Depression Learning

Severe Depression

Ranging from mild, moderate, and on to severe, depression is the main theme in the American Psychiatric Association’s published book: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition or DSM-IV. This manual uses these three adjectives as terms to assess degrees of depression. The manual also serves as a reference guide for signs of depression, types of depression, depression diagnosis, and depression side effects. Whether used by medical providers, psychiatrists, therapists, researchers, health insurance companies, or policy makers, the DSM-IV has described mental health problems that can affect both adults and children. Medical professionals study the book for information on these conditions and generally choose a system of treatment based on their diagnosis.

The DSM-IV evaluates a depression as mild if the depressed person exhibits few depression symptoms such as irritability, fatigue, and a prolonged sense of sadness. Although the symptoms do not interfere with daily routine, the individual struggles to maintain normalcy in his or her life. Once the doctor examines and talks with the depressed patient, he may select an appropriate course of depression treatment for the patient.

In a moderate depression, the affected person may experience even more symptoms of depression, such as abnormal increase or decrease in appetite, inability to sleep, and lost interest in everyday activities, even pleasant ones. Of course, whether mild or moderate depression, depression symptoms can fluctuate, sometimes two or more striking at once or perhaps all symptoms come into play. No symptom is necessarily consistent, for depression is anything but a consistent illness.

Regardless of the symptoms in moderate depression, the depressive episode may last longer. The disorder could negatively affect the person’s entire life. If left untreated, depression could worsen, becoming severe depression. In this case, most of the depression symptoms are present, along with increasing self-hatred, mental anguish, and perhaps, complete withdrawal from society. The depressed person also may be unable to function at any level and will begin to abandon personal hygiene. Some may even develop psychotic traits, such as delusions.

As their lives become more and more intolerable, the severely depressed man, woman, or young person may want to end their pain by committing suicide. Male depression, female depression, teenage depression, and child depression are all categories of depression which reveal that it is an indiscriminate disease; and anyone of any gender and at any age can become its target. Even in modern societies many people do not know how widespread this problem has grown; their beliefs about depression can blind them to the fact that depression should be taken seriously.

Research has revealed that people who are suffering long-term diseases can also become severely depressed. For example, doctors have discovered that cancer patients are prone to depression; and, depending on the cancer, some may lapse into a severe depression. Heart patients also can fall into a depressive state with tendencies towards severe depression. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, those patients who have developed heart disease and have a depression diagnosis are more apt to suffer heart failure, regardless of taking antidepressant drugs. Severe depression should never be lightly regarded and should always be treated as a serious disorder by everyone, whether depressed or not.

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