Waste Land : Depression And Depression

The expression “I feel depressed” is used normally as a throwaway comment when we are feeling sad or miserable. Normally these feeling will pass us by, and we then continue with our everyday life without another thought. But what if these feeling didn’t disappear over time? What happens when these start to interfere with our everyday life? What if the enviorment around us is the major cause of depression? It’s not really hard to believe when you think about it as we are faced with mass unemployment, and a recession which can put heavy strain on even the most balanced of individuals and their interpersonal relationships around them. There are many interpersonal instances that can have the ability to lead to the onset of depression, such

Art is not always pleasant, but neither is society. Art and society have a reflective relationship with one another. During social, religious, and political controversy, artists such as Frida Kahlo incorporated imagery into their portraits of society which are often disturbing to the viewer. The role of an artist often includes acting as a social critic, to show us aspects of our cultural landscape that are unpleasant. In this manner, the art acts as a commentary on the negative aspects of Western civilisation. During the thirties and forties, Kahlo incorporated the hidden realities of economic and social depression into her works.

Today, 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression, over 5% of the entire population on Earth (Healthline). While 5% may not seem like much, it is absolutely appalling to think that any one person deserves to feel depressed. Despite being apart of the human mind ever since creation, doctors and psychologists today are still struggling to understand what causes the mind to break down to a state of utter sadness and self loathing. Even more troubling is the fact that not many people, primarily parents, are exposed to the utter damage that the disorder may cause to their children. Unlike physical disorders, injuries, or other illnesses that attack the body, depression attacks the mind. Depression can take the brightest day and turn it

Depression is a growing problem in today’s modern society. In the United States sixteen million adults currently suffer from clinical depression. This leads to over thirty thousand suicides, and five hundred thousand suicide attempts amongst Americans every year. Even people in a “perfect” world can not escape this reality. Bernard from Brave New World suffers bouts of depression often. Depression is a growing issue that is not always recognized for its severity, nor treated with the attention it requires, which only results in the worsening of the issue. Despite the lack of attention, depression is one of the nation’s leading causes of disability. It is an easily treatable mental health disorder, and with rising general knowledge and awareness

The First World War was an immense catastrophe caused by increasing militarism, imperialism, and alliances and lasted from 1914 to 1918. The poem, the Wasteland, a classic of Modernist literature published in 1922 by T.S Eliot, wholly captures the turmoil, barrenness and despair felt by the masses during WWI, also commonly known as the war to end all wars. This is done through the fragmented and melancholic depiction of a barren, physical and emotional “wasteland” devoid of any life, joy or human emotion. Thus, the poem, as a whole, highlights the degradation of western civilization, especially the British Empire, during the War and the latter's eventual everlasting economic and societal deterioration after the War.

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,

The Depression Journals” is a narrative of the authors depression that is involved when she is writing this book and her dissertation. This section is easily the most readable and relatable part of the book. Cvetkovich eloquently explains her personal journey with depression and then relates it to how it is not taken seriously in North America. Cvetkovich experiences the kind of depression that does not stop you from completing daily chores and activists but leaves you “stuck” in all but the basic forms of living. Her depression lasts for multiple years before she then decided to get help, which she was then put on antidepressants. Throughout this section of Depression, Cvetkovich will frequently indicate at a goal, instead of going through

My experiences at LandWorks were enriching; it empowered me to question how art therapy allows emotions to be vocalised through art, the importance of artistic and therapeutic techniques, and the significance to implement art therapy into everyday life; allowing one to find one’s self. I wanted to investigate how each prisoner copes with showing emotion, the importance of time and how their use of their time has changed. Also, what the prisoners learnt throughout their journey, and what helps to motivate the prisoners to undertake a more positive outlook. Does art facilitate the viewer to have an experience? Does it explores the viewer’s perceptual capabilities, so they can develop their own meaning behind the work? Dewey (2005:36) discusses the experiences felt by viewers,

The Brazilian artist Vik Muniz rooted in New York decides to make difference in the society and travels to Jardi Gramacho, the largest landfill of the world in the outskirt of Rio de Janeiro, with the meaning to help the pickers to improve their lives using art. The “catadores are the ultimately marginalized population they resort to picking valuable recyclable materials from the garbage. The magnitude of this people's job is breathe taking. This film is a very good example of how fame and talent can be use for a greater good and bring light to something that is incredible. Vik Muniz is a very remarkable man because how was able to involve the workers during the entire process, from the beginning and instead of making it about him, the art.

The Oscar-nominated documentary “Waste Land” leads a controversial issue related to depression and the treatments of depression. The question that stems from the controversy is does the use of art therapy actually cope with the symptoms of depression. An artist by the name of Vik Muniz contends to the idea that art therapy is considered a coping method for depression, and helps with the effects of depression. The individuals within the documentary have a background of poverty, and with poverty comes depression, but that does not stop them from their everyday tasks. The individuals spoken about throughout the documentary, have a work ethic that will leave you speechless. Although, when the issue of depression is brought upon others, most

T. S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland” depicts a definitive landscape of desolation, reflecting the damaged psyche of humanity after World War I. Relationships between men and women have been reduced to meaningless social rituals, in which sex has replaced love and physical interaction has replaced genuine emotional connection. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” goes a step further in depicting these relationships: the speaker reveals a deep sexual frustration along with an awareness of morality, in which he is conscious of his inability to develop a connection with women yet cannot break free from his silence to ask “an overwhelming question” (line 10). “The Wasteland” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” together illustrate that

Art or art therapy has the power to help people in general in terms of expression and combating depression. This is due to the fact that it is a way for people to express themselves when they are unhappy in a less direct and creative manner that allows them to experience a sort of release of negative emotions. The creative process of art itself is unlimited and vast. Its ideology is solely based on self-expression, which is free and unrestricting. Moreover, artistic communities tend to be less judgmental on whether the art itself is “right” or “wrong” (Zahovaeva, 2014). Thus, it can be seen that these are good reasons why a person with disabilities might want to join the artistic sphere. Scientific research has shown that art does have meditative effects where it renders stress to relaxation in a person’s physiology. In different researches, changes in brain wave patterns, autonomic nervous system, hormonal balance and brain neurotransmitter have occurred as a result of listening to music (Zahovaeva, 2014). Art in medicine is not a new concept, ancient rites of healing were performed hand in hand with music, dance and drama to emphasize the healing process (Zahovaeva, 2014). Within the context of disability studies, this proves to be greatly advantageous because art is both beneficial in terms of its ability to affect psychological as well as physiological side of people. Rubinstein, a Russian psychologist, claimed that

Throughout his presentation of London and its citizens, Eliot creates a tremendous and oppressive sense of inertia and stagnation. He evokes brilliantly both the literal wasteland which World War One left and also the profound spiritual dissatisfaction which many at that time felt, as well as the need for a rebirth or resurrection.

There are many factors that contribute to stress, anxiety and depression. These social disorders are often related. It us understood that numerous things can cause these different feelings. Depression is defined as persistent feelings of sadness and worthlessness and a lack of desire to engage in formerly pleasurable activities (Psychology Today). Extensive research has been done to find out the reasoning behind these emotions and what can be done to control them. As we look a little deeper into the topic, could depression be directly linked with the use of various social media platforms people use every day, such as Facebook? Are these social media platforms effecting people’s everyday lives?

The infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was the day that some mobsters were killed by Capone in the conquest of territory for distribution of illegal alcohol. (American history U. S. 1302 ebook)