Depression is one of the most tragically misunderstood words in the English language. Why? The term has two very different meanings, depending on the context. Among clinicians, depression is shorthand for a debilitating syndrome - major depressive disorder - that robs people of their energy, their concentration, their memory, their restorative sleep; their ability to love and work and play. The mental disorder actually lights up the brain's pain circuitry, causing a state of suffering far worse that of any physical discomfort. As one of my friends told me, "if I could give up my right arm - literally, have it amputated - to escape the pain of depression forever, I would take that deal in a heartbeat." To make matters worse, depression is a …show more content…
That's where the tragic confusion arises. For when those suffering from depression confide their diagnosis to friends and family, they're often met with relative indifference, born of the assumption that the patient is afflicted with mere sadness - a condition from which they can quickly and easily recover. As a result, patients faced with depression are often encouraged to snap out of it. No one would dream of offering such cruel and ridiculous "advice" to someone diagnosed with cancer or heart disease; the input is equally inappropriate in the case of depression. According to the World Health Organization, depression is common worldwide, with an estimated 350 million people of all ages affected. Depression is twice as common in women than in men, and is the single most common women’s mental health problem (“Depression.”). Even though depression is extremely common, this mental illness is still …show more content…
It doesn't present only during times of corresponding darkness and uncertainty; it can't be exiled by times of relative joy or contentment. Depression can be impacted by events in the outside world but the thing about it is that it doesn't need to be. It's always there, at best surviving inside you like a dormant virus waiting patiently for its chance to flare up and take total control; at worst, totally in control, pulling you down into a thick murk you can't break free of no matter how hard you may struggle. Put simply, it doesn't matter how happy you should be, how awesome your life is, how successful you are, how many people look at you and think you're on top of the world and are understandably smiling through every second of it -- if you're depressed, there's a very good chance you're always depressed. Just because you can't see it at a given moment doesn't mean it’s not there. Depression is absolute. It's a loss of hope and an unwitting relinquishing of belief -- and it hurts like Hell, so much so that after a while the acceptance of the pain becomes matter-of-fact and second nature. A few years ago, one of my friends suggested, "shrinks really need to come up with a better name for this disease. Depression doesn't begin to describe what it's like, and the word is just way too confusing for people." I couldn't agree
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
Depression is a disease that many people suffer from everyday of their lives, there are cures and treatments that can get people help, but it is still and everyday struggle. “Depression is a psychoneurotic disorder characterized by a lingering sadness, inactivity, and activity, and difficulty in thinking and concentration.” (Lerner 1). Depression can be defined as a brain disorder, that people are diagnosed with.
Many people believe that while mental illness exists in the world today, depression is not included and is rather just another form of long-term moodiness. Because of this perspective that societies share, depression has become a bigger problem than it needs to be.
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
Depression in itself is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that prevents neurons, the cells that compose the brain, from functioning properly. This occurs when the synaptic vesicles and receptor sites of the neurons become blocked, consequently preventing the chemical signals known as neurotransmitters from being transmitted from neuron to neuron. The reduction of this brain impulse activity is commonly seen in depressed patients making it argued that due to the lack of transmitting impulses occurring in the brain results in a hormonal imbalance, which plays a major role in the mood of an individual. As a result of this chemical imbalance in the brain a person may experience what is called clinical depression. However, clinical depression is not the only common type of depression. Environmental depression is another example that is caused by stressful events occurring to or around an individual such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or financial instabilities such as job loss. This kind of depression often leads people to feel powerless in a dire situation. Be that as it may, depression in itself seems to be more commonly seen in women than in men. Countering this is, in its most dramatic aftermath- death by committing suicide- the rates seem to be much higher in men than in women. Regardless of the type of depression or who has it most often, it is imperative to reach these people before they
Depression is not just a state of being sad and is not something that will go away after a nights rest. Depression can be defined as “a condition of mental disturbance characterized by such feelings to a greater degree than seems warranted by external conditions, typically with lack of energy and difficulty maintaining concentration or interest in life”. (New Oxford American Dictionary) Depression can be found in more than just the mind, it hides within one’s body, leaving the beholder immobile. Depression does not discriminate, it can affect anyone of any age, background, class, race, or religion. It affects over fifteen million adults in the United States alone. Depression is basically the common cold of mental disorders. Anyone can get it and it is extremely common. The reason why I chose this particular topic is because I suffer from clinical depression as well as anxiety.
Depression is a common mental disorder, characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, feelings of tiredness, and poor concentration. Depression can be long-lasting or recurrent, substantially impairing an individual’s ability to function at work or school or cope with daily
Many people completely misunderstand mental disorders and don’t bother trying to correct mistakes made by themselves or others. Depression is no exception. Although it is one of the most common mental disorders categorized in the United States, how is it still such an issue? Although it is so common many people do not recognize the signs in others due to media portrayal, gender stereotypes, and the many misconceptions about this serious mental disorder.
Approximately 121 million people around the world suffer from all types of depression. Depression is one of the many types of villains that we all have to face in life and have to live with. Having depression is something hard to describe. Basically, mornings are a struggle to get up, smiling is not an option, laughing seems impossible, positive thinking is forbidden, relationships are lost hopes, freedom is gone, love is dead. It is like drowning in the ocean, going only deeper and deeper. You can see the light shining on the surface of the waters, but you are being pulled down deeper into an abyss, drowning. That is what depression feels like.
Depression is defined as, “a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide” (Merriam Webster). A close friend of mine battles depression and would describe it is, “a debilitating mood that makes it hard to get out of the bed in the morning, a desire to sleep all the time, inability to experience joy, and apathy towards life.” Due to its prevalent occurrence among several people groups throughout history, depression is known as the “common cold of mental illnesses” and has been called “the most widespread, serious,
According to Nemeroff (2007), depression is a psychological illness that affects one’s feelings, thoughts and actions.
Before we can go any further, we must know what depression is and what causes it. Depression is an emotion that is felt along with a strong
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,
Although Depression is something that most people associate simple sadness with, there is much more to Depression than what the majority takes at face value. According to how the media has affected myself and many of my peers, the definition of Depression based off of the media would be: Being at an emotional or lonely state, where you feel isolated and different from the rest. The medical definition states that: “Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and lost of interest”. The difference between these two definitions is that the media singles you out versus the medical term just categorizes you with others. What is missing form these definitions are the solutions, which is what most people need in the first place.
Depression is not sadness. Depression isn’t something to romanticize. Depression is not a thing you can just over. Depression is not a phase you had on Myspace. What depression is a mental illness that makes you feel low all the time without any reason and you feel like you fell in a hole away from everyone and thing. Depression is real disability that affects as much as roughly ten percent of adults in the United Sates.