Being diagnosed with Depressive Disorder
I was diagnosed with Depressive Disorder, the year of 2004. Since I entered junior high school, I lost motivation in anything that I did, and started thinking about suicide a lot. There has been three times when I tried to commit suicide, and end up in the hospital. I am still living with depression. I am always loosing interest in everything.
What is Depressive Disorder?
Everyone experiences feelings of unhappiness and sadness occasionally. But when these depressed feelings start to dominate everyday life and cause physical and mental deterioration, they become what are known as depressive disorders. Each year in the United States, depressive disorders affect an estimated 17 million people at an approximate annual direct and indirect cost of $53 billion. One in four women is likely to experience an episode of severe depression in her lifetime, with a 10-20% lifetime prevalence, compared to 5-10% for men. The average age a first depressive episode occurs is in the mid-20s, although the disorder strikes all age groups indiscriminately, from children to the elderly.
There are two main categories of depressive disorders: major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder. Major depressive disorder is a moderate to severe episode of depression lasting two or more weeks. Individuals experiencing this major depressive episode may have trouble sleeping, lose interest in activities they once took pleasure in, experience a change in weight, have difficulty concentrating, feel worthless and hopeless, or have a preoccupation with death or suicide. In children, the major depression may appear as irritability.
While major depressive episodes may be acute (intense but short-lived), dysthymic disorder is an ongoing, chronic depression that lasts two or more years (one or more years in children) and has an average duration of 16 years. The mild to moderate depression of dysthymic disorder may rise and fall in intensity, and those afflicted with the disorder may experience some periods of normal, non-depressed mood of up to two months in length. Its onset is gradual, and dysthymic patients may not be able to pinpoint exactly when they started feeling depressed. Individuals with dysthymic disorder may experience a change in sleeping and eating patterns, low self-esteem, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness.
Depression also can occur in bipolar disorder, an affective mental illness that causes radical emotional changes and mood swings, from manic highs to depressive lows. The majority of bipolar individuals experience alternating episodes of mania and depression.
Signs of Depression
Lack of interest or pleasure in daily activitiesSignificant weight loss (without dieting) or weight gainDifficulty sleeping or excessive sleepingLoss of energyFeelings of worthlessness or guiltDifficulty in making decisionsRestlessnessRecurrent thoughts of death
うつ病と診断されて・・・
私は2004年にうつ病と診断されました。中学生の頃から何に対してもやる気が起きず、何度も死ぬことだけを考えた日もありました。3度ほど、自殺未遂をして、精神科に入院したこともありました。今もなお、私はうつ病と闘っています。何にもやる気をなくしているのが現状です。
うつ病とは
「気分」というのは、「感情」などの言葉に対して、持続時間が長く変化しにくい状態を指すものとして用いられ、「気分障害」とは、気分にまつわる障害全般を表しています。特に「躁」と「うつ」が主要なもので、躁とうつを繰り返すものを躁うつ病、いずれか一方のみが現れるものを躁病、あるいはうつ病と言います。
躁の状態では、睡眠をあまりとっていないのに、仕事を苦なく続けるなど活動性が異常に高まったり、いつもよりぺらぺらとしゃべったり、急に怒りっぽくなったり、気の大きいことを言って何千万もする買い物をしたりします。
逆に撃つの状態では、食欲などの欲求が感じられない、だらだらしてやる気が起きない、体もだるい、喜べないし、なんだか悲しい、暗い考えしか浮かばない、場合によっては死にたくなったり自殺を試みたりすることもあります。
なお、うつは単一の病気と思われやすいのですが、一般的な理解と異なり、持続的な薬物療法が推奨される重い「病」のレベルから、性格傾向や神経症のレベルの物、一過性の軽いもので様々な形態で現れる。