Myths About Depression Research

People who are not depressed or have never come to contact with clinical depression, are more often than not inclined to judge someone who is clinically depressed and call them dramatic, self-indulgent, or even worse tell them that they are just “under the weather.” Diagnosed clinical depression is not something that one can just shrug off, in fact it’s a disease that will cause the mental health state of an individual to decrease. Though depression isn’t something one can physically see like the flu, depression causes the patient to feel the effects as if it were a physical disorder. These symptoms include but are not limited to, fatigue, muscle aches headaches, etc. Though sadness can also cause an individual to feel these symptoms, sadness is temporary. Whereas depression, lingers and tends to become part of the patient’s everyday life, like a best friend. Though everyone at some point in their lives will experience sadness, the underlying question of why some people experience sadness that leads into full on depression remains. The article titled “Sadness, Depression, and Avoidance Behavior” by Allan M. Leventhal, primarily discusses an explanation to why some individuals are more prone to depression and subsequently will become clinically depressed, and why others are not. Furthermore, the article offers a clear separation between sadness and depression.

Everyone has felt sadness as some point in their lives, but that does not necessarily mean that they are depressed. When someone reaches a point of depression, it could be defined as having been sad for a long period of time, having no motivation to do what once made them happy, and feeling as though there is no more hope. Along with losing all faith, there is the long lasting feelings of guilt, and many depressed people feel this way because they blame themselves for not being able to feel happy. This way of thinking stems from today’s conventional society. People are always told that they can choose optimism, choose to be happy, and it is all their fault if they are anything but. However, this way of thinking is very toxic for those who are

“Recent data estimate the overall prevalence of depression at about 11.1% of the American population, or nearly 35 million individuals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). A predictive models suggest that up to 50% of the population will experience at least one episode of depression during their lives” (Life Extension, 2014). Depression has negatively affected the lives of many individuals throughout the world. Look around you there may even be someone close to you that is demonstrating signs of its stifling affects. Depression does not discriminate with its suffocating

The use of distressed college students as analogues for depression research, however, is not sufficient in meaningfully advancing our current knowledge of depression and its treatment. Due to ease of access and convenience, the excessive reliance on this sample has made some researchers neglect crucial and noteworthy differences. This paper will address these critical differences including severity and symptomatology, issues of generalizability and problems with the psychometrics. Lastly, this paper will illustrate how research of college students as analogue samples does not need to be discontinued; rather, several suggestions to improve this research will be explored. Currently, there are two views in the literature regarding depression:

Even though sadness and grief are mandatory aspects of life, when sadness takes over the quality of someone’s daily life, they become depressed. Depression can be a debilitating disorder and can effect anyone at any time. Because of the broad spectrum of events that can cause depression, there are several different forms such as persistent depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, major depressive disorder, manic depression, and bipolar disorder. With the prevalence of depression growing rapidly in today’s society, like many others, I know several people who have faced depression and even though they all have the same disorder, their experiences and outcomes

Three myths about depression include that antidepressants are the only thing you need to cure depression, that men do not get depression, and that it is not a real illness. Some people believe that an antidepressant can cure depression and that they could simply take a pill and feel better within hours ("10 Depression Myths"). Unfortunately, this is not the case because depression affects every person differently, so it may not have the same effect on two different people ("10 Depression Myths"). Also, people that take antidepressants will not experience the effects for at least six weeks as the body adapts to the changes ("10 Depression Myths"). This is important to know because many people will take antidepressants and not see a result quickly,

Have you ever wondered what really causes depression? Or how people are even depressed and not just sad? The reason I chose this topic is because I have depression. Not only that but I only know a limited amount of this disorder, and also considering the fact that depression runs along side both of my mom’s and dad’s side of the family. My curiosity grows as I wonder, what does this really mean? Why was i diagnosed with depression? Is depression permanent or can it be cured? How? Where does depression come from? On this journey as i take you into the world of mental health knowledge, you will also get to know a little bit about depression, and maybe answer some of your questions.

There is a negative view of depression because of the lack of understanding since many people do not understand the seriousness of the illness. Depression is often misunderstood as something that makes people sad or as if people choose to feel less than happy about what is going on in their life. With many support systems and advocates fighting to deliver

People of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life have felt depressed and unhappy at some time in their lives. These periods of sadness usually pass after a short time, but for some people, this feeling can remain for weeks, months, and even years. (1) This prolonged state of unhappiness is called major (or clinical) depression and is characterized by a persistent sad or "empty" mood, loss of interest in favorite activities, difficulty concentrating, and many other symptoms. It is not simply a mental state but an illness that interferes with the way people feel, function, and think.(2)

Research has been around within science for years, and throughout these years, research has been done to confirm methods to help improve areas of life. Inside Psychology, Research methods have evolved and has helped improve individuals with their specific problem. Going in depth, depression, is an example of an disease that uses research methods as treatment, and is in need of more research to help improve the lives of individuals.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, nearly 42,773 Americans die each year from suicide, that’s about 117 suicides per day(AFSP). This number has been continuously increasing every year since 2010, and yet, society as a whole still tends to be looking the other way (AFSP). This may be due to the fact that there are so many misconceptions about mental illnesses. According to an article titled “Depression: The Brain Finally Gets into the Act,” by Barry L. Jacobs writes that “the 20th century will be remembered primarily not for its biomedical advances, but as the period when depression (along with the other major psychopathologies) was finally considered to be a disease and not a failure of character or a weakness of will”

We all live two lives: there’s the life that everyone sees, and then there’s the one that only you can see. And in the life that everyone sees, I am a friend, a sister, a daughter. And if you asked me to describe myself, I would probably say some of those same things. And I wouldn’t be lying, but I wouldn’t be telling you the truth either. Because in the life that I only see, I am someone who suffers with depression. I have for the past 4 years of my life, and I continue to everyday. And there’s this pretty big misconception that depression is just being sad when something in your life goes wrong. When you fail that Religion test. When your girlfriend breaks up with you. That’s sadness, that’s a natural human emotion. Real depression isn’t being sad when something goes wrong. Real depression is

Depression has numerous causes and effects which affect not only the person but the people around them. Depression doesn’t have a specific cause; in most cases it’s different for everyone. It is a common, treatable mental illness that can be experienced at any time in life. It is often described with feeling sad, unhappy, miserable, or “down in the dumps”. Most people have these feelings on occasion. There are several types of depression. These different types of depression describe slight, but often important, diagnostic differences. True clinical depression interferes with mood disorder in everyday life for weeks, months, or even years. Most people think depression affects only one

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

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,