Overview
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is marked by symptoms that stick around for most of the day, almost every day, over a long period of time. These feelings can feel as if they are coming out of the blue and no longer reflect a natural response to difficult experiences in life. In fact, you may find yourself with negative emotions even when positive things happen to you. The symptoms of depression can affect many different areas of your life and may make it hard to attend to your regular responsibilities. Untreated MDD can lead to difficulty with academic or work attendance, difficulty studying or completing homework, substance use, worsened social, familial, and romantic relationships, and thoughts about suicide.
MDD is a common disorder, with a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 2016 study finding that 10.9% of adults aged 18-25 experiencing MDD within the last year. Nearly 21% of American adults experience depression at some point in their lifetime (Hasin et al). The NIMH found that 37% of those who had experienced depression in the last year did not seek any form of help.
Symptoms
Someone who exhibits the following factors is not guaranteed to have depression at some point in their life, but they are more likely to experience depression than someone who does not.
- High levels of neuroticism (emotional instability and negativity – highly reactive to stress)
- Frequent and/or intense adverse childhood experiences
- Genetics – people whose parents or close relatives have depression are more likely to experience depression themselves
- Having another mental health condition increases the likelihood of depression
- Some people are more likely to feel depressed during the fall and/or winter when there is less sunlight and they spend more time inside
Feelings:
- Sad or gloomy
- Flat, dull, or restricted
- Irritable, cranky, or aggressive
- Guilty or self-critical
- Empty, inadequate, or despondent
- Worthless, hopeless, or helpless
Physical experiences and behaviors:
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Change in appetite, either increased or decreased
- Fatigue, tiredness, lack of energy
- Change in sleeping patterns, either difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
- Decreased sex drive
- Frequent crying
- Spending more time alone, avoiding friends and family
- Decreased motivation to engage in things you previously enjoyed
- Arguing with people more often
- Poor hygiene and self-care habits
- Substance use
- Self-harm
- Suicide attempt
Thoughts:
- Nobody likes me
- Things will never get better
- I'm a burden to others, they would be better off without me
- I'm a failure
- I can't take much more of this
- I wish I were dead
Treatment
Whether from professionals or from important people in your life, having support is crucial to recovering from depression. Working with CAPS or mental health professionals at a different location can help you learn important skills for managing depression and re-engaging with your life.
Outside of therapy, consulting with a medical professional about whether or not medication may be helpful for you can be an important step. Physical factors can have a huge impact on depression, so do your best to maintain or improve the quality of your diet, exercise, and sleep. While you're unlikely to feel motivated to do many things while you're experiencing depression, staying active and engaging with meaningful activities is vitally important to getting better. Even small steps can help.
Resources
Below are resources you can refer to now to begin making progress.
Online:
- The National Institute of Mental Health – Major Depression
- The Joy of Depression (1-hour workshop)
Books
Workbooks:
- The mindfulness & acceptance workbook for depression
- The mindful way through depression: freeing yourself from chronic unhappiness
- The cognitive behavioral workbook for depression: a step-by-step program
- Coping with the seasons: a cognitive-behavioral approach to seasonal affective disorder