A major depressive disorder refers to a deeply felt sense of sadness or despair that tends to overwhelm a person. It may have started out as a dark feeling but has progressed to an illness that affects every aspect of the person’s life.

A major depressive disorder can last from a few hours to a few years. Whatever the psychiatrists might say, it’s severe depression by any other name. There are a number of criteria to be considered when diagnosing the condition, but these taken by themselves can vary enormously.

Major depressive disorder can be more easily treated at the earlier stages.

• The concentration of a person with major depressive disorder is impaired.
• A clinically depressed person is unable to feel pleasure. Even the things that used to please him before seem to have no effect once he is into depression.
• The sleep of a depressed person is disturbed. Once he wakes up in the middle of the night, he finds it hard to fall back to sleep again.
• A depressed person has no appetite for food. Even favorite foods seem to be tasteless.
• The depressed person still feels tired even after sleeping for long hours.
• There is an intense feeling of guilt, hopelessness and helplessness in a depressed person. There is an event that happens in the past that seems to nag the person and caused him not to forgive himself or to feel extremely hopeless.
• At work, the depressed person seems to decline in productivity. He no longer delivers the way he used to.
• There is a remarkable change in the personality of the person that other people might find weird.
• Some people with depression experience extreme promiscuity.
• Others tend to isolate themselves, as if building a world of their own.
• Others resort to substance abuse such as alcohol and drugs.
• A sign of major depressive disorder in the worst stage is a small voice that continuously nags the person, providing negative thoughts. This small voice is created by the person’s continuous self-critical thoughts until it gained momentum and became independent. The person will no longer be able to control it once it has the momentum. It is the reason that causes the person to commit homicidal acts and suicide.
• Some depressed persons want to commit suicide.

Effective Psychotherapy For Major Depressive Disorder

Psychotherapy can help you deal with the negative emotional consequences of depressive illness. If you’ve been depressed, it’s not uncommon to feel a sense of guilt and worthlessness. You may feel that you’ve let other people down by becoming ill, and you may worry that your life will never be the same. Just talking about these feelings with a supportive, knowledgeable therapist can be a great relief.

Psychotherapy for major depressive disorder can take many forms and occur in a variety of settings. In some cases, a spouse or other family members may be encouraged to attend with you. It’s important that you find a therapist with whom you feel comfortable, or else therapy won’t be effective. Your therapist should be someone who is experienced in treating older people and who is sensitive to issues that are more likely to arise later in life.

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