Depression. Depressed. Depressing. These are all used in our daily lives. We state that someone who is down ‘depressed’ because they failed a test is. Someone who has recently had an argument is ‘depressed’ about it. If someone isn’t completely happy, they must be ‘depressed’. NO! That is not depression. That is not what having and suffering from depression ever is. Depression is a mental illness. The fact that people only see depression as simply as a form of being sad, is out of order. If this is true, then OCD is just a form of being uptight, or anxieties is just a form of being nervous. All this gives the idea that depression is only a matter of mood, a matter of personality. Society states that it is “the soul that is sick, not the body”. Society sees it as something you have some control over, that you can choose to be happy. Is it though? Is happiness a choice? In short term, no, happiness is not a choice. Depression comes from chemicals in the brain. In a normal brain function, neurotransmitters jump from one nerve cell to the other, with the signal being strong all the way though, as with the following cells. However, in people who are depressed, the mood controlling neurotransmitters fail to function normally, so that the signal is either reduced or disrupted before passing to the next nerve cell. This proves the fact that depression is chemical; it is the body fighting against you. One girl, Rebecca Brown, was diagnosed with Trichotillomania – an impulse disorder
This topic came from the thought that depression is something that all of us have experienced at some point in our lives. It focuses on adolescents because during this period we are young and vulnerable and may not know how to cope with situations or circumstances that may lead us into depression. Factors such as going through puberty and issues at home with parents can all cause depression. This paper will talk about what is depression, how families can affect depression in the child, and how depression can lead to long term effects.
Depression is defined as a mood disorder that interferes with how a person is able to perform day-to-day activities. “Depression is characterized by a depressed or sad mood, diminished interest in activities which used to be pleasurable, weight gain or loss, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, inappropriate guilt, difficulties concentrating, as well as recurrent thoughts of death.”(CDC, Depression) Depression, also known as a “Major Depressive Disorder”, usually affects individuals between the ages of
The major issue with depression is that it seems to be a silent mental disorder. Many go without medication and suffer from it because of the embarrassment of having it or from no one understanding what they are going through. Depression needs more awareness on how serious the disorder is. It can destroy someone’s life if it is not treated properly. Emotions are a part of everyday life. Someone may go from being happy to mad within the hour. When this happens it is called a mood. When moods are extreme though, that is when depression is showing. Depression can also be caused by extreme stress that is in someone’s life. By some estimates, women are twice as likely to become depressed as men: boys and girls have the same level of risk until age 12, after which the risk for girls doubles through adolescence and remains consistently higher until after menopause
Depression may not seem like much from the outside looking in, but to a person suffering from depression, it is an ailment that brings life to a screeching halt. While most people go through moments of "feeling depressed", these are nothing like bouts of clinical depression.
Depression is a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way. It brings together a variety of physical and psychological symptoms which together constitute a syndrome. At least 10% of people in the U.S. will experience major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. Twice as many women as men experience major depression and is known as the common cold among psychological disorders. Like the common cold, there are many types of depression.
Among clinicians, depression is shorthand for a debilitating syndrome - major depressive disorder - that robs people of their energy, their concentration, their memory, their restorative sleep; their ability to love and work and play. The mental disorder actually lights up the brain's pain circuitry, causing a state of suffering far worse that of any physical discomfort. As one of my friends told me, "if I could give up my right arm - literally, have it amputated - to escape the pain of depression forever, I would take that deal in a heartbeat."
Depression is classified by the mental health profession as a mood disorder with symptoms that can vary widely from one person to another. Depression not only causes emotional disturbances like feelings of sadness, despair, guilt, worthlessness, anxiety and apathy, it can also manifest itself in physiological symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, loss of appetite and diminished sex drive. It can affect the ability to think clearly, to notice and remember details and to make good decisions. Depression can affect behavior and lead to alcohol or drug abuse, suicide attempts and other self-destructive behaviors. The two most-common types
The word ‘depression’ has become a common everyday word. We hear the term ‘depression’ so frequently today, it’s even used in the contexts of jokes. For example you may hear someone say ‘My favorite show is over, now I have nothing to watch, I’m so depressed’. Obviously this person is not depressed, but we have come to overuse it in our expressions, to the point that is takes away from the seriousness of this disorder. Major depressive disorder is a mood disorder characterized by at least two weeks of depressed mood or loss of interest in nearly all activities, along with sleep or eating disturbances, loss of energy, and feelings of hopelessness (Kosslyn, Rosenberg, 2006). This mood disorder is characterized by a depressed mood, lack of
Depression: “An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affect the way a person eats, sleeps, feels about himself or herself, and thinks about things” .[2] People tend to hear the word depression and think that someone is just upset and they will get over it. The truth is, 19 million Americans are living with depression right now, according to WebMD and Depression Health Center. [3] These people are not living with depression by choice, depression can come and go on its own and once you have been depressed, your chances of becoming depressed again are even higher. Now as stated before, depression is not just a mood swing, it is an illness that can take over a person’s body, feelings, and affect their way of thinking of themselves and habits.
Depression is said to involve much more than just being sad, it is a conquering disease that takes away the ability to feel emotion, good or bad. This is a disease that can be passed down through genes and heritability or can follow external events and can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain states Dumit (2003). Depression is known to be treated many different ways such as biological treatments, as well as, therapy and hypnosis. Depression not only involves the mind, it also involves the body and thoughts. Depression is real and may result in devastating acts if not treated properly.
Depression can mean several different things. It can mean "normal" depression, such as loss, conflict, trauma, or the disruption of normal life balance. It can be a symptom of a physical illness, or a side effect of medication. It can also be based on neurochemical abnormalities (Karren, Smith, & Gordon, 2014, p. 181-182). Depression as an illness is not a normal reaction, but it can occur even without a clear reason (Karren, Smith, & Gordon, 2014, p. 182). A person who is depressed feels that the present conditions and the future possibilities are intolerable (Karren, Smith, & Gordon, 2014, p. 182). The elusiveness of depression makes it difficult to define: it 's not just one single condition with a simple cause (Karren, Smith, &
Feeling down is something we all go through at times in our lives. However, if sadness takes us over and will not go away, it may be depression. Depression makes it difficult to function, to carry on normal activities and it takes away the joy of living. You lose interest in the things you once enjoyed, you have difficulty concentrating, you have loss of energy, and you have feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
According to a recent study by the National Institute of Mental Health, it was revealed that 13% of African American women suffer from depression at some point in their life, a number higher than the general population (Ward, Wiltshire, Detry, & Brown, 2013). Mood and Anxiety disorders such as Depression are experienced by black women from all walks of life, especially those from low Socioeconomic backgrounds. Due to a variety of factors black women are more likely to report psychological disturbances and experience Chronic Morbidity associated with depression than whites (Woods-Giscombe, Robinson, Carthon, Devane-Johnson, & Corbie-Smith, 2016).
Depression. What is it? How are people with depression treated by others? Depression is defined as a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, unimportant, and often is unable to live in a normal way. (Depression. 6) Think about anytime you or someone you know who has ever felt really sad or just down in the dumps. But in most instances, you or this person usually cheer up right? Many people suffer from different kinds of depression, most seeking help. When it comes to how someone with depression is treated, just like any disability or disorder, it varies person to person.
Depression is always mentioned when the person concerned is for a long time in a sad and depressed state. A depressed person sees no more perspective in his or her