Depression: Facts vs. False

This article claims that depression is a mental illness that has yet to be completely controlled although, much has been learned about it, there still isn’t a its fundamental understanding of what exactly causes it. The article also talks about some treatments that may be able to help certain depression patients.

Depression is a mood disorder which causes persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest; affecting how you feel, think, behave and can ultimately lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. “Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States. In 2014, around 15.7 million adults age 18 or older in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year, which represented 6.7 percent of all American adults. At any point in time, 3 to 5 percent of adults suffer from major depression; the lifetime risk is about 17 percent. As many as 2 out of 100 young children and 8 out of 100 teens may have serious depression.” (ADAA, 2017) Depression is the leading cause of disability in the US.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is a serious but common illness that interferes with daily life and causes pain for you and the your loved ones (National Institute of Mental Health, 2015). Depression affects males and females; however, females are more likely to be diagnosed with depression at any given year. Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and insomnia are amongst the most common reasons for individuals to seek out treatment

As a kid I would often get overwhelmed and say I’m depressed but not truly knowing the meaning of the word Depression. Now that I am older I know not to use that term so loosely because depression is a disorder that is very serious. According to the Mayo Clinic Depression, also known as major depressive disorder is a mood disorder that causes a feeling of sadness and a loss of interest. Depression can cause physical problems because it affects how you think along with how you act. For example, you may not want to do activities that you normally would, due to this disorder. Depression does not have a specific age or gender, it can happen to anyone. According to do something.org 1 and 4 adults suffer from depression episodes before the age of 24. Also, women are two times as likely to suffer from depression than men. In addition, more than 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression. Phill Hickey makes a claim that “Depression Is Not An Illness: It is an Adaptive Mechanism” in his article and I beg to differ. In this paper, I plan to explain why I disagree with Hickey; and define depression/mental illness.

Depression is a real illness that impacts the brain. Anyone suffering from depression will tell you, it’s not imaginary or “all in your head.” Depression is more than just feeling “down.” It is a serious illness caused by changes in brain chemistry. Research tells us that other factors contribute to the onset of depression, including genetics, changes in hormone levels, certain medical conditions, stress, grief or difficult life circumstance. Depression is a serious condition. It’s also, unfortunately, a common one. The World Health Organization characterizes depression as one of the most disabling disorders in the world, affecting roughly one in five women and one in ten men at some point in their lifetime. It is estimated that 21% of women and 12% of men in the U.S will experience an episode of depression at some

Depression is not just a facade created by emotional individuals. It is an actual occurring problem within the brain, primarily in teens. Anyone dealing with depression can explain that it is more than a feeling of sadness or loneliness. It is an agonizing pain that is sometimes hard to explain, which lasts for months and sometimes years. Although depression may start as an emotional state, it progresses to a more complex dilemma and begins to affect you in every way possible. Depression does not differentiate. It can happen to any gender, racial and age group. Depression is an illness that affects the brain, as well as one’s self-perception. It is a common condition that is overlooked by many.

Over the past sixty to seventy years, depression has become ten times more likely to occur in the world’s population. Depression is technically defined as being associated with feelings of hopelessness and dejection. While some simply view depression as an arrangement of various sad feelings, there are both chemical causes and treatments to the many different types of depression that are common in our world today.

This illness called depression affects many people’s lives, does it not? This is here to analyze and explore how depression is one of many serious factors in society, why it’s important to know about, how it affects people, and what ways there are to help them.

Depression is a mental disorder that affects much of the American population, approximately 7% (The Refuge). There are many difficult problems that result from having depression. Depression can be either caused by your heritage or by being triggered by a traumatic event. Women have a higher chance of developing depression than men. In this paper, I will state the different effects of having depression.

There are many different factors that contribute to a person’s depression. Some examples would be, a change in hormone levels, stress, grief, abuse, medical illnesses, and genetic characteristics. With the internet and stereotypes that are around nowadays, depression has become easier to

Depression is a mental illness that affects your feelings, behaviors and thoughts. It affects one’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat and even enjoy things that once brought enjoyment to their lives. One may feel sad or irritable, have very little energy, and trouble sleeping, have the feeling of not feeling worth anything or having unhappy thoughts about oneself or life in general. A person may feel that the only way they can stop the pain is by hurting themselves. Depression can affect men, women and children, however; women have about twice the risk of developing the condition (Mirowsky, 1996). However, with the proper medication and treatments, they will be able to resume a normal lifestyle.

Depression is not one 's state of mind or the the way an individual is feeling. It’s a medical condition. It should be must be looked at with the proper mentality. Depression is a very severe disease that can alter one 's lifestyle, their eating, sleeping pattern, friendship, and habits.

“Did you know, 20% of Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime” (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2015), of that more than 350 million people of all ages will be affected by depression? Depression is a mood disorder caused by an overwhelming feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It has a negative effect on how one goes through their day to day activities. Depression is more than just having a “bad day”, it is a serious mental disorder that can harm people’s lives. The causes of depression are widely ranged. The debate between if depression comes from a nature vs nurture environment is highly looked into. Depression is backed up and proven by scientists and researchers to come from a person’s personal events, can be caused by a person’s biology, or even the abuse of substances is proven to have an impact on the cause of depression as well.

Depression is “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest” (Mayo Clinic Staff 1). People believe that depression is just feeling upset and disinterested in everyday activities, and those people who struggle with depression should just cheer up. Both statements are symptoms of depression, but depression is much more than just feeling upset and disinterested. Other symptoms include sleep disturbances, trouble concentrating, aching, appetite loss, memory difficulties, and easily getting frustrated. There are several theories concerning the causes of depression. Some people believe the cause for depression involves biological problems, and other people believe the cause for depression involves environmental problems. Depression is caused by abnormal differences inside the body.

Depression is a rapidly growing mental illness that strikes millions, but they never know the cause of this common, yet sometimes, harmful illness. If victims and potential victims knew what caused depression, they could do more to prevent it from happening. In order to know what causes depression, one has to know what it is. The online dictionary defines it as “a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason (Dictionary: 1)”.