This portmanteau term is used to describe a mental illness that unfortunately has been riddled with misconceptions and fallacies throughout history, giving it an extremely and perhaps undeservingly negative connotation. ... Perhaps the more well known classification guide is the set of criteria developed by the American Psychiatric Association, published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, currently in its fourth edition, hence its more common acronym, "DSM IV". ... For much of this time period, the disorder must have materially impaired the patient's ability to ...

• Word Count: 3390
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The experience of major depression is not solely a personal event especially when discussing young children- families are affected, school life is effected and certainly young children do not understand why it is they are feeling the way they are. When the sufferer is a child, the family is ultimately involved in all aspects of the experience from onset diagnosis, to remission and recovery. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated 11 percent of children are taking antidepressants; from 1988-2008 the use of antidepressants in children has skyrocket 400 percen...

• Word Count: 2968
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate