What We Know About Depression
Clinical depression is a serious, often fatal illness that is so common it’s hard to recognize. Researchers estimate that almost 20 percent of the population meets the criteria for some form of depression at any given time. And that doesn’t mean people who are temporarily feeling the blues and will be better next week, but people who are having real difficulty functioning in life.
In terms of overall economic burden to our society, depression is the second most costly disease there is. The cost, estimated at $44 billion a year, includes direct treatment, unnecessary medical care, lost productivity, and shortened life span. It’s second only to cancer in terms of economic impact, approximately the same as the cost of heart disease and AIDS. In addition, the number of deaths from suicide each year is approximately the same as the number of deaths from AIDS.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1......................................................................................................................5
What We Know About Depression.................................................................................5
The Experience of Depression........................................................................................8
Recognizing Depression.................................................................................................9
CHAPTER 2....................................................................................................................11
Diagnosing Depression....................................................................................................11
Dysthymic Disorder......................................................................................................12
Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.............................................................13
Bipolar Disorder............................................................................................................14
Adjustment Disorder.....................................................................................................16
Mood Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition...................................................16
Seasonal Affective Disorder.........................................................................................17
CHAPTER 3....................................................................................................................18
Being Good at Depression..............................................................................................18
Why Depression is Self-Defeating................................................................................18
Case Study:...............................................................................................................20
CHAPTER 4....................................................................................................................22
Where to Begin................................................................................................................22
CHAPTER 5....................................................................................................................25
Dealing with Emotions....................................................................................................25
Learning to Feel............................................................................................................25
The Function of Defenses.............................................................................................26
Grief..............................................................................................................................30
Anger.............................................................................................................................32
Joy and Pride.................................................................................................................33
Learning to Express......................................................................................................34
CHAPTER 6....................................................................................................................36
Behavior...........................................................................................................................36
Setting Priorities............................................................................................................36
Working Productively...................................................................................................38
Self-Destructive Behavior.............................................................................................40
Assertive Behavior........................................................................................................41
CHAPTER 7....................................................................................................................44
Thinking...........................................................................................................................44
Distorted Perception and Bad Logic.............................................................................44
CHAPTER 8....................................................................................................................47
Relationships...................................................................................................................47
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Metacommunication.....................................................................................................48
Ambiguous Communication.........................................................................................49
Projection and Projective Identification........................................................................49
Relationships under Stress............................................................................................51
CHAPTER 9
Aids to Recovery.............................................................................................................54
Psychotherapy...............................................................................................................54
Medical Treatment........................................................................................................56
Tricyclics...................................................................................................................57
MAOIs......................................................................................................................57
Lithium......................................................................................................................57
Prozac and its Cousins..............................................................................................58
Family Support..............................................................................................................58
Bibliography....................................................................................................................60
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