The term "mental illness" refers to a wide range of disorders that affect one's mood, thinking, and behaviour. Depression is among the most common mental illnesses (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, 2009). Depression is much more than simple unhappiness, it can be defined as an intense feeling of sadness and worthlessness that lasts for more than two weeks and for most of one's day. Symptoms include lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, as well as many other symptoms which can have repercussions socially, professionally, and in other significant areas of one's life (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2012). According to Health Canada (2009), twenty-seven percent of Canadians will experience depression in the course …show more content…
This may be due to the negative stigma attached to depression. Twenty-seven percent of Canadians admitted to being afraid of being around someone who suffers from a mental illness (Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, 2012). In addition, one third of individuals suffering from depression are forced to resign once it is known that they had a mental illness. The likelihood of women experiencing depression is two times that of men. Moreover, statistics indicate that they are one and a half times more prone to being hospitalized due to depression (Mood Disorders Society of Canada,2009). Although depression is more pronounced in females, men have a higher rate of feeling angry and irritable , which can make it harder to recognize depression in men (American Psychological Association Task Force, 2010).The reason women are much more likely to suffer from depression can be linked to a number of sociological factors such as divorce, domestic inequality, the sexualisation of females, and the gender wage gap experienced by women. Understanding the determinants of depression among Canadian women is an important problem to investigate because it is linked to suicide (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2012), lower GPAs, and lower political efficacy (Ro*co Films Educational,
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
“The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates that 1 in 5 Canadians will develop a mental illness at some time in their lives.” Mental illness is defined as a mental pattern that causes an impaired ability to function normally in ordinary life. Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income and are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing. A number of factors can contribute to whether an individual will develop a mental illness, with these factors being present individually or in multiples. A number of factors have been identified that contribute towards initiating mental illness, but no individual factor has been definitively identified as ‘the’ factor that causes a mental illness. Symptoms of mental illness can range from mild to severe and are classified into two main categories as being either organic disorders or functional disorders. Organic disorders cause a decrease in the mental function of the brain due to a medical disease; while functional disorders cause a derangement of the mind. The type and severity of the disorder determines if it will be short-term and treatable or if it will be permanent or degenerative and untreatable. There are a variety of community and medical services available to assist those who are affected by mental illness. These services are available on an in-patient or out-patient basis depending on the level of severity, with the general trend towards
Depression is the most common mental health disorder; it affects over 17 million American adults each year. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by at least four symptoms such as changes in sleep, appetite, weight, and psychomotor activity; decreased energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt; difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions; or recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation, thoughts or attempts. “Women are approximately two times more likely than men to suffer from major depression” (Research Agenda for Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors in Women’s Health, 1996) and it has been called the most significant mental health risk for women. Women are more likely to suffer from depression during marriage
Men are less likely to seek help for depression because in countless societies, men are looked down upon for showing emotion. Untreated depression can then easily lead to suicidal thoughts and eventually suicidal behavior. Men throughout the world carry the burden of concealing their weaknesses from those around them for
Amongst young females, young Asian Australian and Indigenous Australian women are especially vulnerable to depression with a prevalence rate of 53.8% (Rich et al., 2013) .
Mental illness: Mental illness is a term that is used to describe a condition that affects many people, this condition is often a serious disorder in a person's behaviour or thinking. Mental illness affects around 10-25% of people living in the UK at some point in their life. [Sabp, 2015] There are many different types of mental illnesses; Examples of mental illness include depression, phobias, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, addictive behaviours and schizophrenia. Mental illnesses can range fro m minor illnesses such as having a phobia to being more severe such as having depression or anxiety. [Mayoclinic, 2015] All of these metal illnesses can be treated in some way however they can become a serious part of a
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
Close to six million Canadians live with mental illness; let alone the thousands that are undiagnosed. Mental illness has made big headlines in the news in the recent years. The people suffering from mental illness have been faced with discrimination a caused by a stigma towards them. Mental illness can be caused by many different factors whether they are psychological or environmental. Although only twenty percent of Canadians personally experience mental illness in their lifetime, it affects everyone in their lives. Many of the people suffering from mental illness live their lives in silence because of the stigma attached to the illness. They would rather nobody know about their condition than face the stigma and discrimination of the
Depression is a real mental condition that affects many people around the world. It affects all ages, social backgrounds and genders. There are many signs and symptoms of depression. Common symptoms of depression are sleeping problems, great weight loss or gain, headaches, being tired regularly and being overwhelmed. A lowering mood is known to alter one’s sleeping patterns whether if they are waking too early or sleeping in, greatly impacting the way they would
The female population makes up the other half of the entire human race, how depression affects them should not be glazed over. He touches on the topic very briefly, and makes valid points but not enough to capture all of the knowledge. “And urban North American women, the most affluent demographic of the study, were the most likely to experience depression” (Junger, 20). While he does touch on the topic, this is one of the few quotes that focuses on women and depression in North America, not even regarding that this applies to women in most societies as well. Kastrup wrote an article called Cultural Aspects of Depression: “It is well documented that women run a greater risk in most cultures: overall, women have a 1.5-2 times greater risk of suffering from depression compared with men. In the Cross-National Collaborative Group, women in all countries had a higher prevalence with a female:male ratio varying from 1.6 in Lebanon to 3.1 in West Germany.” Again, Junger did include a brief mention of women, but narrowed it down to North American women, when it clearly expands to other
A mental illness is an issue that affects one’s behaviour, emotions, thoughts and ability to interact with others (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing 2007). Common mental illnesses in Australia include anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders and personality disorders, with the most prevalent being anxiety disorders and depression. Anyone can develop a mental illness, although suffering from a chronic medical illness, experiencing a highly stressful or traumatic event, having a blood relation with a mental disorder or drug and alcohol use can increase one’s risk (Mayo Clinic 2015).
Depression is a mental illness in which a person experiences deep, stable sadness and discontinued interest in nearly all activities. People also use the term depression to describe the temporary sadness, loneliness,
Women experience depression at twice the rate of men. Gender differences emerge first at puberty and occur mainly in the common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety among others. These disorders, in which women predominate, affect approximately 1 in 3 people. The frequency of major depression in adults is estimated to be 7 to 12 percent in men and 20 to 25 percent in women in a community and this constitutes a serious public health problem (NIMH, 2006). Several and variable factors in women contribute to depression, such as genetic, hormonal, developmental, reproductive, and other biological differences like premenstrual syndrome, childbirth, infertility and menopause. Factors associated to social issues may lead to depression
This paper introduces a 35-year-old female who is exhibiting signs of sadness, lack of interest in daily activities and suicidal tendencies. She has no interest in hobbies, which have been very important to her in the past. Her lack of ambition and her suicidal tendencies are causing great concern for her family members. She is also exhibiting signs of hypersomnia, which will put her in dangerous situations if left untreated. The family has great concern about her leaving the hospital at this time, fearing that she may be a danger to herself. A treatment plan and ethical considerations will be discussed.
feelings can linger for years. Depression is a social disorder characterized by a depressed mood