Mental Health- Young Adults and depression Essay

Mental Health- Young Adults and depression - Essay Example It is estimated that about 5.8 % of males and 9.5 % of females in the world experience a depressive episode every year (WHO 2001). Depression is a condition that should be differentiated from the normal feeling of sadness and decreased mood that is normal event in everyday’s life. There are several psychiatric conditions classified by the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM IV TR) that are characterized by depressed mood also called mood disorders. All of them can be characterized in two broader groups depending if person had manic episodes which are major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. There are many subtypes of these conditions, but they are all characterized with episodes of depressed mood, diminished sense of pleasure and interest, feelings of guilt and low self esteem, feeling of low energy and worthlessness, insomnia, changes in appetite with weight loss or weight gain and other symptoms that can be a major cause of disability in the nor mal functioning of one person and other symptoms (Sadock et al 2002). ... ity to think or concentrate; indecisiveness - Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, or specific plan for suicide (Kendler and Gardner 1998). Major depressive disorder is a condition without exact known pathopfisiology. Based on some clinical and pre - clinical trials it is suggested that disbalance of the serotonin, norepinefrine, dopamine and other neurotransmitters is the major etiological factor for depression. These conclusions are based mainly on the efficacy of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) and other specific antidepressants in treating the symptoms of major depression (Nutt 2008). The mechanism of action of these drugs is more complex than simply elevating the levels of serotonin for example, because other substances like cocaine for example that cause only short elevation of the neurotransmitter levels are not effective in controlling the symptoms of depression on a longer terms and can even cause depressive episodes (Viggiano et al. 2004). Also it is known that several weeks of treatment with antidepressive drugs are necessary in order to achieve changes in the symptoms (Quitkin et al. 1996). This suggest that the mechanism of action of antidepressants is more complex where antidepressants after the initial effect on neurotransmission trigger subsequent neuroplstic changes in the brain that will result in a longer-term in the psychologic behavior of the individual. This only suggest that other factors than serotonin levels, like social, psychological, environmental and other are important in the development and treatment of depression (Robert and Frazer 2002). Other theory that tries to implement more integrative approach in understanding the etiology of depression is Diathesis-stress model that concludes that depression