Depression is something that has been seen all throughout history. Biblical figures such as Job, King Saul, and even Kind David expressed signs of depression throughout their writings. An example of this is seen when Job cries out, “"Let the day perish on which I was to be born, and the night which said, 'A boy is conceived” (3:3). An exhaustive list of famous individuals can be found on Wikipedia whom have suffered from major depressive disorder throughout history including names such as Isaac Newton, Michelangelo, Robin Williams, Janet Jackson, and Princess Diana. Prior to the 20th century depression was seen as more of a mood disorder rather than an actual illness.
Causes of Depression Like most any other disorder, a variety of theories
There was still a large lack of understanding that what caused mental illness the 1930’s, however people still wanted to treat mental illness so this brought more therapeutic ideas on how to cure it. In 1933, two neurologists at Yale Primate Laboratory, Dr. Fulton and Jacobson, performed experiments on two monkeys. They tested the intelligence of the monkeys before and after the removal of half the brains’ frontal lobes. They seemed to retain their skills and intelligence. Fulton and Jacobson wanted to take this a little further, they removed the other half of the frontal lobe. They discovered that the monkeys no longer became violent and frustrated when they didn't immediately get their treats after completing the intelligence test [9].
Depression is defined as, “a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide” (Merriam Webster). A close friend of mine battles depression and would describe it is, “a debilitating mood that makes it hard to get out of the bed in the morning, a desire to sleep all the time, inability to experience joy, and apathy towards life.” Due to its prevalent occurrence among several people groups throughout history, depression is known as the “common cold of mental illnesses” and has been called “the most widespread, serious,
Depression and even thoughts of ending it all are something I have some experience with. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, possibly the most influential and powerful preacher of the Gospel of 19th century England battled depression throughout his entire life. In fact, after a tragedy at a venue where he was preaching in which seven people were killed, Spurgeon said “he doubted anyone had ever passed as close to madness as he and yet
When most people hear the phrase “The Great Depression” they only associate it the crash of the stock market and the hard times that followed. Here in the Midwest, when we think of the Great Depression we also think of the Dust Bowl and the Dirty Thirties. The Great Depression was a very climactic end to a series of poor choices that greatly affected the entire United States.
The term “depression” was derived from a Latin verb deprimere, "to press down." Dated as far back to the 14th century, the term "to depress" meant to bring down in spirits or to conquer (AllDisease.org, 2011). Even though melancholia continued to be the leading diagnostic expression, depression increased its frequency (its usage of name) in the medical field and was a synonym by the end of its century. The DSM-I (1952) (as cited in Girdlera & Klatzkinb, 2007) refers to depressive reaction and the DSM-II (1968) (as cited in Girdlera & Klatzkinb, 2007) depressive neurosis, as words that define an extreme reaction to an identifiable conflict or an internal circumstance (DSM, 2000).
Depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration. Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s ability to function at work or school or cope with daily
During the 1800s, treating individuals with psychological issues was a problematic and disturbing issue. Society didn’t understand mental illness very well, so the mentally ill individuals were sent to asylums primarily to get them off the streets. Patients in asylums were usually subjected to conditions that today we would consider horrific and inhumane due to the lack of knowledge on mental illnesses.
brain, or sending patients to institutions, doctor prescribed pills to try and treat mental conditions. In addition mental health patients were no longer being institutionalized due to the poor conditions in mental institutions (History of Mental Illness”)
Mental health services in St. Louis have undergone a multitude of changes as stigmas towards mental health issues have begun to change. Traditionally, mentally ill individuals were thought to be lacking religion or in trouble in the eyes of God, and this thought process was believed until after the Middle Ages. These beliefs may have changed, but the attitudes towards the mentally ill were continued into the 18th century and beyond, which caused an increase in the stigmatization of mental illness, and thus subjected these individuals to humiliating and unhealthy conditions found in the original confinement of mentally ill patients, asylums. The government created mental health asylums, which separated these individuals from their societies,
In America, one in five adults has a mental health condition, a staggering statistic. Appreciatively, recovery is the goal in the mental health centers of 2017. Nevertheless, in the 1950s, patients were provided with inhumane treatments such as lobotomies. Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, provides an accurate portrayal of a psychiatric ward in the 1950s. The antagonist, Nurse Ratched, hopes her patients will not recover and manipulates them to gain authority. In contrast with the past, Nurses of the present day treat individuals with respect. Conduct towards mentally ill patients has changed since the 1950s in ways such as public attitude, medication, and
The establishment of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of “1946” main goal was to get a deeper meaning and services for mental disorders by means of research in turns of providing away to cure and treat and individual with a mental disorder.
Historical Perspective In the 1800s, services for children suffering from emotional disturbance were only offered in segregated environments. There was a lack of support surrounding psychological problems in children. Back then, “physicians and psychiatrists thought that insanity was an adult disorder. Most believed that expression of mental illness in childhood was a sign of mental deficiency” (Butler, Few, Argenta, 2010).
The medical community of the 1950s and 60’s accepted a classification that divided depression into sub-types based on supposed causes of the disorder. This was influenced by the hundreds of years of back and forth debate as to whether depression was best thought of as a mental or physical problem, and by the increasing knowledge of the brain and brain chemistry. Depression that came from within the body and was caused by genetics or some other physical problem was dubbed as “Endogenous” Depression. People with endogenous depression were supposedly to view themselves as the source of their own suffering and to think that everything was their fault. Their emotional pain was thought to be unaffected by the attitudes or responses of the people
Everyone will have a sad moment in their life, whether it is a death, a friend betraying he or she, or not getting accepted to the college of his or her choice. Depression can be described with many different words, but it will come down to sadness. People who live with depression will see lack of joy, energy, and happiness. They will not enjoy life, or living. They see it as pointless and useless. Many people will have a depressing moment at some point in their lifetime. The people who develop depression do not have to be poor or unsuccessful. They can be making millions a year and still be depressed, showing that money and success does not guarantee happiness. To be able to fully understand what depression is, one will need to know the
James Scullin the labour government invited Sir Otto Niemeyer to study Australia's problems. Niemeyer was from the Bank of England and was to advise the Government. His strategy was to create reductions in wages and improvements in productivity to balance the budget. He said that Australia had been living beyond what was needed and had to cut costs, spend less and start