Depression
Consider this: Elizabeth Wurtzel has struggled with depression throughout her life. She has a history of suicide attempts, self-mutilations, and serious mood swings. She took numerous antidepressants and medications in an attempt to regulate her irregular behavior. She quit using the medications due to the multiple side effects the drugs had on her. The result was chaos; after Elizabeth quit taking her medication her body experienced episodes of withdrawal. Despite her continued attempts to combat her illness, she experienced nervous breakdowns and alienation from her friends and family. Elizabeth Wurtzel reluctantly went back to taking medication despite the potentially serious side effects of taking so many drugs (Kim 46).
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The illness of depression is a state of psychological misery that does not go away (Kim 13). It may also be defined as a state of mind and body which is characterized by a change in mood towards being miserable, worried, easily discouraged or agitated, unable to feel emotions, fearful, despondent or hopeless (Winokur 3). People suffering from depression often have slowed mental reactions, trouble concentrating and remembering, and difficulty in interacting in social situations (Winokur XIV). “Clinical observations” have shown that 84% of depression patients suffer from “impaired concentration” (Winokur 6). Their responses to questions “will take a long time in coming” (Winokur 4). Such forms of pleasure as food, friends, and sex no longer hold an appeal to people who suffer from depression. It has also been proven that 77% of people who suffer from depression lack an interest in “usual activities” (Winokur 6). People who suffer from depression simply loose their joy for life (Kim 13). Many people who suffer from depression entertain the thought of suicide (Robbins 6). “Estimates are that the lifetime risk of suicide in persons with serious depression runs on the order of 15% while it is only about one percent for the general population” (Robbins 6).
Not only does depression affect people mentally, but it also affects people physically. Many sufferers of depression experience an “increased or decreased appetite” (Kim 14) which may result in
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
Depression not only takes a toll on a person mentally and emotionally but physically as well. Depression can cause chronic physical pain. Depression can cause: Fatigue or loss of energy, sleep disruptions, eating disturbances, inappropriate or excessive crying, headaches, back pain, muscle aches and joint pain, chest pain, and digestive problems. Sleeping disruptions and weight loss or gain add to the cycle of depression. Physical pain causes someone suffering from depression to have a less likely chance to move around more and help to naturally stimulate the body which would help in releasing serotonin and endorphins . “Depression, like heart disease and cancer, is a major public-health problem” (Depression, 1997). Depression can also be more predisposed to some than others especially if: there is a family history of depression
"Men pray to the gods for health and they ignore that it is in their power to have it."
Major Depressive Disorder has claimed the lives of up to 15% of those suffering from the disorder through suicide (Belmaker & Agam, 2008). Different people are effected by depression in different ways. Some individuals, like Raquel, suffer from loss of interest, feelings of worthlessness, along with thoughts of suicide (Fave & Kendler, 2000). Others go on with their daily routine with a smile on their face, while hiding their emotions. Although most individuals will experience depressed mood or general loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed (Spaner, Bland, & Newman, 2007).
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
Major depression is a commonly diagnosed psychological disorder affecting individuals’ ability to feel happiness and peace of mind. Those who suffer experience negative emotions, lack of motivation, changes in behaviour and dysfunctional cognitive symptoms. Depression is classified by the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as five of more of the listed symptoms present persistently over the same two weeks. One of these symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities. Depression causes disruption to typical daily life such as inability to maintain friendships and jobs. Other symptoms outlined by the DSM-5 include; insomnia, fatigue and recurrent thoughts of death. There is much debate over what exactly causes depression. Biological explanations question hereditary and neurotransmitter factors. While psychological theories include the cognitive ideas of Beck’s negative triad and hopelessness theory. This essay will focus on the ways in which psychological and biological explanations contrast and how their theories can overlap to better understand depression.
On October 29, 1929 an invention that so many people’s lives and saving crashed. The stock market. William Foshay never expected it to take effect when he created such a reality, but with this crash, it ruined lives. People were homeless. Foodless. Moneyless. Jobless. With such troubled times, it certainly did bring out the best and the worst in people. There aren't as many people to tell their stories anymore. But we can tell them from remembrance of them. Here’s a story of people who did obtain the best and the worst lives, and everyone in betwixt.
Major Depressive Disorder or MDD is a very common clinical condition that affects millions of people every year. According to the Agency for Health Care Policy & Research, “ depression is under diagnosed & untreated by most medical doctors, despite the fact that it can almost always be treated successfully.
During college, students have very busy schedules and with all of the new challenges students begin to face in college, it can become stressful. Depression is commonly seen amongst college students. Depression is a serious illness. Students should be conscious of the symptoms of depression so that they can detect if they or a friend has it. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, some of the symptoms of depression includes , change in appetite, feeling sad, hopeless, irritable, etc.
Is depression a subject that people typically tend to brush aside? Rather than facing away from a serious issue that people suffer from in their daily lives, we should discuss the methods to help people with their struggle from depression. A common method to treat depression is the use of antidepressants. But are they effective? Do they cause more harm and danger than aid? Are there other methods that can provide greater improvement rather than a pill? Instead of using antidepressants there are other alternatives such as placebos and types of therapy that can be just as, or more effective than the use of prescription antidepressants.
Depression is the most widespread mental illness in today’s society. Studies have found that, 1 out of 8 teens are affected with this disease. It also predominantly affects young ladies than it does males. (www.kidshealth.org). Teens are at a position in their lives when they must face significant transition and peer pressures. They are trying to identify with themselves and trying to figure out where there puzzle piece fits in society, all of which can show the way to behavioral and emotional changes. This is also a stage when families suffer from poor communication: teenagers often tend to keep their feelings and concerns to themselves away from their parents and other authority figures. Therefore, identifying depression in teenagers
One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1
Depression is the most common of all psychological disorders, affecting 100 million people worldwide. The depression ranges from mild feelings of uneasiness, sadness, and apathy to intense suicidal despair. (Kasschau) If left untreated, it could lead the
I was always awkward sexually, I don’t mean awkward in the sense of performing coitus but rather everything else. During sex I rather enjoy myself as any young man would, but before the act and after It where the awkwardness kicks In, Is where I find myself loathing the world and the person I am about to, or have recently just fucked. Usually young men enjoy the chase and thrill of courting. My best friend prefers this to sex itself, he believes that “It is a canvas in which only the best artists are capable of painting on”. In some ways Intend to agree with him and then reality kicks in and I remember that people are disgusting creatures, before, during (especially during) and after sex.
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