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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Show MoreDepression is an illness within itself that affects the “whole body”. (Staywell,1998) The body, feelings, thoughts, and behavior are all immensely altered when someone is depressed. It is not a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be wished or willed away. For some people depression is just temporary, but for others it can last for weeks, months and even years.
Why do we become happy, sad, mad, or upset? Why are some days good while others are bad? We smile, cry, laugh, frown and this is a continuous cycle throughout life. Individuals describe depression as a state of sadness and confusion that humans face, but in reality depression impacts much more than one’s mood or behavior. I strongly believe depression is a mental health disorder, one in which people of society need to take more serious. I have been struggling with depression for quite a few years, as well as, witnessing close family members and friends who also face the daily challenges depression brings alone. It is hard to read the news headlines, of the traumatic stories of suicide. These individuals cannot handle the overwhelming problems and stress life. Often, they have no one to explain how valuable life is, ways to help them through difficult situations, or most importantly, getting individuals professional counseling. In most cases it is not that others do not want to help those in need, but that they are unaware of what actions to take in order to provide that help. I plan to become a counselor, so I can be educated on the different emotional, physical, and social problems individuals deal with. The questions I propose are valuable for me to research, so I can inform society the importance of understanding depression. What are the different types of depression? How can depression affect an individual's appetite, sleep pattern, and health conditions? When is therapy counseling and medication needed for treating depression? What are the main experiences individuals face that trigger depression? How are ages affected by depression? What are coping skills for depression? I believe the information I gain from these sources wi...
Depression is a mental disorder that currently affects more than 350 million people worldwide (who, 2012). With such a staggering amount of people suffering from depression it is important for people to know about it. While some people think that depression is just short term differences in one’s mood that is not the case at all (who, 2012). Someone suffering from depression can have their disorder have negative effects on their life and other people’s lives. Luckily for most people suffering from depression there is treatment available Sadly though because many people don’t understand depression they may not seek treatment at all (NIH, n.d). In order to truly understand depression you need to understand what it is, signs and symptoms, causes, how to diagnose it, and treatment.
are happy when they achieve something or saddened when they fail a test or lose
Not only do these drugs appeal to people with depression, they can also appeal to people who think they may have depression but in reality can be just going through a rough patch. If a person who may think they are depressed is watching one of these commercials they may become even more convinced that something is wrong with them. Ultimately convincing them that they are actually depressed. In the article, “Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature” by Jeffrey Lacasse and Jonathan Leo, they state that, “These advertisements present a seductive concept, and the fact that patients are now presenting with a self-described “chemical imbalance” shows that the DTCA is having its intended effect” What Jeffrey and Jonathan are saying is that these advertisements are ultimately allowing people to think they have something chemically wrong with them which then leads them to demand a prescription for an antidepressant.
Many times, depression is associated with thinking patterns, stress, experiences of failure and loss (Meyers, 2014, p. 520). People with depression disorder have various signs and symptoms. You may feel persistent anxiety and hopelessness; loss of interest in activities that you once enjoyed; have difficulty sleeping and concentrating, and even think of suicide. “In any given year, 5.8 percent of men and 9.5 percent of women will have a depressive episode” (Meyers, 2014, p. 520). It is clear that depression is a common and serious
Clinical depression is very common. Over nine million Americans are diagnosed with clinical depression at some point in their lives. Many more people suffer from clinical depression because they do not seek treatment. They may feel that depression is a personal weakness, or try to cope with their symptoms alone. On the other hand, some people are comfortable with admitting their symptoms and seeking help. Such a discrepancy may account for the differences in reported cases of depression between men and women, which indicate that more than twice the numbers of women than men are clinically depressed. According to the numbers of reported cases of depression, 25% of women and 10% of men will have one or more episodes of clinical depression during their lifetimes.
While the pervasiveness of depression in modern American Culture is apparent, the relationships between the factors that cause it are often debated. Depression, according to David Myers, is the most common disorder that causes patients to seek treatment and 17 percent of adults in the United States face depression at some point during their lifetime (Myers 621, 2013). According to the DSM-IV-Tr, as cited by Myers, a depressive episode occurs when someone shows five characteristics of depression for a period of two or more weeks. Characteristics of depression are a depressed mood for a majority of the day, diminished interest, weight loss or gain, insomnia or oversleeping, persistent lethargy, feeling of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, difficulty
Depression is an incredibly serious matter that affects many people around the world. It is fairly common for many people to experience depression in some sort of way after a tragic event, such as the death of a family member or the severing of a long-term relationship. In fact, some may argue that these feelings are indeed appropriate for the time being. However, for some individuals, these feelings of despair and stress can last for weeks at a time or longer. While some who are not dealing with depression may interpret the feelings and the mindset of those who are struggling with major depression as a case of “the blues”, depression is undoubtedly a serious condition when left to itself without any type of support or medication. Depression
Depression is an equal opportunity disorder, it can affect any group of people with any background, race, gender, or age. Depression is a sneak thief that slips quietly and gradually into people’s lives - robbing them of their time, and their focus. At first, depression may be undetectable, but in the long run a person could become so weighed down that their life may feel empty and meaningless. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who commits suicide is depressed, but majority of people who commits suicide do so during a severe depressive episode. There are over 300 million people in the world today who suffer from depression. Depression has affected people for a long as records have been kept. It was first called out by the famous Greek philosopher Hippocrates over 2,400 years ago. Hippocrates called it “melancholia”. Many times we think of depression as one disorder alone, when in fact there are many different types of depression. The different types of depression are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, atypical disorder, adjustment disorder, and depressive personality disorder. All types of depression share at least one common symptom. It is commons from the person who suffers from any form of depression to feel an unshakable sadness, anxious, or empty mood. Major depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression or recurrent depressive disorder is the most severe depressive disorder out of all of the depressive in my estimation. Major depressive disorder is a condition in which affects a person’s family, work or school life, sleeping, eating and general health. It is important to emphasize that we can understand the mechanics of this disorder and how it affects people with major depressive disorder.
Depression is a serious mental health illness which affects an individuals’ mind, body and mood. It is a chronic and lifelong health condition (NICE, 2006) thought to be caused by a number of biological factors including neurotransmitter disturbances in the brain and an element of genetic vulnerability; these are often in addition to psychosocial factors such as the occurrence of undesirable life events, limited social network options, poor self esteem and the occurrence of any adverse life events during a persons’ lifetime (Bernstein, 2006). Depression can have an impact on a persons’ ability to do many things including working, engaging with others, participating fully in family life or maintaining relationships, and it can also impact on a person...
As Descartes argued, the mind and the body are the base of our existence, and many different cultures view different illnesses positively or negatively. Certain cultures, like the Hmong, believe that epilepsy is a good spiritual thing, but others, such as Western culture, believe that it is medically bad because it could cause death. Many illnesses can be viewed both negatively and positively, some more than others. However, one such illness that is mostly viewed negatively is depression. It is viewed negatively in a symptomatic sense – the symptoms are useless – and in a diagnostic sense – those diagnosed with depression are not actually depressed and the illness itself does not exist; it is simply an excuse to be lazy. There are many different approaches to depression and most of them consider that this illness is negative; however, depression is actually an evolutionary tactic subconsciously employed by humans that can have very positive effects.
Many people occasionally feel “the blues”, but luckily, it is usually temporary. Unfortunately, “temporary” is not always the case. As characterized by the National Institute of Mental Health, “a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat and enjoy once-pleasurable activities” is defined as depression (“Depression”). Depression is an extremely common, widespread “psychoneurotic disorder” that affects 13 to 14 million adults in the United States each year (DeRubeis, Siegle and Hollon). Among a list of symptoms provided by the National Institute of Mental Health, difficulty in thinking, “empty” feelings, hopelessness, loss of interest, and in more severe cases, thoughts of suicide, could all be signs of depression (“Depression”). This disorder is an especially prominent topic because most episodes are brought on by negative life events, meaning anyone is susceptible to the disorder at any point in their lives. This contrasts disorders that are genetically acquired, and makes depression a disorder that is much more common and dangerous. Despite it’s prevalence today, depression is very responsive to treatment; the only argument surrounding the disorder is which course of treatment is the most effective, both short-term and long-term. Since the late 1950s, depression was most commonly treated through medication, such as antidepressants. Although prescription medication is predominantly used as the first course of treatment for major depression, many scientific studies have shown that therapy, such as cognitive and behavioral therapies, are much more effective, due to a change in patterns of thinking and behavior.
What is depression? Depression is an illness that can take over a person’s life---it can take their happiness and their will to live. This illness can effect adults, teenagers, and even kids. “Depression is an equal opportunity disorder---- it can affect anyone of any group, any background, any race, any gender, and any age. It is the great leveler of all groups and can take the greatest and the smallest of us all and reduce us to the pain and nothingness that is depression (Nydegger 1)”. Depression is an emotion most people may feel they have experienced, but little do they know it’s just the basic emotions we feel. It is important to identify the symptoms of depression, the types of depression, who can get them and how they manifest, in other to be able to treatment them.
Depression is considered to be a serious mood disorder and is different from normal depressive attitudes (Humphrey, J. A. 2012). Individuals with depressions have different mood swings such as, feeling down as everyday stresses, and life changes occur, this is sometimes temporary and can fades away within a few weeks (Humphrey, J. A., and Schmalleger, F. 2012).