have negative affects on your physical health. It can exacerbate existing health problems or cause health issues to develop. While aches and pains are among the common signs and symptoms, depression is linked to other physical symptoms as well. These include digestive issues, fatigue, sleep problems, chronic pain, and back pain.
Because someone with a diagnosis of depression is more likely to gain weight and have weight problems, they have a higher risk for developing obesity related health problems. These include coronary artery disease, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Trust Mental Health has a team of BIPOC therapists who offer therapy both online and in person. We are experienced in depression therapy, including CBT, DBT, talk therapy, and therapy for teens, among various other therapeutic treatments. We offer depression therapy in San Jose and all over California. Contact us today for a free 15 minute consultation. We will match you with a therapist best suited to your individual needs.
FAQs
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Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental health condition characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. It affects an individual's daily life, causing substantial distress and impairments in social, professional, personal, and other important areas of functioning.
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Diagnosis of MDD is usually made by a mental health professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, based on a clinical evaluation. This evaluation involves a detailed conversation about symptoms, history, and functioning, and may also include standardized psychological tests or questionnaires.
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MDD is not the same as temporary feelings of sadness or having the "blues". While it is normal to experience sadness or grief in response to specific situations, MDD involves intense, persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness that last for weeks, months, or even longer, and interfere with daily life.