Cognitive dysfunction: An important feature of major depressive disorder

Depression is a common mental illness with high prevalence, disability, and suicide rates. Most patients experience recurrent attacks, which converts depression into a chronic disease. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a type of emotional dysfunction caused by genetic abnormalities or great changes in the patient’s environment, which can manifest as a host of symptoms such as persistent and spontaneous depression with changes in cognitive function. According to worldwide statistics, 50% of suicides each year occur during episodes of depression, and patients with MDD are 20 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population.