A Discussion On The Illness Of Depression

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,

People who are not depressed or have never come to contact with clinical depression, are more often than not inclined to judge someone who is clinically depressed and call them dramatic, self-indulgent, or even worse tell them that they are just “under the weather.” Diagnosed clinical depression is not something that one can just shrug off, in fact it’s a disease that will cause the mental health state of an individual to decrease. Though depression isn’t something one can physically see like the flu, depression causes the patient to feel the effects as if it were a physical disorder. These symptoms include but are not limited to, fatigue, muscle aches headaches, etc. Though sadness can also cause an individual to feel these symptoms, sadness is temporary. Whereas depression, lingers and tends to become part of the patient’s everyday life, like a best friend. Though everyone at some point in their lives will experience sadness, the underlying question of why some people experience sadness that leads into full on depression remains. The article titled “Sadness, Depression, and Avoidance Behavior” by Allan M. Leventhal, primarily discusses an explanation to why some individuals are more prone to depression and subsequently will become clinically depressed, and why others are not. Furthermore, the article offers a clear separation between sadness and depression.

Millions of Americans suffer from clinical depression each year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2017), 322 million people are affected by depression around the world. Concerning industrialized Western world countries, it remains as the number one psychological disorder affecting its population (WHO, 2017). Most clinicians begin primarily with prescribing either pharmacologic or psychotherapy interventions. With billions of dollars spent in revue on treating depression (Chisholm, Sweeny, and Sheehan, 2016), exercise used as treatment in reaction to mental illness is often overlooked by mainstream health care professionals. However, it has been proved by recent research exercise acts as both a preventive and reactive

By making depression seem ambiguous and less severe than it really is, the general population became more inclined to use the antidepressants. By depicting depression as kokoro no kaze, “it implied that [depression] was not the severe condition it was once thought to be and therefore should carry no social stigma…[and] suggested that the choice of taking a medication for depression should be as simple and worry-free as buying a cough syrup or an antihistamine” (Watters 524). The last message portrayed to the general public is the phrase “depression [is] ubiquitous” (Watters 525). By using the analogy to connect the common cold to depression, GlaxoSmithKline downplayed the severity of the mental illness and as a result, made the general population more open to acknowledging the possibility of having a mental illness and thus making depression a social and societal norm. “Depression was so broadly defined by the marketers that it clearly encompassed classic emotions and behaviors formerly attributed to the melancholic personality type” (Watters 525). Depression became “intentionally ambiguous and ill-defined, applicable to the widest possible population and to the widest possible range of discomforts…. The only feature that distinguishes depression as a ‘disease’ from an ordinary depressed mood seems to be the length of time…” (Watters

Clinical depression is an illness that significantly affects the way someone feels; causing a persistent pessimistic mood. There are two main types of depression; post trauma and clinical deposition. This medical condition is often accompanied by a range of other physical and psychological symptoms that can interfere with a person’s everyday life; affecting 6% of Australian adults every year. Symptoms for depression include sleeping pattern disturbances, loss of motivation and interest, feeling worthless or guilty, anxiety and impaired concentration. There are a few ways that this depressive illness can be caused: reaction to a distressing situation like loss or stress; part of an illness such

Whether we are becoming a more depressed population or simply changing the standards by which we diagnose is an area of some controversy. What is certain is that the medical system is now processing and treating—with ever-changing cocktails of psychotherapy, support groups, and pharmaceuticals—20% more Americans every year than the year before. Depression—together with its aftermath—is a staggering epidemic sweeping the country, ravaging countless lives in its

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

However, with changes in society it has come to describe those who suffer from pervasive lowering of mood preventing them from living a normal life. Conditions range from person to person. It may vary from mild, brief occasional dips in a person's mood to a severe lifelong persistence in extensive depressive episodes characterizing a person with intense feelings of self-worthlessness. Overall depression is a very common mental health disorder, however it is still highly misunderstood. This disorder is seen to be “one of the greatest, if not the greatest disease burden of the twenty first century”. (Mulholland.1) As this disorder brings distress to millions of households across the nation, it is frequently misdiagnosed or simply not seen as an issue of concern at all. Leading to “a great deal of suffering and a substantial number of deaths”. (Mulholland.1) Alas, the condition sadly evokes a lot of stigma. The lack of personal experience and knowledge residing with most people causes feelings of superiority in those who the condition does not affect. This causes tears in the social fabric and worsens things for those that do have

Clinical depression is a serious disorder. It has many health risks and dangers. It effects people of all ages and all walks of life, though statistics do show that some groups are more prone to be depressed than others. There are many symptoms of clinical depression. These symptoms can very often be joint symptoms with other illnesses as well, so it is very important to seek professional help in determining the cause of any such symptoms. There are also a number of physical and psychological reasons for the onset of depression. Once the disease has been diagnosed and its causes are determined, there are several treatment options that are widely available for patients. These treatments are very effective and covered by most insurance policies. To say the very least , depression is an illness that is not to be taken lightly. It is important for everyone to be educated on this illness so that if symptoms occur in oneself or a friend or family member they can be diagnosed and treated before

“Depression is an illness that increasingly afflicts people worldwide, interfering with concentration, motivation and many other aspects of human everyday functioning. It is a complex disorder, involving many systems of the body, including the immune system, either as cause or effect. Depression disrupts sleep, and loss of appetite, in some cases it causes weight loss, in other cases it cause weight gain. Because of its complexity, a full understanding of depression has been elusive. Depression involves mood and thoughts as well as

Many people believe that there is a depression epidemic due to the fact there has been a large increase of cases. Rottenberg even brings up statistics from the World Health Organization. to show how depression has increased ,“But we don 't need to wait 16 years. The depression

There are several different explanations that fall under the psychodynamic "umbrella" that explain why a person develops depression. Psychoanalysts historically believed that depression was caused by anger converted into self-hatred. Children who develop depressive symptoms typically are raised by neurotic parents who are inconsistent, lacking in warmth, inconsiderate, angry, or driven by their own selfish needs. These behaviors lead to the them feeling alone, confused, helpless and ultimately, angry. But, out of fear, love, and guilt, they repress anger toward the parents and turn it against themselves so it becomes an anger directed at him or herself. Caught between the belief that he or she is unacceptable, and the imperative to act perfectly to obtain parental love, they become prone to experiencing exaggerated anxiety and feelings of depression. They also feel that he or she is not good enough, no matter how hard he or she tries. Now, this sort of treatment and environment can evolve into more severe depression and anxiety disorder as an adolescent and adult. (Pshychodynamic Theories, 2007)

Depression is considered to be the "common cold of psychological disorders." This is because depression is the most common mood disorder. In fact, depression is becoming more and more widespread and the incidences of depressive disorders are increasing rapidly.

are happy when they achieve something or saddened when they fail a test or lose

Depression have become a major problem in our society today. People who haven’t experience depression will not understand how it feel and what it can do to a person. Many people also doesn’t understand what depression is, or how it can related to suicidal ideation. In fact, studies have documented that the majority of young suicide victims had depression at the time of death and most suicide survivors were diagnosed with symptoms of clinical depression at the time of their attempt (Mojs, Biederman, Głowacka, Strzelecki, Ziemska, Samborski 2015). It can affect anyone, from young adolescents to college students to the elderly people. There are many reasons that can make someone have major depression. Such as financial problems, family problems, social problems, school, work, etc. These stressors in our daily life can cause anxiety which can increase our stress level significantly, which then can lead to depression. A research said that anxiety disorder have a high comorbidity with depression and that anxiety occur prior to the onset of depressive disorders in many individuals (Batterham, Christensen, Calear 2013). People who experience depression must find way to cope with depression and know how to get help in order to prevent suicidal ideation. The people surroundings, friends and family, must also find ways to recognize the symptoms of depression, and show understandings in order to help those suffering. This research project will help people understand more about