Report Example on Abnormal Psychology

Introduction

Abnormal psychology is a branch in psychology that helps us study the unusual patterns of behavior, thought, and emotions that may not be considered a cause of the mental disorder (Otte et al., 2016). It is commonly referred to as psychopathology. Abnormal psychology looks into a wide range of conditions, which include; Obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), Personality disorders, and depression. The medical experts involved in this field are clinical psychologists, Psychotherapists, and counselors (Otte et al., 2016). Mostly, it consists of looking at the level of distress caused by a troubling behavior. Health professionals use several views to look into abnormal psychology. Some use samples from various areas to better understand and offer the best treatment to psychological disorders, while others focus on a single perspective.

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Perspectives Used

The perspectives used include; Psychoanalytic approach, cognitive approach, behavioral approach, and medical approach (Otte et al., 2016). The psychoanalytic approach implies that most abnormal behavior comes from desires, thoughts, and memories (Otte et al., 2016). Therapists using this approach believe that looking into actions, memories, and ideas will help people come into terms with emotions leading them to distress. The cognitive approach helps psychologists look into perception, thoughts, and perceptions that contribute to psychological disorders. The particular treatment allows patients to change their beliefs and behavior (Otte et al., 2016).

The behavioral approach helps psychologists to look into people's behavior. It helps enhance an individual's positive behaviors and suppress the negative ones (Otte et al., 2016). The medical approach aims to look at the leading causes of mental illnesses. It looks at the underlying causes of the disease (Otte et al., 2016). Psychotherapy and medical treatments are used to treat this disorder.

Mood Disorders

A mood disorder is a condition that affects moods and mood-related functions. A mood disorder is a wide term which puts together all mood-related disorder. Symptoms of a mood disorder may vary from extremely low depressed to very depressed.

Major Depressive Disorder (Clinical Depression)

My fictional character is called Maxwell. He is a 25-year-old male. He lives with his parents in Seattle, and he has a major depressive disorder. Depression is the primary mood disorder caused by the continuous loss of interest and feeling of sadness (Otte et al., 2016). The disease is commonly known as a clinical disorder. It mainly affects teenagers and people mostly of ages between 20 and 30. Depression affects how one behaves, thinks, and can lead to physical and emotional problems. It makes one despise themselves to the extent of feeling they are not worth living. It disrupts a person day to day activities (Otte et al., 2016). Depression causes a major effect on schoolwork, relationships with others, and social activities.

There are several types of depression, which include; major depression, bipolar disorder, persistent depressive disorder, psychotic depression, and postpartum depression. About 16.2 million adults in the US have experienced episodes of depression (Otte et al., 2016). People are undergoing depression experience it almost every single day. One can have a dream job, a caring and lovely family, and still experience depression. People with major cases of depression commit suicide because mostly they have no one to talk to. Major depressive disorder has no exact cause. Factors considered causing the disorder include; Biological differences, hormones, inherited traits, and brain chemistry. Biological differences involve where people with depression appear to have physical changes in their brains. Hormones bring about changes in the body, causing depression. Conditions causing hormones to change include pregnancy, menopause, and thyroid problems. Inherited traits are common among people whose blood relatives have depression. Brain chemistry involves neurotransmitters (Otte et al., 2016). Recent studies show that a change in neurotransmitters' functions and effect and their interactions with neurocircuits responsible for maintaining mood stability plays the leading role in depression and treatment.

Other factors causing depression include serious illnesses such as cancer, which makes people hate themselves. Personality factors such as low self-esteem which makes one feel worthless before people (Otte et al., 2016). In most cases, people with low self-esteem hate themselves because they feel other people are better than them. When one is gay, lesbian, or bisexual, and they lack support from family members, they can sink into depression. These people should be shown love, and the family members should try to understand them. Indulging into drugs and drinking alcohol is a significant cause. In the case of a traumatic life, experiences like rape, death of a parent can lead to depression if one fails to get past those experiences.

Treatment Options

Depression makes one feel worthless and trapped. Depression is treatable, and one should seek medical advice in case of signs and symptoms. The treatment involves psychotherapy, medication, and support from family members. Psychotherapy is also referred to as talking therapy (Otte et al., 2016). The psychological therapies for depression include; Interpersonal therapy, CBT, and problem-solving therapies. Psychotherapy is the first type of treatment for people facing depression. It involves face to face interaction with the therapists. It aims at identifying the emotional problems affecting relationships and communications (Otte et al., 2016). How these emotions affect one's mood and how it can be curbed. In other cases, some people respond better when a combination of psychotherapy and medication is used (Otte et al., 2016). Some drugs used in the treatment of depression include; atypical antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, among others.

Conclusion

Talking to a trusted family member when one is afraid to seek medical attention is also very important. Aerobic exercises help relieve mild depression because exercising helps the body release the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, linked to mood (Otte et al., 2016). When it is released, it allows one to become jovial. Food and dieting can also help reduce depression. One should increase the intake of fish, vegetables, olive oil, fruits, and avoid sugary foods (Otte et al., 2016). To reduce death rates caused by depression, we should encourage each other to learn more about depression. Learning about depression will help one know whether the depression results from an existing medical issue or a factor by itself. People also should be open to change and avoid relying on medical terms only. Community talks through groups should also be encouraged as this helps people let their emotions out and talk about what they are struggling with in life.

References

Otte, C., Gold, S. M., Penninx, B. W., Pariante, C. M., Etkin, A., Fava, M., ... & Schatzberg, A. F. (2016). Major depressive disorder. Nature reviews Disease primers, 2(1), 1-20.