Love Prevails Over Depression : Depression

Depression is a common and serious mood disorder. It’s more than just feeling down or sad in response to life’s struggles and setbacks, depression causes people to lose pleasure from daily life, can increase the risk of many health problems, and can even be serious enough to lead to suicide. The disease must be given more attention and treated as a global public health priority. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7.6 percent of people over the age of 12 have depression in any 2-week period. Depression is also the second most common cause of disability worldwide after back pain,according to a review of research.

Principles of Support: "We will see the individual first, not the illness. We recognize that mental illnesses are medical illnesses that may have environmental triggers. We understand that mental illnesses are traumatic events. We aim for better coping skills. We find strength in sharing experiences. We reject stigma and do not tolerate discrimination. We won’t judge anyone’s pain as less than our own. We forgive ourselves and reject guilt. We embrace humor as healthy. We accept we cannot solve all problems. We expect a better future in a realistic way. We will never give up hope (NAMI, 2014, p. 1)."

However, with changes in society it has come to describe those who suffer from pervasive lowering of mood preventing them from living a normal life. Conditions range from person to person. It may vary from mild, brief occasional dips in a person's mood to a severe lifelong persistence in extensive depressive episodes characterizing a person with intense feelings of self-worthlessness. Overall depression is a very common mental health disorder, however it is still highly misunderstood. This disorder is seen to be “one of the greatest, if not the greatest disease burden of the twenty first century”. (Mulholland.1) As this disorder brings distress to millions of households across the nation, it is frequently misdiagnosed or simply not seen as an issue of concern at all. Leading to “a great deal of suffering and a substantial number of deaths”. (Mulholland.1) Alas, the condition sadly evokes a lot of stigma. The lack of personal experience and knowledge residing with most people causes feelings of superiority in those who the condition does not affect. This causes tears in the social fabric and worsens things for those that do have

Mental illnesses make things almost impossible, such as keeping a job or housing. Each individual's interpersonal difficulties differ from one another (Green). Some

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “1 in 4 adults live with a serious mental illness (Ken).” This means that in American there are almost 62 million people suffering from mental illness (Mayo Clinic). With that being said, only a small portion of the United States’ healthcare budget is used to fund mental health related research and facilities. Sarah Kliff, journalist for the Washington Post, reported, “…about 5.6 percent of the national health-care spending, according to a 2011 paper in the journal Health Affairs (Sarah).” Kliff also expressed that the United States has a budget of $113 billion dollars annually to spend on healthcare. Consequently, that means that only 6.3 billion dollars are spent on mental health issues every year. This is a staggering number consider that roughly 25% of the United States’ population is living with a serious mental illness (Sarah) Due to the large portion of American’s living with serious mental illnesses it directly impacts family communication. To get a better understand on family communication and mental illness this paper will discuss what a mental illness, communication symptoms of mental illness, how to improve mental illness, as well as communicating options for help with your loved one.

Information and support will be provided to assist family members in keeping the family unit intact. This module will help the family in building communication skills, addressing acceptance and understanding of mental illness, facing the feelings of loss, and learning how to support a loved during hospitalization. A staff member, family and/or consumer partner will facilitate the module by educating and sharing their personal

Over forty million Americans suffer from a mental health condition; and, unfortunately, fifty six percent do not receive any treatment at all. “Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion and behavior”(Psychiatry.org). People live with their conditions even though their quality of life and personal relationships may be negatively affected. When one lives in a state of denial about having a mental illness, they are cheating themselves out of living life to their fullest potential and will achieve true freedom only when they face the illness head on and seek recovery.

The impact can be as small as missing work sometimes to as big as having suicidal thoughts. Depression should not be taken lightly no matter the situation. People should help others that is suffering from depression not distance themselves from them because they are a downer. There are many symptoms that you should look out for like: social isolation, lack of concentration, poor appetite, mood swings, lack of interest, insomnia and more. Looking out for these changes in people can help you help someone that is suffering from

Unlike physical illnesses, it is the temperament of a lot of mental illnesses that the patient does not comprehend they are ill. Believing that their behavior, emotions and mental status are normal, they may go through their whole lives with disordered thinking that could be significantly improved with suitable treatment. Family involvement is vital to successful illness stabilization in these instances. The Community Action Network reports that a lot of patients feel a shame in regards to mentally illness and that negative stereotypes frequently harm their careers or

Depression is an affective disorder, demonstrating many symptoms such as “hopelessness, helplessness, personal devaluation, and extreme sadness” (depression, 1).Though sadness is something everyone experiences, people who have

When an individual has unipolar depression, several friends and family members try to surround and support the person who is struggling. Although this is a noble desire, friends and family have a tendency to provide the support the wrong way by trying to convince the person with the diagnosis that their cognitive distortions are wrong. Unfortunately, painting the situation in a lighthearted manner for a person with depression can be construed as dismissive or naive. Ultimately, the person with depression remain feeling down, and feels unable to be honest with the person, which leads to a false front or simple avoidance.

Moreover, one aspect which Mr. Styron speaks about which is conveyed throughout the book is the sense of a “lack of self-control” when dealing with the depression and its symptoms. He specifically speaks about how this affected him during the course of his illness and how it impacted his social relationships as well. The lack of self-control was not only apparent in his responses to others but also in his inability to maintain proper relationships with others. He did not know what to be prepared for. This is a lesson we must recognize in all individuals with mental illness or any debilitating disease. As many of my clients have conveyed to me, a very large part of having a mental illness is the feeling of a lack of self-control. The knowledge that one does not really know what will be is quite terrifying. I once again recognize that this feeling may be a theme to further explore with clients individually as well as in groups. Furthermore, just as Mr. Styron wrote about how he recognized when specific symptoms were ‘activating’, such as in the evening hours for him, I work

Mental illness is a health condition that affects an individual’s moods and thinking in a way that changes how that person relates to other people in society. The functioning of the affected person is also altered and usually results in the person failing to perform some of the daily activities that the person has previously engaged in. Mental illness can be considered a combination of both social and health complications, affecting the social life of the people who fall victim in many ways (Elliott & Huizinga, 2012). There are some health complications that are also experienced with mental disorders. It is also important to note that medical attention forms part of the therapies that try to correct or control this condition. More recently most concern has been on the fact that mental illness is a major social problem in the world (Gonzalez & Rosenheck, 2014).

Depression has numerous causes and effects. The exact cause of depression is unknown. Depression can be genetic, triggered by stressful events, or both. A person with depression will avoid friends and social gatherings and begin to isolate themselves. They might even start to get into trouble or do bad things. Depression can lead to many addictions such as alcohol or drug abuse. If it leads to something like that, then the severity of the depression can become worse. The loved

Sadness is how the human being reacts to the loss of a loved one, the struggles of life, the disappointments, and the frustrations. Although it is a normal feeling in all these situations, there is a broad difference between being sad and being depressed. Unlike normal feelings of sadness, depression overwhelms a person, last a long time, and interferes with his or her day-to-day life. According to the World Health Organization in 2010, depression was reported as the most common mental disorder; it affects 120 million people globally and is among the leading causes of disability. The person that suffers from depression has to deal with being misunderstood and under-diagnosed on a daily basis, which leaves the patient with physical,