Depression by Kassidy Jones

            Suddenly you feel nothing but darkness, but you don’t know why? Next thing you know, you are sleeping way more than usual and barely eating anything. This feeling came out of nowhere, feels like it will never go away. “These are only some of the signs of depression. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the United States population age 18 and older, in a given year” (Archives of General Psychiatry).

History

            “Some of the first accounts of what we today call depression, and what was then called melancholia, come from ancient Greece” (Leashing The Black Dog: The History of Depression, 2015). “Depression as a referent to mood or emotional state appeared as early as 1665 and merely meant a lowering of mood or spirits” (The Nature of Clinical Depression).“In Orestes, Euripides depicts the tragedy’s protagonist as exhibiting many of the telltale symptoms of depression, loss of appetite, excess sleeping, lack of motivation to even bathe, constant weeping, chronic exhaustion, and a sense of helplessness” (1). Depression is a very common illness, yet a huge part of the population doesn’t know just how serious it is. People do not take this illness serious enough, everyday millions of people are struggling, but are too afraid to come forward because of how society sees this illness. Sometimes when people finally decide they have had enough, they ask for help and are immediately judged…not just by their family but by doctors, the ones are supposed to help them, instead end up making it worse. Here are some of the different types of depression:

·         Major Depression

·         Dysthymia

·         Atypical Depression

·         Adjustment Disorder

·         Postpartum Depression

·         Premenstrual

·         Seasonal Affective Disorder

·         Bipolar Disorder (Depression, 1)

[Major depression is what is considered to be one of the worst types and can last from] “2 weeks, but often for as long as 20 weeks” (Depression,1).  During depression, it can sometimes last days, weeks or months, depending on the reason for it starting. Depression can be triggered by many sorts of things like, having a death in the family or someone who was close to you, having a major change in your life, or it can just be as simple as the seasons changing. Some people get what is referred to as “Seasonal affective disorder, [which is known as] a kind of depression that is season and happens when there is less sunlight. It starts during fall-winter and disappears during spring-summer” (Depression,1). Also another type of depression is postpartum and during this depression “about 10% of mothers may have depression after giving birth”, [ for either a few weeks or can sometimes last month’s] (Depression,1). Treating depression can sometimes be extremely difficult or very easy, depending on the person and the type of depression that they have. There is preventive care, such as “getting enough sleep, mind-body techniques, psychotherapy and taking medication” (Depression,3). A lot of the time you can catch depression early, but that only if you really pay attention to your mind and body. Some people claim that they woke up one random morning feeling down and it just sort of overtook them instantly.

Causes

There are so many different causes of depression in which people are unaware of. Here are some of the main ones:

·         Biological Differences

·         Brain Chemistry

·         Hormones

·         Inherited Traits (mayo clinic staff)

·         Social Isolations

·         Long Term Stress

·         Medicines

·         Vitamin and Mineral Differences

·         Sleep Problems

No one knows exactly what causes depression, though scientist believe a combination of physical, genetic and environmental factors are involved. People with depression may people with depression might have abnormal levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine (Depression, 2). Neurotransmitters relay signals between your nerves (What are Neurotransmitters?) and basically are a huge factor of depression, because if your nerves that are going to your brain are sending bad signals, then it will start to affect you and your daily life. Serotonin is a chemical that is made by the brain and transmits signals from one part of the brain to the other. Serotonin is the chemical that keeps you happy and away from depression.

There are so many different cause of depression, you can get depressed from really big things that happen in your life that affect you greatly or from some things as small as the weather changing.

Effects on Society

Depression is such a huge epidemic, now more than ever. There are so many things in society nowadays that contribute to the illness named depression. Work is a huge factor in depression, some people work so much that they drag themselves into a dark place. The stress of work and trying to provide for a family is overwhelming and can lead to a major depression. It has been said that “depression is one of the most common illnesses, affecting about 18 million Americans each year” (Depression,1).

Examples

The first example that I am going to use is actually myself. In February of 2015, I was at my father’s house, when out of nowhere I started panicking and crying hysterically. I had never had this feeling before and it made me feeling so uneasy that I had to leave and go back to my mom’s house. For about a week, I was fine, though I was still confused about having a panic attack since that had never happened before. Then all of a sudden I started sleeping a lot more than usual, I became very angry and would have extreme mood swings. My weight was going up and I wouldn’t leave my house. That went on for about 3 months before my mom realized what was happening. Right after my mom noticed, my siblings and friends started to notice and it became a very serious topic in the family. My parents took me to the doctor, where I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I was then put on medicine which ended up making it worse, which does happen for some people. After 2 months of being on the medicine, I stopped. I started eating better, making myself go outside more and learning little techniques to control my anxiety. It is now a year later and I can say that I am way better. I have my days of depression, but not very often anymore and when I do have them, I am able to control them and go on with my day.

Another example is about my dad’s best friend, his name was Jason and from the outside looking in, I would have never thought that his life would end so tragically. He had wife and a daughter, his own wife didn’t know just how depressed he was. He had all of the symptoms such as, sleeping too much, not eating, staying inside a lot and the extreme mood swings. None of his friends knew about his illness and as time went on and he got worse, he never told anyone or asked for help. On mother’s day 2015, he committed suicide, only if everyone around him would have been paying more attention and maybe if he would have told someone, he could have gotten help and then all could have been avoided.

 

Conclusion

Depression is an extremely dangerous illness that affects millions of people in this world. This is something that should be more carefully researched and payed attention to, because “1 in 10 Americans at one point or another” have or will suffer with depression (Depression Statistics). This illness isn’t like other epidemics, it takes over the mind and body and can take over your entire life.

This illness is taking over the world, everyday more and more people are diagnosed, just imagine how many go undiagnosed. Depression is an absurd illness that needs more attention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

"Beyondblue." What Causes Depression. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.

"Depression (major Depressive Disorder)." Depression (major Depression) Causes. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.

"Depression Statistics: Unhappiness by the Numbers [INFOGRAPHIC]." Depression Statistics: Unhappiness by the Numbers [INFOGRAPHIC]. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2016.

"Depression." University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2016.

"The Depression Epidemic." The Depression Epidemic. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.

"The History Of Depression | The Art Of Manliness." The Art of Manliness. N.p., 16 Mar. 2015. "The Nature of Clinical Depression: Symptoms, Syndromes, and Behavior Analysis." The Nature of Clinical Depression: Symptoms, Syndromes, and Behavior Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2016. Web. 10 May 2016.