Being human comes with experiencing and managing many different emotions, sadness being one of them. Everyone will occasionally feel sad or down, and those feelings are normal and in many cases will pass within a couple of days. However, depression is an "illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts." "It interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her" (Schmidt, 2008, p.1). A depressive disorder usually is not short lived and can last for weeks, months, or even years. Major depressive disorder involves various symptoms that disrupt the individual's ability to sleep, eat, work, and even enjoy certain events that they once found fascinating. In this paper, I will discuss how Major Depressive Disorder applies to me as an individual, my family, and society. I also will discuss how this topic changes the way I conceptualize human behavior. .
According to Goleman's (2008), major depressive disorder; along with most other types of depressive disorders, come with various symptoms (p.1). According to Goleman (2008), one symptom would be sadness that lasts for a long period of time. The simple feeling of sadness is normal, but when it is extended over a noticeable period of time, that is when it can be described as a sort of depression. If a person is depressed, he or she will start to pull themselves away from his or her social lives. Individuals become distant and tend to isolate themselves when it comes to social gatherings (Goleman, 2008). Another symptom would be suicidal thoughts; the individual may feel that they are better off dead or that there is no point in anything. Lastly, people suffering from depression may feel or look tired and may even develop insomnia. They become so wrapped up in their depressive thoughts, that sleep no longer becomes essential for them (Strauss, 2008).