Depression - a Mood Disorder

Depression is a mood disorder, which is not genetic as bipolar disorders. Depression is a mental illness in which a person experiences deep, unshakable sadness and diminished interest in nearly all activities. In contrast to normal sadness, severe depression, also called major depression, can dramatically impair a person's ability to function in social situations and at work. People with major depression often have feelings of despair, hopelessness, and worthlessness, as well as thoughts of committing suicide. It is one of the most common mental illnesses, 17% of the population go through a depression episode. People who are between 13 and 35 years old are more exposed to a depression episode. The illness affects all people, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic standing. However, women are two to three times more likely than men to suffer from depression.

Depression causes serious changes in a person's feelings and outlook. A person with major depression feels sad nearly every day and may cry often. There are many different symptoms of depression: emotional, cognitive, and physical. The emotional symptoms are that they feel sad, and people, work, and activities that used to bring them pleasure no longer do. The cognitive symptoms are that they have negative view of self and life, poor concentration, hopelessness, and lack of motivation. Whereas, the physical symptoms are changes in appetite, change in sleeping patterns, and fatigue.

(b)Aaron Beck, in the 1960s proposed the Cognitive Triad, which suggested that depressed people tend to have negative thoughts about self, present experiences, and future. They focus on the negative aspects of any situation, misinterpreting facts in negative ways, and always blaming themselves for any misfortune. In Beck's view, people learn these self-defeating ways of looking at the world during early childhood. This negative thinking makes situations seem much worse than they really are and increases the risk of depression, especially in stressful situations. In support of this cognitive view, people with "depressive" personality traits appear to be more vulnerable than others to actual depression. Examples of depressive personality traits include gloominess, pessimism, introversion, self-criticism, excessive skepticism and criticism of others, deep feelings of inadequacy, and excessive brooding and worrying. In addition, people who regularly behave in dependent,