Essay On Depression Culture

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. …show more content…

While it can affect anyone, statistics have also shown that some may be more prone to depression. A main group of individuals to look out for are young adolescents, especially college students, who are constantly under stress and often times are unaware of how to relieve such emotions. Stress is a frequent issue that contributes to signs of depression, not only in students but also in adolescents as well. Despite the frequent occurrence of the illness, it is treatable in many ways. Some treatments include medications, psychotherapy, and exercise. With more understanding of the illness, more options of treatment are likely to come in the near future. The best treatment is however, is the support from friends and family. It is extremely important for depressed individuals to know that they are not alone in fighting the illness and that others are fighting with