Sociological Explanations Of Depression

According to Nemade, Reiss, and Dombeck (2013) the history of depression dates back as early as the second millennium B.C.; initially depression was referred as melancholia. It was thought all mental illnesses were caused by possessions of the devil. In addition, depression was understood as “a spiritual (or mental) illness rather than a physical one” (Nemade et al., 2013).

When most people hear the phrase “The Great Depression” they only associate it the crash of the stock market and the hard times that followed. Here in the Midwest, when we think of the Great Depression we also think of the Dust Bowl and the Dirty Thirties. The Great Depression was a very climactic end to a series of poor choices that greatly affected the entire United States.

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.

Mental illnesses are generally characterized by changes in mood, thought, or behavior. They can make daily activities difficult and impair a person’s ability to work, interact with family, and fulfill other major life functions (SAMHSA, 2015). Contemplated early on in history, treatments for mental illness looked to cure the reflections of the anger of gods, demonic possession, sorcery, the evil eye, or an angry deity, responded with equally mystical, and brutal treatments (Nash, 2007). Attempts to treat mental illness date back as early as 5000 BCE as verified by the discovery of trephined skulls in regions of ancient world cultures (Porter, 2002, p. 10). Only a few realized that individuals with mental illness should be treated humanely rather than exorcised, punished, or banished. Psychiatry has come a long way since the days patients were shunned from society and shackled in asylums. Experiments and techniques for treating mental illness from ancient times to the turn of the 20th century have paved the way for the treatment plans used today.

Also research supports that ongoing stress impairs the growth of the nerve cell in the hippocampus. The amygdala is associated with emotions mainly fear and anger. With depressed individuals, a variety of scans show the amygdala to be very active and there is an increase in activity when the person is saddened or depressed. Even after affected people recovery, the increased activity in the amygdala is still present for a period of time. Another area of the body that research has determined plays a role with the development of depression is the endocrine system. The endocrine system is made up of small glands which are responsible for producing hormones and to release them into the bloodstream. The hormonal levels are keep constant and avoid

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,

Mental illness has been around since the beginning of recorded history. Mental illness was not recognized and those suffering were labeled as retarded. “Terms

The history of depression reaches back into ancient Mesopotamian times depression was first labeled "melancholia" (Nemade, Reiss & Dombeck, 2007). During this period, people were certain that melancholia was caused by supernatural possession. Thus, the initial documented perception of depression was that is was a spiritual or mental sickness, and not a somatic one (Nemade, et al., 2007). The view of depression as a spiritual or mental illness stayed this way until the 19th and 20th century (Nemade et al., 2007). In 1950, scientists started looking for more organic causes of depression and divided the disorder into subtypes based on what was believed to have caused the disorder (Nemade et al., 2007).

Depression is a condition that affects people more primarily in the work force, it lasts forever if untreated. In the United States those with depression are “two times to three times more likely to be unemployed, and their employment rate is 15 percentage points lower than for those without depression” (by Christopher Prinz from PBS Newshour). It is not easy for someone with depression or any mental illness to apply for jobs or get interviewed. I believe that people, especially in the work force always see you as weak minded if knowing about the depression. Look at it this way, a job is rarely understanding when it comes a mental illness, just like a therapist or physciatrist when it comes to the workforce, they want you to be happy and healthy

People acting differently than others, was thought to the acts of demons. Even though, this belief is still believed in many different cultures. Now, it is commonly known that people have chemical imbalances in the brain that may cause abnormal behavior. Treatment plans have also changed. Shock therapy, trephination, and sending people to insane asylums were all used. More humane treatment plans are used today. These include counseling and psychotropic drugs. Although, mental hospitals are still used today, they use more humane ways of treating people. They enable people to get back into the community and continue to provide care for those people.

Also, there are many types of disorders to be picked from. Depression is one of the most major and easily identifiable, though people tend to hide it away. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. To trace it back in history, the first signs of it emerged around the 5th century B.C. and was originally called melancholia. At the time, it was considered to be a form of demonic possession only to be cured by noble priests. The first understandings were that it was a spiritual problem rather than a physical one. Literature of the time was filled with references to mental illness caused by spirits or demons. The early Babylonian, Chinese, and Egyptian civilizations also viewed mental illness as a form of demonic possession, and used exorcism techniques (such as beatings, restraint, and starvation) designed to drive demons out of the afflicted person's body as treatments. In one of hippocrates works, he recommended diet, exercise, distraction, travel, purgatives (cleansers that purge the body of toxins), bloodletting, herbal remedies, marriage, and even music therapy as

Depression has always been a problem for us as human beings. Many documents point to depression as being a long-standing health problem that has been present for ages. Depression “was initially called ‘melancholia’. The earliest accounts of melancholia appeared in ancient Mesopotamian texts in the second millennium B.C. At this time, all mental illnesses were attributed to demonic possession, and were attended to by priests” (Nemade, Reiss, and Dombeck). It was first understood as a spiritual illness. This changed during the 18th and 19th century which was the beginning of the Enlightenment. During this time, depression was thought to be inherited or an unchangeable weakness. A common thought of those living in that time period was that those who were affected by depression should be shunned or locked up. As a result, those with mental illnesses often become homeless and poor. Some of these people were also sent to institutions. As time

Treatments of choice were beating, starvation, and restraint. In contrast, early Romans and Greeks did gymnastics, massages, special diets, music, and baths as well as a concoction of poppy extract and donkey's milk were used to alleviate depressive symptoms. This idea further regressed in the Middle Ages, where the thought that people with mental illnesses were possessed by devils, demons, or witches and those inflicted were able to spread this madness to others. Exorcisms, drowning, burning, and other barbaric strategies were used as treatments in an attempt to Sometimes, those who were depressed were taken away to be locked up in a “lunatic asylums” or were

Has Depression Really Been Treated As Well As It Should Have In The 18th – 20th Century

Statistics show right now in the United States the unemployment rate is high. A lot of people are saying that this is bad and the economy is slowly going downhill, but most people forget to think that these things are normal and is nothing worse than the Depression of the 1930s. Although some people say that the Depression was caused by the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, it was strictly due to many reasons that were unrelated to the Act. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act was signed by President Herbert Hoover on June 17, 1930. It had been proposed in 1929 and was passed in June of 1930 by Congress (Burg 63). Two men by the name Reed Smoot and Willis C. Hawley, who were republicans, sponsored this Act, but 46 states did not see the significance or how