Stigmatization Of Mental Depression

There is an illness like none other, that sweeps across nations but is not contagious. It withdraws any and all feelings of all from from every area of life. Many experience it after a specific situation that elicits extreme sadness, loss, or pain. Other’s feel it for no apparent reason and are left seemingly to fend for themselves in the only dark abyss that they know. This malady is known as depression affects many people of all kinds every singly year. If the world knew how depression truly affects its victims, it would realize it’s not merely a mood or emotion one experiences, but rather a true and physical disease.

Depression is a disorder that is a very prevalent disorder amongst the United States population as a whole. This disorder can be

Stereotypes are a major problem because people may hear the stereotypes of what a depressed person is like and assume they are not depressed because their feelings do not go by the stereotypes they heard. The stereotype that happy people cannot be depressed is all wrong on so many levels. Sometimes showing happiness and using humor is a defense mechanism, and the people who seem happy are really suffering in silence. Some also believe that depression is “dictated by life circumstances” when actually, it can be triggered by inherited genes and traits, brain chemistry, and even hormonal imbalances(Clifton). One should talk to their doctor if they think hormones could be the cause of their depression. Talking about depression with a depressed person is commonly believed to be uncomfortable or embarrassing for the person, and while sometimes this may be the case, it actually may send some relief to the person with depression. The National Institute of Mental Health says “there’s a difference between experiencing sadness for a short period of time and one’s daily life becoming afflicted by the symptoms of [depression] for several months or years”(Clifton) Despite what society says, people with depression are not mentally weak, lazy, or inferior; they may actually be some of the strongest people around having to fight a daily battle in their minds that no one else knows about. The smartest, most hard-working and supportive people

To many a stigma is a disgraceful flaw, that of a negative presence. In mental health this stigma is overwhelming. Approximately 57.7 million Americans experience a mental health disorder in any given year. (National Alliance on Mental Illness) People in dire need of help are not seeking it. Mental illnesses are going undiagnosed. The mental health stigma is having a negative impact on the proper diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses.

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,

The social stigma surrounding depression, especially in adolescents is vital in order to ensure the discrepancies between the actual-self and social norms doesn’t affect it more and create a negative cycle. Depression already affects the mood of individuals and makes it difficult to achieve hopes and desires (ideal-self) but it is also essential to improve societies stigma of mental illness to improve on social norms surrounding the duties of individuals (ought-self). Improving the awareness and stigma of depression and mental illness will allow for less of a discrepancy between actual-self and ought-self allowing for the negative cycle to be reduced in individuals (Calear, Griffiths & Christensen 2011). The Australian stigmatisation has dramatically

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."

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 350 million people suffer from depression (CITATION).  Even with such a large number of people affected by depression, stigma is an issue in our society because it can result in prejudice.  This prejudice can affect many aspects of everyday life, especially social aspects (Bellanca & Pote 2013).  The stigma surrounding depression is also frequently cited as a barrier to seeking help (Wang citation).  Because of these severe consequences, it is essential to research and implement stigma reduction efforts into society.  Better informing people about depression can change how they view the disorder, which can consequently reduce stigma (Han and chen) (Schiller). Ways to reduce stigma should

The main problem with society and depression is the stigma that comes with the disease. Everyone thinks that people who are depressed are completely different from the other people who surround them. Society sees them as less of a human and treats them that way. People who do not have depression have a tendency to sort out the people who do. They might notice their “irritability, loss of interest in previously loved hobbies, including sex” (Wexler). Depression has evolved into a much bigger problem than it actually is, all because of the way the public perceives the disease. This is a problem that concerns people today because the people that suffer from depression have a substantial reason to be the way they are. These men and women do not

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

There exists a great deal of misunderstanding and misinformation among the American public regarding depression. While depression is recognized as a clinically diagnosable and treatable mental illness the term is also commonly used by lay people to describe nothing more that a "depressed" mood. This casual reference to a serious medical condition discounts its validity and creates a stigma for those with true depression. In fact many view depression as nothing more than an emotional weakness in others (Blonna, 1996).

How society responds to mental illnesses is mainly influenced by the amount of knowledge they have regarding mental disorders (Hinshaw, 2007, p. 7). Thus “the way in which mental disorders is defined has major implications for social responses” (Hinshaw, 2007, p. 7). People who suffer from mental illness have different behaviors than others; as a result, people in society

There is a stigma in our country regarding mental health and its treatment. These stigma are divided between social stigma and perceived or self-stigma. Social stigma are those that society places negative feelings towards a certain group, which can lead to discrimination. Perceived or self-stigma are those internalized feelings of the mentally ill individual on how they feel society views them. Both types of stigma can lead to negative feelings of the mentally ill individual through feelings of shame, depression, hopelessness, and anxiety. Current policies on mental health are limited by federal legislation and may only address the aspect of public discrimination.

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,

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