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Misconceptions About Depression

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When asked to imagine a depressed individual, many would probably imagine a person with a sad expression, contemplating suicide. Depression is far more complicated than it appears to be. Just like many other mental disorders, there are a conglomeration of symptoms, and not every person shares the same symptoms as their counterpart does. This causes difficulty in categorizing someone as depressive. Merriam-Webster characterizes depression as “a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way.” There are a multitude of misconceptions about depression such as that it’s about feeling sad, it’s temporary, and that it cannot be treated. As I’ve previously stated, not every person shares identical symptoms when it comes to depression. Although it’s true that prolonged sadness is a symptom of depression, there are many components that make up this complicated mental disorder. Depression also involves physical symptoms such as changes in appetite and quality of sleep, emotional symptoms such as feelings of worthlessness and changes in behavior such as the loss of interest in our usual activities (Health Promotion Board par. 3). Depressive episodes can be categorized as either mild, moderate, or severe. There is a vast amount of the types of depression that a person might have. The two most common types are unipolar depression (major depression) and bipolar disorder. Unipolar depression is when a person experiences depressed mood, loss of interest and enjoyment, and reduced energy leading to diminished activity for at least two weeks. (World Health Organization par. 6). This causes disruption in how a person functions a normal life by not allowing... ... middle of paper ... ...mparison With Other Treatments." Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry 58.7 (2013): 376-385. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. "Depression." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. . "Depression." WHO. World Health Organization, Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. . McCann, Terence V., Dan I. Lubman, and Eileen Clark. "Views Of Young People With Depression About Family And Significant Other Support: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Study." International Journal Of Mental Health Nursing 21.5 (2012): 453-461. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. "Myths and Misconceptions about Depression." Health Promotion Board. Health Promotion Board, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .
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