Major Depressive Disorder: Psychological Analysis, Policy, and Impact

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), also known as depression. It explores the disorder's causes, including genetic, environmental, and psychological factors, as well as the various signs and symptoms that affect a person's life, such as low mood, loss of interest, and physical symptoms. The essay also discusses associated conditions like anxiety and substance abuse, and delves into the policies related to the disorder. Furthermore, it examines the impact of MDD on individuals' daily lives, including work, relationships, and overall health, while highlighting the importance of screening and treatment. The essay references relevant research and studies to support its claims, offering a thorough overview of the complexities of major depressive disorder.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER
PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER
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Author Note

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MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
Major Depressive Disorder is also known as depression in clinical terms. It is a
mental disorder that is characterized by quintessential two weeks of low mood/ aversion of
activity that has been present across most situations. The Most Depressive Disorder is
accompanied by low self confidence, lack of interest in daily matters and normally enjoyable
activities, low energy and pain without a clear cause. The depressed people occassionally
have false beliefs regarding various aspects of life or see or hear things that other people do
not. Some patients have periods of depression seperated by years of normalcy while the other
patients always have the symptoms available. The psychological illness of Major Depressive
Disorder can affect a person’s life in a completely negative way. Their daily work, including
working, studying, eating and general habits can be highly affected by the depressive
episodes that the patients of the respective disease often face. It has been estimated that
throughout the world, people who are diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder die due to
attempted suicide or psychosomatic illnesses (Otte et al., 2016). Major Depressive Disorder
has become an epidemic in today’s cosmopolitan society where a different kind of depression
and loneliness has grappled the mind of the modern man and woman. The American
Psychiatric Association (APA) has successfully added Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM- III) in the year 1980. The
Major Depressive Disorder is a cosmopolitan mental illness that is very common in men,
women and children alike, however, societal conditionings and patriarchal oppression seems
to grapple women with the disorder more than men (Kupfer, Frank & Phillips, 2016).
CAUSES OF THE DISORDER
The exact causes of the disorder (Major Depressive Disorder MDD) is still unknown
to the psychoanalysists and the researchers. However, it has been estimated that the main and

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customary causes of the disorder can be linked with genetic, environmental and
psychological factors. The certain risks factors that underly the disorder are family history of
the condition, major life changes, side effects of certain medication, chronic health problems
and substance abuse history. It has also been examined that about more than 40 per cent of
the cases have shown risk factors underlying in the familial history. Females are effected as
twice as that of the males studies found out (Ferrari et al., 2013).
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF THE DISORDER
The major depressive disorder affects a person’s family and personal relationships,
educational, professional life, love and family life, eating and sleeping habits and allover
health of a person. The impact of major depression on the physical and mental health of a
patient is compared to symptoms of chronic health issues and medical condition such as
diabetes. Psychosomatic effects on the body, such as losing or gaining weight, weakness in
the body, losing eyesight or hallucinating, feeling of worthlessness and delusional feeling can
cause physical symptoms such as neck pain, back and head pain. The patients typically go
through a semi psychiatric disorder which is known as anhedonia, which means inability to
experience pleasure in all the activities that were pleasurable before while a patient suffers
from mild to chronic symptom of major depressive disorder. Depressive people tend to be
preoccupied thoughts and fears of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, self blame that can lead
to self harm and suicidal thoughts, thoughts of regret, hopelessness and helplessness. Self
harted is another quintessential characteristics of depressed people. They utilize many
irrational thinking in order to blame them for the deeds which they deem to be have done
wrong. However, the environment where the patient is surviving also depends upon its
repressed or expressed symptoms, for instance, if a housewife suffers from depression and
the in-laws do not understand her or make the situation more toxic, she might suffer more
from depression and at times, can also be suicidal or in any unfortunate case, she can even

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committ homicide. In several cases, depressed people may have symptoms of psychosis. The
symptoms of depression include poor concentration in studies and poor memory, withdrawal
from social situations and activities, a terrible reduction in sex drive, irritability and thoughts
of death and suicide. Insomnia is common among the depressed people (Slavich & Irwin,
2014).
ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS
The major forms of depression occur with other psychiatric problems. It has been
found out through active research that people with major depression have other psychological
disorders such as lifetime anxiety and other disorders such as generalized anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of anxiety can increase the level of illness where there are instances such as
delay in recovery, increase in the risk of relapse, greater form of disability and increased rate
of suicide attempts. There are cases of increase in rate of alcohol and drug abuse. Post
traumatic stress disorder in depression often occur in such times to the patients (Bora et al.,
2013).
CAUSES
The actual causes of major depressive disorder is unknown. The biological, social and
psychological factors all play a major role in instilling depression in the mind of the patients,
as far as the biopsychological model proposes. Childhood physical, psychological and sexual
abuse are the risk factors for depression among the other psychiatric issues (Lasalvia et al.,
2013). Childhood trauma also correlates with severity of depression, lack of response of
treatment and the length of treatment. However, genetic studies have found that some genes
are more susceptable to depression than that of the other genes. Depression can also come as
secondary with certain chronic or terminal illness. Illness such as HIV/ AIDS or asthma are
so severe that people who suffer from such diseases often succumb to depression. Certain

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healthcare professionals believe that such depression happen due to such diseases due to the
inferior quality of life due to such illness, or it can also be latrogenic, which means
depression can be caused with induction of drugs and other healthcare activities. Drug abuse
in early ages can also be the reasons behind developing depression in the later life.
Depression that also occur during the time and after pregnancy is called postpartum
depression because of the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
Another depression which is also called seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression
that results with decreased sunlight and changes with season (Kupferberg, Bicks & Hasler,
2016).
POLICY RELATED TO MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
In the year 2016, the institution named the United States Preventive Services Task Force
recommended the screening and observation of the adult population with an evidence that it
increases the detection of people with depression with proper treatment and outcomes of
improvement. According to their recommendation, the screening would also be between
people between age 12 to 18.

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Bora, E., Harrison, B. J., Yücel, M., & Pantelis, C. (2013). Cognitive impairment in euthymic
major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis. Psychological medicine, 43(10), 2017-
2026.
Ferrari, A. J., Somerville, A. J., Baxter, A. J., Norman, R., Patten, S. B., Vos, T., &
Whiteford, H. A. (2013). Global variation in the prevalence and incidence of major
depressive disorder: a systematic review of the epidemiological
literature. Psychological medicine, 43(3), 471-481.
Kupfer, D. J., Frank, E., & Phillips, M. L. (2016). Major depressive disorder: new clinical,
neurobiological, and treatment perspectives. Focus, 14(2), 266-276.
Kupferberg, A., Bicks, L., & Hasler, G. (2016). Social functioning in major depressive
disorder. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 69, 313-332.
Lasalvia, A., Zoppei, S., Van Bortel, T., Bonetto, C., Cristofalo, D., Wahlbeck, K., ... &
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