A Lecture On Depression By Andrew Solomon Essay

According to research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, major depression rates for American adults increased from 3.33 percent to 7.06 from 1991 to 2002. “Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act”(Parekh). Although some may believe that depression is stagnant, more Americans are in fact dealing with depression than in years prior. I heard this and was unsettled. In a time of openness and greater opportunity than ever before, why is depression increasing in Americans? My research has lead to the conclusion that social media, the modernization of western culture, and the average American diet has been leading factors in

"Men pray to the gods for health and they ignore that it is in their power to have it."

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

Andrew Solomon was noticing a strange thing that going in his ankles, waist and his shoulder. His waist started to breakdown with the strain and, the general body pains. During these times he ignored all the signs and the symptoms he was noticing. He was compacted and depleted by the things crushing him. The first major symptom of depression hit him without warning in the night, when he was publishing his first novel. He felt that he would not be able to walk into his party room. Unable to interact with his guest and that was when the anxiety began. He is

Depression is a growing problem in today’s modern society. In the United States sixteen million adults currently suffer from clinical depression. This leads to over thirty thousand suicides, and five hundred thousand suicide attempts amongst Americans every year. Even people in a “perfect” world can not escape this reality. Bernard from Brave New World suffers bouts of depression often. Depression is a growing issue that is not always recognized for its severity, nor treated with the attention it requires, which only results in the worsening of the issue. Despite the lack of attention, depression is one of the nation’s leading causes of disability. It is an easily treatable mental health disorder, and with rising general knowledge and awareness

Andrew Solomon is known to be a writer, lectures, and Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia. His experience includes writing about politics, culture and psychology, stated in TED. Throughout TED talks, “Depression, the secret we share”, Solomon argues that depression can be devoting causing a person to become weak, lose interest, which can lead to one feeling defeated. He puts forth his argument predominantly through the use of Pathos and Ethos.

The Star.com. (November 3, 2014). Student help line finds 50 callers a month considering suicide. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2014/11/03/student_help_line_finds_50_callers_a_month_considering_suicide.html

Depression is a normal emotional reaction to perceived loss and hopelessness (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002). There are a number of different types of depression such as chronic depression, manic depression and the primary focus of this essay Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). MDD is a clinical depression, which is more chronic and more severe compared to other types of depression. It significantly disrupts the individual’s ability to meet the normal demands of life. According to many clinicians, clinical depression should be considered as a medical illness in need of medical intervention. Other mental health professionals believe this is an overstatement of the role of physiology and the

Central Idea: Depression is caused by many different things, has many symptoms and can also be treated in many ways.

When we break our arm everyone runs forward to sign the cast but when we say we have depression everyone turns and runs the other way. This author shows how severe depression can form and issues that can be associated with severe depression. The way Elizabeth Wurtzel depicts depression and the substance abuse that can be related to severe depression is  impeccable in her non-fiction novel Prozac Nation. Depression affects more than 350 million people worldwide and is the most common of all the mental illnesses, it doesn’t have a cure but it is manageable with proper medication. Elizabeth Wurtzel has said “ I made ‘Prozac Nation’  a necessary reading because I write necessarily.  I tell my story because it is about everyone else: in 1993, people took pills to relieve the pain just like they do now, but it scared them; it doesn’t anymore, because talk is not cheap at all -- it is tender”i think this is very important  because it shows how hushed the talk about the facts on mental illness are. Although depression is shown to be an individual illness, the author effectively demonstrates the massive toll depression takes on family and friends. For example, depression takes a toll on your family and friends by having to watch you suffer and be in pain and not be able to do anything about it. Secondly, your family and friends are stuck watching as depression takes you

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

feelings can linger for years. Depression is a social disorder characterized by a depressed mood

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Nearly three million Australians live with depression and/or anxiety, which affects their wellbeing, personal relationships, career and productivity”. It is true that the real definition of depression is skewed amongst those in society. Some chose to believe that depression is a normal reaction to life’s stresses, like losing a loved one, getting fired from a job, going through a divorce, and other difficult situations, and that only when these feelings come without reason and persist long term should it be seen as a serious concern. Others believes that depression is no more than a sad feeling that is ignorable, only revealed to people for the sake of attention and the care that comes from pity and sympathy. Personally, I believe that depression is a scientifically proven mental illness, and as it dramatically alters one’s self and has become prevalent in society, it should be discussed with the gravity and urgency deserved to such a pressing topic.

Depression has numerous causes and effects which affect not only the person but the people around them. Depression doesn’t have a specific cause; in most cases it’s different for everyone. It is a common, treatable mental illness that can be experienced at any time in life. It is often described with feeling sad, unhappy, miserable, or “down in the dumps”. Most people have these feelings on occasion. There are several types of depression. These different types of depression describe slight, but often important, diagnostic differences. True clinical depression interferes with mood disorder in everyday life for weeks, months, or even years. Most people think depression affects only one

The term depression is widely misused in today’s society. All human beings experience periods in life where they are sad for a relatively short period of time, which is considered normal. Those who experience sadness for extended periods may be suffering from depression. Two terms used to reference the classifications of depression, are Major Depressive Disorder, and Dysthymia. Individual diagnosis of these classifications is dependent on the length of time, and severity of symptoms experienced by the individual. The causes for these depressive states can be due to genetics or the insufficient production of neurotransmitters, which provide the brain with the data necessary to regulate one's psychological well being. Two examples