Major Depressive Disorder: Etiology, Treatments, and Aspects

Major Depressive Disorder
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1 Major Depressive Disorder
Coryell (2022) stated that the diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) is based on criteria by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V, which describes the disorder’s symptoms. To satisfy the diagnosis, the patient must have at least five (5) of the following symptoms observed within two (2) weeks: A mainly depressed mood most of the day; Significantly reduced pleasure over previously pleasurable activities for most of the day; Lack of sleep or excessive sleep; Observed psychomotor agitation or retardation; Exhaustion or lack of energy; Feelings of unimportance or unwarranted misguided guilt; Reduced concentration; and persistent thoughts of death or suicide. One must be a loss of pleasure or interest or a depressed mood to be diagnosed with MDD.
2 Etiology of Major Depressive Disorder
Risk Factors
Eleven factors have been identified that increase the risk of having MDD. Among these, the factors with the highest associations are increased screen time with computers, television, or cellphone, daytime napping, and an inconsistent healthy diet. Different factors have also been found depending on the circumstance. For instance, in patients with genetic predisposition, consuming salty foods and screen time proved a higher risk for depression. Those who had early life trauma are at risk if they have more prolonged exposure to television (Hicklin, 2020).
Genetic and Environmental Factors
Chand et al. (2022) explained that genetic and environmental factors influence the development of MDD. However, the former affects it to a lesser extent. Genetic factors include neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disease, seizure disorder, multiple sclerosis, cancer, chronic pain, and macular degeneration. On the other hand, environmental factors are traumatic life events that trigger a depressed mood. These include diminished social support or the complete absence of it, grief due to the loss of a loved one, financial difficulties, caregiver burden, interpersonal conflicts, and other interpersonal difficulties.
Epigenetic Factors
There is a diversity of findings regarding the genetic mechanism of depression. The reduced association is attributed to the epigenetic mechanism where the gene expression involved in stress and depressive behaviors is due to the alteration in chromatin structure. Some studies also suggest that stress and enrichment influence the activity of molecular signaling pathways in sperms, resulting in the alteration of gender-specific patterns, which play a role in the development of depression (Li et al., 2021).
Neurological and Biochemical Factors
MDD is theoretically caused by a dysfunction in monoaminergic function or the function of some neurotransmitters. Specifically, these include serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), gamma amino butyric acid (GABA), and glutamate. A reduced binding capacity of the 5-HT transporter in the midbrain and amygdala has been reported in patients with MDD. Moreover, there is also a decrease in the functioning of 5-HT receptors in the temporal, fr...