Merriam-Webster defines depression as a state of being sad. Notably, it also states depression can be “marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies.” And that great dichotomy lies in the fact that being depressed and feeling depressed are just as related as they are differentiated.
Everyone has been in a dark mindset or phase at a certain point. It usually occurs in times where reality clashes with your deepest fears; be it infidelity, death, or bankruptcy. In response, we tend to break down in this state of emptiness, confusion, and bitterness. The first time
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I didn’t really visit my friends anymore. I was fairly quiet in my room. In fact, I didn’t do anything in my room. I didn’t watch my favorite shows. The books I always liked reading outside in the summer were pretty dusty. I was just laying in bed...thinking about time. It came to a point that I wouldn’t answer to my mom’s calls for dinner. I didn’t shower at one point unless my mom forced me to get into the bathroom. My mom would ask me for what seemed like days why I was sad and I wouldn’t answer. Two weeks later my mom decided to take me to shrink. Funny thing is at the time I felt insulted for being sent to what I thought was “the crazy room.” I may have been young but even then I had my negative associations with shrinks. Plus, to me, my two weeks of solitude did not feel like two weeks. I would always tell my mom,” I just am sad that’s all...everyone gets sad.” In response, she would tell me that I’m allowed to be sad but if I stop eating, talking, and leaving my room there is something else going on. My dad during this time could not get it through his head that I was sick. He was an old-fashioned man, and as such the thought of his daughter being depressed seemed too peculiar. But, after time he agreed with my mom’s pleading and she took me to my first visit. The waiting room had fancy wallpaper, and I remember there was a bowl of candies on a little resting table. There was also a little tiny machine in the corner near the vent that made ocean wave sounds; this was so that no one could hear what was going on on the other side of the door. Once the door opened I came inside with my mom and we were greeted by a comfy room. It had a little sofa with two chairs at its side; one that was the psychologist’s special chair as I ended up calling it. I remember that by the end of the session I was diagnosed with what was called major depressive disorder. And for every Wednesday my mom
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest (ManiMala, 2016), which can negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, which can lead to emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home (Parekh, 2015). The symptoms of depression can range from mild to severe and include: feeling sad or having a depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, changes in appetite trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, loss of energy or increased fatigue, increase in restless activity, feeling worthless or guilty, difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions and thoughts of death or suicide (Weis,
Depression is a psychological disorder that affects an individual’s mood. According to (Moragne, 2011 pg. 16) depression is a mood disorder caused by a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors that will affect a person’s mind and body. Mood disorders affect a person’s mental, social and physical well-being and this can have major effects on the individual. Under (DSM-IV-TR cited in, American Psych...
“Depression is a mood that goes well beyond temporarily feeling sad or blue” (Duckworth 1). Depression is when one feels out of character, by different kinds of sadness, loneliness, hopelessness, self doubt, and guilt. Usually a person feels more depressed at a time of grievance, like the loss of a loved one, or having a bad day. In most cases simple depression only last for a day in situations of small embarrassment, however if a person is feeling more depressed they will have a huge lack of energy and loss of interest in activities.
Depression is a mental illness in which a person experiences deep, stable sadness and discontinued interest in nearly all activities. People also use the term depression to describe the temporary sadness, loneliness, or blues that everyone feels from time to time. In contrast to normal sadness, severe depression, also called major depression, can dramatically lessen a person’s ability to function in social situations and at work. People with major depression often have feelings of despair, hopelessness, and worthlessness, as well as thoughts of committing suicide.
A culture’s view of depression differs from one another. For example, cross-cultural psychiatrists have found that depression can be expressed in somatic and emotional terms, ‘“In “somaticizing cultures, “depressive experiences may be expressed as complaints of weakness, tiredness, ‘imbalance’ (Chinese and Asian cultures), ‘nerves’ and headaches (in Latino and Mediterranean cultures)…”’ Due to the diversity of experiences within the different cultures, there is no universal entity incorporating all views of culture in defining depression. The views of a culture toward mental disorders have a great impact on the prevalence of certain individuals within a culture compared to another culture. For example, Japan has a significantly lower prevalence depression rate compared to the United States, “the World Health Survey Initiative estimated a twelve-month prevalence of mood disorders to be around 3.1% in Japan compared with 9.6% in the United States.” The concept of “depression” is the factor to account for in this difference of vulnerability.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, depression is a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection. Depression is a mental condition that affects the human in various ways, the person affected by depression can’t snap out of it and be happy. Many people affected by depression have to go through treatment or psychological counseling to get the help they need. In various media, we see stereotypes of people with depression that aren’t true. Due to the media covering the topic of depression a lot, society doesn’t see depression as a real mental illness . Because of the stereotypes of depression, this mental illness isn’t viewed by the public to be as important as a physical illness, even though it may eventually
Is depression a mental illness? Before we get into the discussion we need to know what depression is. Depression is typically defined as a mood state that goes well beyond temporarily feeling sad or blue. It is a serious medical illness that affects one’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, mood and physical health. How is it determined to be a mental illness? The American Psychiatric Association 's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) is the current reference used by health care professionals to diagnose mental illnesses such as depression. Depression symptoms are listed as follows: Depressed mood (such as feelings of sadness or emptiness; Reduced interest in activities that used to be enjoyed;
The definition of depression according to Funk & Wagnall’s New World Encyclopedia (2014), “Depression, mental disorder characterized by feelings of worthlessness, guilt, sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness. While this definition is accurate there is a bit more to it than that. Like stated earlier depression isn’t just a temporary mood change, it is something that can have negative repercussions on one’s
Depression has caused many kids my age a breakthrough in their early lives. This is a worldwide issue for the human race and unfortunately many people see it as a joke. Today, I can say depression was part of my life to help me find myself. It was a challenge so that I could learn the skills to pull myself out; and that is how depression helped shape who I am today.
Depression was once believed to affect mainly adults for various reasons. It was hardly ever seen in minors or college students. Today depression is more common in younger populations mainly college students. There are many things that can trigger depression in college students, such as the environment, anxiety, and the fear of failure. All these things can contribute to depression in college students and sometimes cannot be seen. Many college students will never seek help, and many wont ever admit that they struggle with it.
... I could see that part of me that caused me harm was starting to show itself and I would act, clearing my mind completely before anything could take hold. As well as eradicating negativity, I also forced my mind into happiness through focus and meditation.
Depression is more than experiencing a difficult day or event or being in a bad mood. Sometimes, people seek help even though they are not clinically depressed because they think they need the help they get from a psychologist. When speaking to a depressed individual, it is very important to know the occasion that lead to their emotional trauma. Depressed mood is not the same as a depressed disorder. According to Nydegger, “Depressed mood is a negative affective or emotional quality such as feeling sad, miserable, gloominess for a period of time. Depressive disorder refers t...
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.
The silent killer that takes lives without warning, punishment, or any sympathy; depression is truly one of the most prominent mental illnesses in the world. Depression is defined as a mental illness inducing a severe and staunch feeling of sadness. The term depressed is coined in English as a temporary sadness that everyone experiences in their life. Despite that depression is more active in women, it is still one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. It affects anybody, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic standing. Regardless of all these facts, surprisingly little is known about depression, however, scientists have been able to hypothesize major causes, effects, and treatments for the disability affecting over
Depression isn’t just a state of being, or someone’s mood. There are different types of depression, and each of those types have their own lists of symptoms and treatments, all similar but they have some differences.