The Truth about Depression

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The Truth about Depression Depression: what is it? Is it really something you can control? How much does it really affect someone? Why do people suffer from depression? Several of these questions are brought to the attention of various professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and physicians, but not enough people seek the truth. Depression is commonly viewed as a bad day; people either believe they have control, or they can just snap out of it. However, depression is more than a bad day. It could be caused by a chemical imbalance, genetics, family history, or trauma. All of these may cause symptoms; yet, there are successful treatments available such as medications and/or psychotherapy. A bad day- what does it consist of? Maybe things did not go the way one planned them with friends. The telephone call never came. Perhaps a teacher surprised the class with a pop quiz. There are many more causes to create a bad day. Nevertheless, that is all it is, just a bad day. A definition of depression is "an emotional state in which there are extreme feelings of sadness, dejection, lack of worth and emptiness" (Depression, n.p.). When an individual feels "depressed," he or she believes that he/she can simply snap out of it by thinking happy thoughts to replace the bad thoughts, or do something nice for him/herself such as going to a movie. After all, a positive experience is just the thing to change the negative thoughts. Certainly, it is just in the head, and it can be controlled! Unfortunately, depression is a lot more than just a few bad days or sad thoughts. Snapping out of it is harder than it sounds. "Depressed people are not merely unhappy but profoundly miserable" (Hales, 19). Depr... ... middle of paper ... ...ness, with a cause, with recognizable symptoms, and a cure" (Ayer, 10). Bibliography: Works Cited American Psychiatric Association(APA). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed). Washington DC, 1994. Ayer, Eleanor H.. Everything You Need to Know About Depression. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 1994. Blackman, Maurice. "Adolescent Depression." The Canadian Journal of CME. May, 1995. http://mentalheath.com (1 May 2000). "Depression." Jan. 2000 http://health.yahoo.com/health/diseases_and_conditions/disea se_feed_data/depression/#definitions (11 May 2000). Hales, Dianne. Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment, Depression. New York: Chelsea House Pub., 1989. Meyer, Deborah. "A Miracle or a Curse." 1993. Oltmanns, Thomas F., Emery, Robert. Abnormal Psychology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1995.

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