Chronic depression, also referred to as dysthymia or chronic depression is a mood disorder. Chronic depression is defined any feelings of hopelessness and unhappiness that persists for more than two weeks, and it is different from psychotic depression. With psychotic depression, the illness is accompanied by some form of psychosis, such as delusions, detachment from reality, and hallucinations. In addition to emotional disturbances, chronic depression is also like to sensory disturbances, such as atypical facial pain.
The Limbic System and Depression
Depression is a disorder that affects a person’s mood, and to study the molecular aspects of depression, researchers have focused on a particular part of the brain, the limbic system. When the limbic system is disrupted it can lead to depression. Researchers have shown that the limbic system which is said to intricate plays a major role in the mediation of emotions, physical and sexual drives, and stress responses. There are numerous structures of the limbic system that are particularly important when it comes to depression, and these areas include, but are not limited to the amygdala, hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. The activities of the limbic are so important and complex that disturbances in any part of it, including how neurotransmitters function, could affect your mood and behavior. Depression and Neurotransmitters Prior studies have shown that there is link between depression and pain, and due to the association between depression and pain, studies have focused on dopaminergic areas of the brain, which can be malfunctioning in depression (Taylor, 2015). The mesolimbic dopamine system, consisting of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) projecting to the nucleus accumbens, plays a critical role in reward and pleasure-seeking (Taylor, 2013). Dopamine cell bodies are transported from The VTA to the nucleus accumbens. When these dopaminergic cell bodies reach the nucleus accumbens, a person then seeks pleasure or motivation. In order for someone to be motivated to seek a reward, the VTA and the NaC must be stimulated. Studies have shown that chronic pain impairs the function of this dopamine system (Taylor, 2015). Furthermore, the decrease in dopamine might also explain the occurrence of depression and anxiety in the chronic pain population. Another neurotransmitter that plays a role in depression is serotonin. Serotonin has been identified as one of the many neurotransmitters that function within structures of the brain to regulate emotions, reactions to stress and the physical drives of sleep, appetite and sexuality. An imbalance of this particular neurotransmitter is said to induce depression. Imbalance of serotonin can be due to low levels of tryptophan, the chemical from which serotonin is made, serotonin neurotransmitter is not correctly binding to its ligand, or serotonin is failing to reach the receptive sites. One proposed theory about how depression progresses centers on the regeneration of brain cells -- a process that some believe is mediated by serotonin, and ongoing throughout our lives. According to (Citation), depression may occur when there is a suppression of new brain cells and that stress is the most important precipitator of depression. Behavioral …show more content…
For example, consistently moving away, for young children may consequently cause the child to lose touch with prior friends. In addition, the child might not have the social skills necessary to easily make new friends and could become depressed. Similarly, a woman who has been fired from her job and encounters difficulty finding a new job might become depressed.
In later dates behaviorists did not pay much attention to people's thoughts, perceptions, evaluations or expectations (Nemade, PH. D, Reiss, PH. D, & Dombeck, PH. D, 2007). Instead they focused on their external and directly observable and measurable behavior. Medical doctors were aware of the internal feelings and thoughts, but because they thought of them as relatively irrelevant to the process of influencing behavior, and they were too difficult to measure with any accuracy they were never closely examined (Nemade et el., 2007). More recently, research has shown that internal events such as perceptions, expectations, values, attitudes, personal evaluations of self and others, fears, desires, and other things do affect behavior, and are important to take into account when doing therapy. As a result, researchers feel that old-fashioned behavioral approaches to treating depression are not as popular today as they used to
The Limbic System and Depression
Depression is a disorder that affects a person’s mood, and to study the molecular aspects of depression, researchers have focused on a particular part of the brain, the limbic system. When the limbic system is disrupted it can lead to depression. Researchers have shown that the limbic system which is said to intricate plays a major role in the mediation of emotions, physical and sexual drives, and stress responses. There are numerous structures of the limbic system that are particularly important when it comes to depression, and these areas include, but are not limited to the amygdala, hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. The activities of the limbic are so important and complex that disturbances in any part of it, including how neurotransmitters function, could affect your mood and behavior. Depression and Neurotransmitters Prior studies have shown that there is link between depression and pain, and due to the association between depression and pain, studies have focused on dopaminergic areas of the brain, which can be malfunctioning in depression (Taylor, 2015). The mesolimbic dopamine system, consisting of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) projecting to the nucleus accumbens, plays a critical role in reward and pleasure-seeking (Taylor, 2013). Dopamine cell bodies are transported from The VTA to the nucleus accumbens. When these dopaminergic cell bodies reach the nucleus accumbens, a person then seeks pleasure or motivation. In order for someone to be motivated to seek a reward, the VTA and the NaC must be stimulated. Studies have shown that chronic pain impairs the function of this dopamine system (Taylor, 2015). Furthermore, the decrease in dopamine might also explain the occurrence of depression and anxiety in the chronic pain population. Another neurotransmitter that plays a role in depression is serotonin. Serotonin has been identified as one of the many neurotransmitters that function within structures of the brain to regulate emotions, reactions to stress and the physical drives of sleep, appetite and sexuality. An imbalance of this particular neurotransmitter is said to induce depression. Imbalance of serotonin can be due to low levels of tryptophan, the chemical from which serotonin is made, serotonin neurotransmitter is not correctly binding to its ligand, or serotonin is failing to reach the receptive sites. One proposed theory about how depression progresses centers on the regeneration of brain cells -- a process that some believe is mediated by serotonin, and ongoing throughout our lives. According to (Citation), depression may occur when there is a suppression of new brain cells and that stress is the most important precipitator of depression. Behavioral …show more content…
For example, consistently moving away, for young children may consequently cause the child to lose touch with prior friends. In addition, the child might not have the social skills necessary to easily make new friends and could become depressed. Similarly, a woman who has been fired from her job and encounters difficulty finding a new job might become depressed.
In later dates behaviorists did not pay much attention to people's thoughts, perceptions, evaluations or expectations (Nemade, PH. D, Reiss, PH. D, & Dombeck, PH. D, 2007). Instead they focused on their external and directly observable and measurable behavior. Medical doctors were aware of the internal feelings and thoughts, but because they thought of them as relatively irrelevant to the process of influencing behavior, and they were too difficult to measure with any accuracy they were never closely examined (Nemade et el., 2007). More recently, research has shown that internal events such as perceptions, expectations, values, attitudes, personal evaluations of self and others, fears, desires, and other things do affect behavior, and are important to take into account when doing therapy. As a result, researchers feel that old-fashioned behavioral approaches to treating depression are not as popular today as they used to