Major depression: feeling of extreme sadness. See free access online books about Major depression below. See detailed information below for a list of 6 causes of Major depression, including diseases and drug side effect causes.
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Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Major depression, as listed in our database. Visit the Symptom Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
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Medical Books Excerpts Read excertps from published book sections related to Major depression from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Major depression. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Major depression
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
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Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose, and all can present in a variety of different severities. Diseases in this group include multiple...read more »
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Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be undiagnosed in teenagers. The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe medical depression to be overlooked. See misdiagnosis of depression or symptoms of depression....read more »
Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression) may also have undiagnosed anxiety disorders (see ...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Major depression
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Everyone gets the blues now and then. It’s part of life. But when there is little joy or pleasure after visiting with friends or after seeing a good movie, there may be a more serious problem. A depressed mood that stays around for a while, without let-up, can change the way a person thinks or feels. Doctors call this "clinical depression." (Source: excerpt from Depression: NWHIC)
Major depression: a mental disorder characterized by sustained depression of mood, anhedonia, sleep and appetite disturbances, and feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and hopelessness. Diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode (DSM-IV) include a depressed mood, a marked reduction of interest or pleasure in virtually all activities, or both, lasting for at least 2 weeks. In addition, 3 or more of the following must be present: gain or loss of weight, increased or decreased sleep, increased or decreased level of psychomotor activity, fatigue, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, diminished ability to concentrate, and recurring thoughts of death or suicide.endogenous depression, exogenous depression, bipolar disorder SYN: clinical depression, major depressive disorder (1).Major depression is the most common psychiatric disorder. According to the World Health Organization, it is the leading cause of disability worldwide among people aged 5 years and older. About 10% of men and 25% of women experience major depression at some time in their lives. Approximately 20 million people a year suffer depressive illness in the U.S., where the negative impact of this disease on the economy is estimated at $16 billion annually. Risk factors for depression are drug or alcohol abuse, chronic physical illness, stressful life events, social isolation, a history of physical or sexual abuse, and a family history of depressive illness. Depression can be masked by substance abuse. In old people, it may be mistaken for senile dementia, and vice versa; the two may coexist. The disorder is believed to result from an electrochemical malfunction of the limbic system involving disturbances in the metabolism of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. In people with familial depression, the number of glial cells in the subgenual prefrontal cortex is significantly smaller than in mentally healthy people. Treatment with psychopharmaceutical agents, including tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, and others, effectively controls most cases of clinical depression. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy has demonstrated some success in reversing depression. Refined methods of electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT) are used in cases that do not respond to other treatment. Even in severe depression the response rate with ECT is 80% or higher. This mode of therapy has a faster onset of action, causes fewer side effects than drug therapy, and is particularly useful in elderly patients.
Source: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
One or more periods of depression in the absence of history of manic or hypomanic episodes; chronic type lasts 2 or more years; melancholic type is more severe, has vegetative signs, and responds well to somatic therapy.
- (Source - CRISP)
The list below shows some of the causes of Major depression mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 6 causes of Major depression
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Major depression. Of the 6 causes of Major depression that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
See the analysis of the prevalence of 6 causes of Major depression
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Medical Conditions associated with Major depression:
Depressive symptoms (352 causes), Emotional symptoms (1141 causes), Common symptoms (7717 causes)
Symptoms related to Major depression:
Chronic insomnia, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Depression (352 causes), Dementia (192 causes), Renal failure (8 causes), Cirrhosis of liver, Alzheimer's disease (1 cause), Cocaine abuse, Huntington's disease
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Medical news articles related to Major depression include:
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