Severe depression, also known as major depression, major depressive disorder (MDD) and clinical depression, refers to the constant feeling of hopelessness and as despair.
Severe depression can cause difficulty in working, studying, eating and sleeping while significantly decreasing appetite for happy activities and enjoyment with friends.
Severe depression can be experienced once in a lifetime but there are persons who suffer from this many times.
Symptoms of Severe Depression
With severe depression, a person suffers from a depressed mood in the entire day but most severely in the morning while losing interest in normal activities and also in having relationships either friendly or intimate.
Other symptoms of severe depression are fatigue or loss of energy, impaired concentration, indecisive, feeling of being worthless, thinking of committing suicide and about death, weight loss, insomnia and drastic decrease in almost all kinds of pleasurable or happy activities.
Risk Factors
Severe depression affects about 7 percent of the United States population and most of the individuals that suffer from this illness are over 18. Many of the sufferers are also women, about twice as many women than men since hormonal changes such as menstruation, miscarriage and pregnancy can increase the risk of suffering from severe depression.
Other instances which may increase risk for depression is when one is caring for an old parent, thinking on how to balance family and career or raising of child alone including stress in work.
Severe depression in men is defined by extreme actions such as anger, drug use. alcohol abuse and irritability. This can also lead to violent behavior against yourself or other people. other instances. Other happenings that can trigger severe depression are death of a loved one, physical, emotion or sexual abuse, social isolation and person conflicts such as in relationships.
Treatment
Severe depression can be treated through an antidepressant medication as recommended by your doctor. The doctor can also suggest talk therapy or psychotherapy to address your emotional state.
If drugs are ineffective to your depression or when symptoms are severe, shock therapy or electroconvulsive therapy can be suggested by the doctor.