Overview

Overview – Depressive Disorders, Part 1

According to the World Health Organization, mood disorders involving depression are now the leading cause of disability and poor health worldwide, affecting more than 300 million people on Planet Earth. That is getting close to the entire estimated population of the USA. In addition, nearly half of individuals who are diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, which is a separate mental-health condition that can compound the disability and poor health.

Depressive disorders impact all genders, races, ages, economic groups, and backgrounds and are a leading trigger for divorce. Take depression, for instance. More females are diagnosed with depression than males. This may be a true representation of gender differences, or the data may simply reflect the fact that fewer males tend to seek help for depressive disorders. It is not considered macho or quintessentially male for a man to admit that he struggles with depression. Even when males do seek help, the symptoms they exhibit may lead to a misdiagnosis because depression tends to be exhibited differently in males than females. Estimates are that it takes 10 years and 3 different health professionals to properly diagnose depression in males.

Anhedonia, a core clinical feature of many depressive disorders, is an inability to experience pleasure in activities a person normally enjoys. Eventually it may lead to the perception that life is not worth living, including a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. In this 21^st century, with its plethora of Internet activities around the clock, there is some speculation that sleep-deprivation may be a contributor to anhedonia. A study published in npj Digital Medicine pointed out that in addition to getting sufficient sleep for your brain, having regular bedtime and wake-up times is also important. Irregular sleep schedules can disrupt circadian rhythms and may cause or exacerbate existing mental health problems. In fact, sleep is independently linked with longevity. 

Depressive Disorders, Part 1, presents information on four different types, one each day for four days:

1. Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
2. Major Depressive Disorder – Single Episode 
3. Major Depressive Disorder – Recurrent Episodes 
4. Persistent depressive disorder or Dysthymia  

On the fifth day, the Team reviews each of the depressive disorders, helping you to fix the information in your memory and to reaffirm the strategies for dealing with each type. Typically, the average adult needs to review information three or four times to move it from short-term memory into long-term memory and then be able to recall it. 

This concludes the Overview for Depressive Disorders, Part 1.