Psychology Fundamentals: MDD Symptoms, Gender, and Treatment

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), examining its clinical manifestations, including symptoms such as cortical alterations, sleep disturbances, and sexual dysfunction. It delves into the impact of MDD on different demographics, particularly adolescents, and highlights the role of gender in symptom expression. The essay further explores the application of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a treatment modality, discussing the benefits of techniques like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving cognitive function and addressing the neural alterations associated with MDD. Statistical data supports the effectiveness of CBT, offering insights into the recovery rates among affected individuals. References to key research papers are provided, offering a foundation for further study.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY FUNDAMENTAL
Psychology Fundamentals
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Table of Contents
Literature Review............................................................................................................................3
Discussion of the Major Depressive disorder, symptoms, and way through which it affects the
demographic................................................................................................................................3
Major symptoms of MDD...........................................................................................................3
Role of gender in expressing the symptoms of MDD.................................................................4
Treatment of MDD by using cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT............................................4
References....................................................................................................................................6

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Literature Review
Discussion of the Major Depressive disorder, symptoms, and way through which it affects
the demographic
Major depressive disorder refers to the clinical depression. This is a significant medical status,
which leaves a major effect on the various aspects of the life. Major depressive disorder of MDD
is one kind of mental disorder that affects the health of the individuals (Slavich & Irwin, 2014).
The major causes of MDD are changing appetite, overeating, and irregular sleep, use of steroids,
hypothyroidism and drug and alcohol abuse. Such factors lead the individuals to face MDD. The
major symptoms of MDD include an inability to focus on something, irritability, gain or loss of
the weight, agitation, restlessness, unusual tiredness and lack of energy. People at the age group
of 25-44 years are mostly affected by MDD. On the other hand, adolescence people who are
below 18 years are also affected by MDD (Schmaal et al., 2017). As per the statistical data, 6%
to 8% of the adolescence people are affected by MDD as they face depression at their school or
college. The college students have a suicidal thought who have been suffering from the major
depressive disorder. A critical disorder is one of the major symptoms of MDD that is found in
the adolescence people.
Major symptoms of MDD
Cortical alternation is one of the major impacts of the Major depressive disorder. However, due
to the alternation of the cortical structure, the brain is affected as a result, people started to feel
irritation, anxiety, and lack of energy (Schmaal et al., 2017). On the other hand, people can lose
their concentration power due to the changes in the cortical structure. Mostly the adolescence
people face these problems due to the occurrence of MDD. Another major symptom is the

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disturbance in sleep that is occurred due to the Major depression disorder. In the case of
teenagers’ people, the depression occurs due to the high pressure of study or any personal
problem. This leads the teenage people to face high depression in their life. As argued by
Greenberg et al., (2015), drug and alcohol use is very common in teenagers and young aged
people. These result in the occurrence of MDD in this age group of people. Due to the extreme
level of anxiety, the adolescence people often commit suicide while they are suffering from
MDD. People lose their physical activities due to the MDD. Therefore, they face trouble thinking
and making any decision. Inappropriate appetite is one of the major reasons for MDD, which
leads the people to gain weight. Apart from these, the sexual dysfunction is a vital symptom of
MDD that occurs in both male and female.
Role of gender in expressing the symptoms of MDD
Gender plays an important role in expressing the symptom of the Major depressive disorder. As
per the statistical data, it has been found that 89% of female are attacked by MDD where the
percentage of the male is 57. However, in the female, the sexual dysfunction is more prominent
in comparison to male. It has been received that the female face more complexity due to sexual
dysfunction (Lai, 2011). The lower sexual drive is the major sexual dysfunction that is seen in
female due to the MDD. Therefore, the lower orgasm and lower sexual arousal are found in the
female patients that are affected by the major depressive disorder. Based on the research it has
been received that the female patients are more sexually impaired and experienced the sadness
and pain in comparison to the male patients due to the occurrence of MDD.
Treatment of MDD by using cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT
The major depressive disorder is a serious psychiatric disorder that causes the alternation in the
brain of the individuals. In order to deal with this disorder use of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy

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or CBT is beneficial. This therapy recovers the neural alternation, which is occurred due to the
MDD. Transactional direct current stimulation or tDCS is a major part of CBT that is capable to
influence the prefrontal cortex activity (Bajbouj et al., 2017). This stimulation also activates the
cognitive function. As a result, the people those are affected by MDD are able to regain their
memory. The tDCS is a good example of cognitive behavioral therapy, which improves the
condition of the people those have been suffering from MDD. However, the memory dysfunction
is the big effect of MDD, which can be recovered by using the tDCS. According to the statistical
data, it has been found that approx 50% of the adolescence people who are affected by MDD
have improved their condition by CBT therapy (van der Velden et al., 2015). However, it has
been found, approx 14.8 million adults in Australia have been suffering from major depressive
disorder due to the alcohol abuse. Hence, application of CBT therapy brings a new opportunity
for the medical science to restore the zest of life in the context of any individual. Therefore, the
people are able to think in a healthier manner by following the CBT treatment.

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References
Bajbouj, M., Aust, S., Spies, J., Herrera-Melendez, A. L., Mayer, S. V., Peters, M., ... & Behler,
N. (2017). PsychotherapyPlus: augmentation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with
prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in major depressive disorder—
study design and methodology of a multicenter double-blind randomized placebo-
controlled trial. European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 1-12.
Greenberg, P. E., Fournier, A. A., Sisitsky, T., Pike, C. T., & Kessler, R. C. (2015). The
economic burden of adults with major depressive disorder in the United States (2005 and
2010). The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 76(2), 155-162.
Lai, C. H. (2011). Major depressive disorder: gender differences in symptoms, life quality, and
sexual function. Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 31(1), 39-44.
Schmaal, L., Hibar, D. P., Sämann, P. G., Hall, G. B., Baune, B. T., Jahanshad, N., ... &
Vernooij, M. W. (2017). Cortical abnormalities in adults and adolescents with major
depression based on brain scans from 20 cohorts worldwide in the ENIGMA Major
Depressive Disorder Working Group. Molecular psychiatry, 22(6), 900.
Slavich, G. M., & Irwin, M. R. (2014). From stress to inflammation and major depressive
disorder: a social signal transduction theory of depression. Psychological bulletin, 140(3),
774.
van der Velden, A. M., Kuyken, W., Wattar, U., Crane, C., Pallesen, K. J., Dahlgaard, J., ... &
Piet, J. (2015). A systematic review of mechanisms of change in mindfulness-based

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cognitive therapy in the treatment of recurrent major depressive disorder. Clinical
psychology review, 37, 26-39.