Definition
Definitions of the concept of depressive disorder have evolved over the centuries since ancient Greece, where melancholy descriptions were associated with excessive amounts of black fluid in the body. From that time to the 19th century, the basic concept of the symptoms of depression was formulated. As a result, already in the 21st century, the concept of Major Depressive Episode was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical List of Mental Disorders. If there are five or more symptoms from the list of suitable symptoms, a person can be diagnosed with this disorder.
Symptoms
Depressive disorder is characterized by a reduced interest in any activity, unwillingness to enjoy, depressed, and a sad state. Secondary signs are a decrease or increase in appetite, a change in sleep habits, permanent fatigue, or vice versa, extreme agitation, and agitation. The state of mind in a depressive disorder is expressed as follows: the patient feels a sense of guilt or his own uselessness and may experience suicidal urges or attempt to commit suicide. Cognitive abilities undergo distortions, as a person has difficulty with thoughts, concentration, and making even the simplest decisions. All this is a list of key symptoms, the presence of which allows one to talk about Major Depressive Disorder.
It is interesting that two patients may not have any of these symptoms, but they will be somewhat similar and will accurately express the presence of a depressive disorder. These combinations of symptoms, however, make it possible to divide depressive states into several subgroups. The traditional four groups are melancholic, atypical, psychotic, and catatonic depressive disorders. Moreover, new symptom-based subtypes have been added to the Disorders Manual, which include anxiety disorder, seasonal pattern depression, and prenatal disorder. A depressive disorder is diagnosed when the patient has real difficulty with regular functioning and socialization, and the symptoms must be clearly noticeable for two weeks or more and cause significant discomfort. It is important that the symptoms required for the diagnosis are not caused by substance abuse that led to chemical imbalance and psychological distress – such psychoses should have a slightly different treatment method.
Possible Origins
Throughout the 20th century, formulations were developed to identify the various causes of symptoms that characterize the depressive disorder. The link between depression and bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, is highlighted. Despite the assumptions about the pathologies of the brain, scientists have identified two types of causes of depression. Endogenous or internal reasons are expressed by the impossibility of a person feeling self-actualization, a sense of belonging and importance in the world, which causes feelings of uselessness and lack of value in one’s own life. Exogenous, external causes, on the other hand, can be grief due to the loss of a loved one or depression caused by a traumatic experience. Speaking about the causes of the origin of depressive states, it is always necessary to take into account the individual context surrounding a person’s biography, coupled with the peculiarities of their physics and psyche.
Online Initiatives
A noteworthy resource for helping with depression is the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance website. This site presents a conveniently organized database that provides a person with the necessary knowledge on the subject of this disorder and its possible spectra. It has established feedback allowing one to get advice directly from the doctor. Recommendations are provided on how to manage related disorders such as bipolar and anxiety disorder.
As part of the association’s initiatives, depression sufferers are encouraged to attend regular online support group meetings. Although these meetings do not provide psychotherapeutic services, this does not negate the fact that attending these groups can have an extremely beneficial psychological effect. The patient gets the opportunity to share his fears, experiences, and frustrations with a group of people who can really understand what is at stake, as they are united by similar experiences. This sense of belonging is obviously capable of generating empathic sensations that break through the barricade between the human psyche in a state of disorder and the outside world. Support groups are constantly growing in the number and frequency of messages, which indicates not only the convenience of this online practice but it its urgent demand.
Family support seems to be extremely important to the alliance staff in order to guide the patient on the path to recovery and give them hope and a certain peace of mind. The use of family dynamics is valuable in trying to convey the real state of affairs to the patient and enable them to accept the diagnosis and start accepting appropriate help. In particular, family support is important for teenagers and young people under 30 – that’s why the Alliance launched the Balanced Mind Parent Network initiative (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, 2022). This resource represents an entire online community through which parents of children with depressive or bipolar disorder can share their experiences. It exists in the form of discussion boards, groups, and other valuable sources of information. Organizing parents of adolescents with disabilities into special online societies seems to be an innovative way to increase parental awareness and involvement in this issue. At the same time, the pedagogical element underlying the concept of this forum is inalienable since the parent learns from other examples of a patient, sensitive, ethically correct attitude towards the child.
Reference
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. (2022). Balanced mind parent network. Web.