Major depressive disorder is a mental illness characterized by low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest in activities. It affects over 3% of Americans and can be disabling by impacting family, work, sleep, and eating habits. If left untreated, it may lead to higher risk of suicide and shorter life expectancy. Causes include genetic, biological, psychological, and social factors. Common treatments are medication, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive therapy which have shown success in managing symptoms and prognosis.

1. Chad Smith Mr. Jocham Ailment Project 5/20/11 Major Depressive Disorder

2. Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all encompassing low mood followed by low self-esteem , and by loss of pleasure or interest in enjoyable activities. Definition

5. Researchers are still trying to determine if medication facilitates suicide.The EFX of M.M.D.(Cont’d.)

8. Psychotherapy This is delivered to individuals suffering from this by psychotherapists, clinical social workers, psychiatrists, counselors, and other medical professionals pertaining to this disorder Psychotherapy has shown to be success amongst older people with the disorder.

9. This is a procedure in which pulses of electricity are sent to the brain to induce a seizure while the patient is on anesthesia. This usually has a quicker effect than most antidepressant therapies Electroconvulsive Therapy

10. Melancholic depression- Loss of pleasure in most normal activities Atypical depression- Mood reactivity which includes significant weight gain, increased sleeping pattern, and loss of social skills. Catatonic depression- Severe depression that involves disturbances of motor behavior, but it’s mostly rare. Postpartum depression- The intense disabling depression that affects women after giving birth. Seasonal depression- Depression that involves depressive episodes that occur in autumn or winter, but starts to ease during spring. Subtypes

11. Prognosis Most major depressive episodes tend to ease and resolve eventually over time with or without having treatment.

12. “Rain, rain, go away!” It’s a rainy day today and I’m in my house look out the window with sorrow just waiting for the sky to clear.

13. I always feel sorry for myself, but today it has gotten worse. “Oh, woe is me”

14. My home is my comfort zone, but it also feels like solitary confinement because I feel alone and out of touch with the “outside world”. Isolation

15. It’s just that I’m ashamed of myself and I don’t want anybody to look at my ugly face. “It’s not that I’m bored with school…”

16. I feel inferior to others and I practically let people walk over me like a mat. I’m weak

17. I feel like my appetite has increased and now I find myself eating every single minute. I mostly gorge myself with junk food like ice cream, chocolate, and cake. Eat! Eat! Eat!

18. I don’t really enjoy all the normal activities I used to do. Loss of Interest

19. Today this morning, I would usually wake up at eight in the morning, but now it’s two in the afternoon and I still haven’t woken up. “I just wanna sleep”

20. When I step out of class, everybody starts laughing at me and that just worsens my day in school. “Stop Laughing at me”

21. I feel that I’m so ugly that I need to put a brown paper bag over my head. “Brown paper bag”