MDD

• INTRODUCTION

  What is depression?

  Depression is a serious mood disorder that affects your whole body including your mood and thoughts. It touches every part of your life. It’s important to know that depression is not a weakness or character flaw. It’s a chemical imbalance in your brain that needs to be treated.
• What is clinical depression (major depressive disorder)?

  • Clinical depression, also known as major depressive disorder (MDD), is a mental health condition that causes a persistently low or depressed mood and a loss of interest in activities that once brought joy.

  • Clinical depression is a chronic condition, but it usually occurs in episodes, which can last several weeks or months. You’ll likely have more than one episode in your lifetime.
• Seasonal affective disorder, also known as seasonal depression, is a type of depression triggered by the change of seasons and most commonly begins in late fall.
• Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include feelings of sadness, lack of energy, loss of interest in usual activities, oversleeping, and weight gain.
• Treatments for seasonal affective disorder include light therapy, talk therapy, and antidepressants.
• Prenatal depression is depression that happens during pregnancy.
• Depression symptoms during pregnancy can include extreme or ongoing sadness, anxiety, fatigue, and changes in sleeping and eating habits.
• In severe cases of prenatal depression, people can harm themselves or their babies.
• Treatments for prenatal depression include therapy and medications.
• Postpartum depression (PPD) is a type of depression that happens after someone gives birth.
• Postpartum depression can affect the birthing person, surrogates, and adoptive parents.
• People experience hormonal, physical, emotional, financial, and social changes after having a baby, which can cause symptoms of postpartum depression.
• Postpartum blues or baby blues affect between 50% and 75% of people after delivery.
• If you're experiencing the baby blues, you will have frequent, prolonged bouts of crying for no apparent reason, sadness, and anxiety.
• The condition usually begins in the first week (one to four days) after delivery.
• Although the experience is unpleasant, the condition usually subsides within two weeks without treatment.
• The best thing to do is find support and ask for help from friends, family, or your partner.
• Postpartum depression is a far more serious condition than baby blues, affecting about 1 in 7 new parents.
• If you've had postpartum depression before, your risk increases to 30% each pregnancy.
• You may experience alternating highs and lows, frequent crying, irritability, and fatigue, as well as feelings of guilt, anxiety, and inability to care for your baby or yourself.
• Symptoms range from mild to severe and may appear within a week of delivery or gradually, even up to a year later.
• Postpartum psychosis is an extremely severe form of postpartum depression and requires emergency medical attention.
• This condition is relatively rare, affecting only 1 in 1,000 people after delivery.
• Postpartum psychosis requires immediate medical attention since there is an increased risk of suicide and risk of harm to the baby.
• Treatment for postpartum psychosis usually includes hospitalization, psychotherapy, and medication.
• Atypical depression

  • Atypical depression is a type of depression in which you experience a temporary boost in mood in response to positive events.

  • Other symptoms specific to atypical depression include increased appetite, hypersomnia, and rejection sensitivity. It’s treatable with psychotherapy and antidepressants.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition in which you have frequent unwanted thoughts and sensations (obsessions) that cause you to perform repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
• Typical and atypical depression are both mental health conditions that involve prolonged feelings of sadness and hopelessness.
• In atypical depression, your mood can temporarily brighten because of positive events, such as a fun birthday party.
• In typical major depression, your depressed mood is usually constant.
• Typical depression often causes a loss of appetite and insomnia, while atypical depression usually causes an increase in appetite and feeling sleepy despite sleeping enough or too much.
• Atypical depression tends to begin at an earlier age and last longer, often becoming a chronic condition, than typical depression.
• Symptoms and causes

  
• Symptoms and causes

  
• Symptoms and causes

  
• Symptoms and causes

  
• Symptoms and causes

  
• Risk factors

  
• Who is likely more diagnosed with depression?

  ●

  Women are diagnosed with depression more often

  than men

  , but men can also be depressed. Because men may be less likely to recognize, talk about, and seek help for their feelings or emotional problems, they are at greater risk of depression symptoms being undiagnosed or undertreated.

  
• Diagnostic tests

  Physical examination

  • Your doctor may do a physical exam and ask questions about your health. In some cases, depression may be linked to an underlying physical health problem.