Is Depression A Mental Illness? Exploring The Medical Perspective
Numerous reputable medical and mental health professional sources agree that depression is a severe mental illness that can cause substantial distress and disturbance in a person’s life and functionality. Read on to explore the medical perspective of depression and how it can affect the way someone thinks, acts, and feels.
What is mental illness?
According to researchers at the American Psychiatric Association, mental illnesses are health conditions that involve changes to a person’s actions, thoughts, or emotions. Mental health conditions are generally associated with cognitive, emotional, or physical disruption and distress. The organization said approximately 19% of American adults experience a form of mental illness.
Exploring the medical perspective of depression
“For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.” — The Mayo Clinic
Recognizing depression signs
Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health discussed common symptoms generally seen in most people with depression. However, it can be important to note that depression can look different in everyone.
Common depression symptoms include:
- Persistent moods of sadness, anxiety, emptiness, or hopelessness
- Irritability, restlessness, or frustration, often over insignificant issues
- Fixating on past mistakes, misplaced guilt, or feelings of worthlessness
- Slowed speech, movements, and thoughts
- Anhedonia—Loss or decrease of interest in or pleasure from previously favored activities
- Social isolation
- Drastic shifts in eating and sleep habits
- Intense, persistent fatigue
- Feeling the sadness will last forever, so there is no point in treatment
- Unexplained physical pain with no obvious cause—headache, stomachache, or muscle tension
- Difficulty thinking, focusing, or making decisions
- Suicidal thoughts or actions—This requires immediate treatment.
If you or a loved one are experiencing suicidal thoughts, seek help immediately. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 988 and is available 24/7.
Overview of various mood disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, lists several mood disorder classifications to help explain how people experience depression.
Major depressive disorder
People who experience intense depression symptoms—such as loss of interest in previously favored activities, social withdrawal, and unhappy mood—for more than two weeks, causing severe functional impairment in multiple areas, may have major depressive disorder.
Bipolar disorder
Previously called manic depression, bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling between overly-energized periods of extreme mood and behavioral symptoms called mania and extended depressive periods. Mania can cause severe impairment and induce psychosis in critical cases.
Seasonal affective disorder
Many people experience depression symptoms with season changes, typically with summer and winter weather shifts. Seasonal affective disorder typically begins in late fall or early winter, lingering until late spring or early summer.
Persistent depressive disorder
While depression is often severe for many patients, some experience low-level symptoms for much longer periods. Persistent depressive disorder, also called dysthymia, typically lingers for at least two years, influencing mood and behavior without causing drastic interference with functional ability.
Postpartum depressive disorder
Parents or caregivers welcoming a child to their home after birth, fostering, or adoption can sometimes experience depression symptoms, intrusive thoughts, and radical mood swings. Postpartum depression should be addressed by a professional if it persists longer than two weeks or causes thoughts of harm to yourself or your baby.
Treatments for depression
Generally, the most effective treatments for depression involve psychotherapy, life changes, adaptive coping skills, and medication.
Medication
Depending on a person’s situation, depression symptoms, and neurochemistry, medication may be a vital part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Mental healthcare providers typically use several classes of medicine for depression.
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Atypical antidepressants
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Other medications like antipsychotics and mood stabilizers
Psychotherapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) centers on helping patients identify harmful behaviors and thought patterns so they can consciously shift them toward healthier habits. CBT uses the connection between the way someone thinks and how they feel to reshape cognitive processes. Depression tends to alter a person’s thinking, and this therapeutic approach is particularly effective because it offers a way to think "around" the disorder to minimize its impact.
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a subset of CBT focused on acknowledging and accepting maladaptive behaviors and thoughts. By validating the patient's emotions and experiences, therapists offer guidance to process negative feelings, develop healthy ways to cope with stress and depression symptoms, and improve communication with friends or loved ones.
Psychodynamic therapy analyzes unresolved conflicts in the patient’s history, often from childhood, and how they affect current thinking and behavior patterns. This therapy is often a long-term treatment that helps people develop emotional awareness and control skills.
Interpersonal therapy helps patients examine the close relationships in their lives, identify the different roles people play, and find practical, balanced ways to resolve conflicts that may contribute to depression symptoms. This therapy is often short-term.
"During psychotherapy, a person with depression talks to a licensed and trained mental healthcare professional who helps the person identify and work through the factors that may be triggering the depression… Taking care of the psychological and psychosocial aspects of depression are just as important as treating its medical cause." — The Cleveland Clinic
The effects of untreated depression
If left untreated, depression can be deadly. In addition to the symptoms of depression themselves, many people experience cumulative effects as the condition persists.
Suicide
Suicidal thoughts and actions are often a symptom of depression. According to a recent study, the risk of suicide among people with depression is between 5% and 8%, while researchers of a 2018 study put that rate at 32%.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text 988 to talk to someone over SMS. Support is available 24/7. If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.
Related illnesses
Untreated depression can increase the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, infections, and autoimmune disorders—or make their effects more pronounced.
Relationship troubles
When depression influences a person, it can make them withdraw from the people they're closest to, which can cause problems in those relationships.
Physical health issues
- Chronic pain or inflammation
- Frequent headaches or migraines
- Muscle cramps
- Stomach problems, constipation, or diarrhea
- Nausea or vomiting
- Chronic fatigue, even after rest
- Weight changes
- Sleep disorders
Alcohol and substance use disorders
When left untreated, depression can alter a person’s thought patterns, putting them at a higher risk for alcohol and substance use disorders.
If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.
When to seek professional help
People are advised to seek help from a medical or mental healthcare professional if they experience depression symptoms for two weeks or more, have substantial difficulty functioning in one or more areas of daily life, or are concerned they may hurt themselves or someone else.
How therapy can help treat depression
Psychotherapy is accepted in the medical community as the most effective treatment for mood disorders like depression. Many find that working with a licensed therapist online through a virtual therapy platform such as BetterHelp—or for children from 12 to 19—TeenCounseling, offers professional support and guidance to build an array of practical coping and communication skills. Online therapy is typically less expensive, has shorter wait times, and makes mental healthcare accessible to people who previously had no options.
Online therapy offers similar results to treatment in the traditional face-to-face setting. According to a recent study, patients with no therapy experience showed a greater reduction in depression symptoms, but all participants saw a significant symptom severity decline. Many patients said the extra physical distance allowed by teletherapy made discussing personal details with a therapist easier. Others said the convenience of attending therapy from home was a considerable draw toward online treatment. The effectiveness and duration of therapeutic outcomes are increased with the number of therapy sessions and the level of trust between the patient and therapist.
Takeaway
Is depression defined as a mental illness?
Yes, depression is defined as a mental illness. The symptoms of clinical depression and the diagnostic criteria are spelled out in the DSM-5. For a diagnosis, someone must have a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure and at least four more of the following nine depressive symptoms:
- Sleep disturbance
- Reduction in pleasure or interest
- Feelings of guilt of worthlessness
- Fatigue or energy changes
- Impairment in concentration or attention
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Psychomotor disturbances
- Suicidal thoughts
- Depressed mood
Is mental illness and depression the same?
Depressive disorders are a form of mental illness, but the two terms are not necessarily interchangeable. There are many types of mental illness. Any mental illness (AMI) is defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder and can cause mild, moderate, or severe impairment. Serious mental illnesses (SMIs) result in severe functional impairment that significantly affects or limits major life activities. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 22.8% of U.S. adults, or 57.8 million people, have AMI. Depression makes up a part of that figure, with about 21.0 million adults, or 8.3% of U.S. adults, having had at least one major depressive episode.
Is stress and depression considered a mental illness?
Stress and depression are two different things. Both can have similar mental and physical symptoms, but major depression is considered a mental illness; stress is not. Stress is something that everyone experiences from time to time. For people who have depression, stress may make symptoms worse. That said, treating depression is possible. There are a few options. Depression treated with talk or interpersonal therapy and medication is usually effective, but sometimes, other treatments may be considered, like electroconvulsive therapy or brain stimulation therapy.
What is mental illness called?
According to the American Psychiatric Association, mental illness is a term that refers collectively to diagnosable mental disorders that cause distress or problems in work, social, or family activities and significant changes in behavior, emotion, and thinking.
Why do people get depressed?
The exact cause of depression is unknown. Researchers believe it may result from a combination of biological, genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Some of the risk factors of depression include having a family history of depression, going through a significant life change, using drugs or alcohol, taking certain medications, or experiencing trauma or stressful life events, like abuse, financial problems, or the death of a loved one.
What is the hardest mental illness to live with?
Everyone’s experience is different, and saying which mental illness is the hardest to live with can be an impossible task. Some of the most serious mental health conditions may be treatment resistant depression, postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder.
What is the difference between a mental disorder and a mental illness?
People commonly use the terms “mental disorders” and “mental illnesses” interchangeably to describe conditions that affect your feelings, behavior, thinking, and mood. That said, some people may use “mental illness” as a way to explain a condition that has been present since birth and “mental disorder” to describe one that developed over time.
Is it mental illness or just stress?
Stress and a mental illness like anxiety can overlap, but they are two distinct things.
Everyone feels stress from time to time. It’s a mental or physical response to an external cause, like having a big work presentation or having a serious physical illness. Stressors can be a one-time thing, or they may happen over a long period, but stress usually goes away once the situation resolves.
Anxiety is how your body responds to stress and can occur for seemingly no reason and can lead to problems with physical or mental health. It is generally internal and usually involves feelings of dread or apprehension that don’t go away, even if there is no immediate threat.
If you need help dealing with stress in your life or you have symptoms of anxiety, talk therapy can help you learn how to manage and reduce symptoms so they have less impact on your daily life. You can also talk to your doctor to see if antidepressant medications may be an option.
Is insomnia a mental disorder or not?
Insomnia can be a stand-alone sleeping disorder, but it can also be a symptom of a mental health disorder. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about 50% of insomnia cases are related to depression, anxiety, or psychological stress. Other mental health issues that can contribute to sleep issues include panic attacks, OCD, PTSD, and substance use disorders.
Can lack of sleep cause mental breakdown?
Sleep is essential to many brain and body functions and helps us maintain cognitive skills like learning, attention, and memory. Poor sleep can lead to physical aches and pains and a depressed mood, and it can make it challenging to cope with minor stressors. Poor quality or not enough sleep can increase the risk of mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. Those who have mental health disorders and experience sleep disruptions are more likely to experience exacerbated symptoms and even increase the risk of suicidal ideation.
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