Alyssa Bullock
Depression Epidemic
Imagine your best-friend of ten years, suddenly isn’t the bubbly, outgoing girl you have always known her to be. Instead of greeting you with the usual peppy “Hey girl how’s your day going?”, she avoids eye contact and walks past you as if you aren’t even there. You chase her down asking her what’s wrong but she just mumbles “nothing” and continues walking. You begin trying to imagine what could possibly be wrong, if maybe you did something to upset her, but in fact it has nothing to do with you at all. The pieces slowly start to come together. She recently quit all activities that she was involved in, hasn’t been wanting to hangout nearly as often, and has been complaining about how stressed out she is with everything. But, this can’t be possible you think to yourself as a word suddenly pops into your mind that is often joked about and not taken seriously. She is the happiest girl you know and is the last person you would have expected to be affected by this word: depression.
Depression is a very serious epidemic that is taking over people just like the one described above. According to psychologists, “Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older, in a given year” (Archives of General Psychology). So, the question you have to ask yourself is, are you one of the 14.8 million affected by it?
Joshua, age 18, in the second millenium of B.C., is believed to be possessed by demons. Lately he has been acting increasingly irritable and angry towards everyone. A family member whispers, “ What if it’s melancholia?” ; the term used for depression back then, and the rest of the family members gasp and scream with fear. Joshua is rushed to the local doctor that is known for having special treatments for those with spiritual/ mental illnesses. The moment Joshua’s family members tell the doctor his symptoms of frequent rage and grief, and that they believe he is possessed by demonic spirits, the doctor immediately straps him down to a table and begins his rather unorthodox treatments. Many doctors like the one Joshua was taken to, practice exorcism techniques such as starvation, beating, and restraints (Nemade). It was also found that a Greek physician by the name of Hippocrates, believed that the illness was caused by an excess of black bile in the spleen. To treat this, Hippocrates used a treatment called, “bloodletting”, that removed large amounts of blood from the body (Nemade). Over time these treatments began to fade and the rise of a better understanding and treatment of the illness arose. Between the 1700-1800’s, depression became known as something very similar to what we believe today in that it is both a physical and mental illness, and is caused by both social and biological factors. Although researchers aren’t able to pinpoint an exact cause of the epidemic, they are sure that depression is likely something that has been present since the beginning of man.
When it comes to families, depression can be a huge catalyst for many issues when a family member suffers from it. “Depression is not just a medical matter. It’s a family one too” (Marano). For example, Jacob, father of five, age thirty-four, has recently been acting differently at home. He has become increasingly irritable around the children and his wife. “There's the irritability, which sets off conflicts and derails family dynamics. The negative thought patterns, which become a prism of pessimism for everyone”(Marano). This has created a negative energy in the home and starts to take a toll on everyone. The kids start acting out in school and treating their mother with disrespect. Mom on the other hand, is filled with constant stress and anxiety that she is losing her husband and doesn’t know how to help him. All of this is going on while Jacob is hiding out in the garage watching football instead of interacting with his kids like he used to. Jacob has become a distant father that lacks any interest in his kids or wife. Jacob’s wife begs him to go to the doctor and get treatment but Jacob being the stubborn man that he is, refuses. Because of Jacob’s refusal to seek help he now projects his illness onto his children who soon start to develop depression as well. See depression doesn’t not just affect the family member that has it, it affects the entire family. A once wholesome and happy family is now broken and chaotic due to this treatable illness.
Another issue that is rapidly growing is the development of depression in college students. “Rates of depression in college students are at an all time high” (Keith). For example, freshman student Faith is in her second semester of college at LSU, and is showing several symptoms of depression. For the first time in her life, she is really struggling with focusing in class and her grades are dropping. She has lost her desire to do well in school and doesn’t see the point in it anymore. She hasn’t been getting hardly any sleep and has stopped attending all social activities. Her roommate Ashley, notices this and says something to Faith but she just plays it off as just being tired. Her parents become concerned and tell her she needs to go to the doctor but Faith blames it on stress and says she will handle it. Depression often gives you the feeling that it is something you can easily overcome yourself. A year later Faith’s symptoms have only gotten worse due to the fact that she can’t fix it on her own, and she ends up dropping out of school because of her illness. In another case, Connor a junior at Texas State, has recently joined a fraternity that is known for partying. Connor has also been feeling empty and hopeless inside. “When these feelings become stronger and more consistent, substance abuse and risky sexual behavior tend to become outlets for young adults who experience frequent low feelings” (Swanholm, Vosvick, & Chng, 2009). Connor begins drinking heavily at parties and eventually turns to substance abuse. These actions continue for several months as Connor descends into a downwards spiral that leaves him with the same empty feeling. Connor isn’t even sure why he is making these bad choices but continues to make them because they suppress all of the negative feelings from depression that he is experiencing. The unfortunate fact is that Connor and Faith aren’t the only ones who are having experiences like the ones above. In fact, “Millions of students are suffering as a result of this epidemic and are in need of support from friends, family, and their college community” (Keith). So the question we are left with is what should we do about it?
Because depression can take many different forms and affects everyone differently, there can be more than one solution to treating it. Helpguide.org illustrates this by saying, “Just as no two people are affected the exact same way by depression, there is no “one size fits all” treatment that cures depression. What works for one person might not work for another” (Joanna Saisan). Also, many health professionals choose to take different approaches when it comes to treating the disease. Yet the most common treatment for the disease is medication along with health professional oversight. The National Institute of Mental Health provides a pie chart with data on the types of treatment received by adolescents with depression. The data shows that nineteen percent receive both medication and health professional treatment, two percent receive medication only, another nineteen percent seek health professional only, and an entire sixty percent receive no treatment (NIMH). Why are more than half of all adolescents suffering from depression not receiving any treatment? As someone who battles with depression, I can say that accepting the fact that you need help is a huge obstacle within itself. So it isn’t very surprising to me that not very many people are seeking help. Nobody likes to feel like something is wrong with them or that they are different than anyone else. It is also very hard to even recognize it within yourself. For many it seems like it would be easier to pretend that they aren’t suffering and appear normal to everyone than to not be afraid to show their differences and take the first step towards getting better. Once you overcome that first step of acceptance, then the road to treatment only gets easier. So after I accepted that I needed help, I went to my doctor and was prescribed a common antidepressant. Luckily for me, the medication works really well, but others may not have it that easy. It can often take trying several different medications before finding the right one for you, and that is totally okay. Everyone’s brain is wired differently with varying chemical balances that can often make it hard for doctors to prescribe the right medication right off the bat. After being on the medication, myself and those around me saw a tremendous change in my overall persona. I found my desire to do things that I enjoyed doing and to have a more positive outlook on life. I also started being more active and worked on eating much healthier. Overall, because of my experience I would say the best solution to treating depression is through medication; you just have to overcome yourself before you can work towards becoming your better self.
Famous writer, Albert Camus, has three ways that he believes mankind uses to escape the absurd. His first being physical suicide, in which he does not support because he feels it is merely an attempt to escape the problem. Unfortunately, we see physical suicide occur quite often in those who are suffering from depression and aren’t seeking help. In fact, experts estimate that up to 60 percent of people who commit suicide also suffer from major depression (Holmes). Camus would consider those people as cowards for running away from their problems. He also has another way he believes man avoids problems and that is philosophical suicide. This type does not relate as much to this topic as much a physical suicide does because people with depression tend not to have hope/beliefs in a higher power, but that is of course not always the case. Either way, Camus would still view this type of suicide as an attempt to escape the absurd. But his final way is quite the opposite. Camus believes that acceptance of the absurd is the only true way to escape. This strongly ties to what was previously mentioned about the most important step in fighting depression is acceptance. Acceptance is the only way you can move forward with getting better which is exactly what Camus believes. Through acceptance, man can create their own purpose and path to success. Because suicide and depression rates are at an all time high, Camus would most likely be very disappointed and stress the importance of acceptance as much as possible.
Depression has become something that as a society we all have come to know very well whether it is being one who is affected by it or close to someone who is. It has become a very serious epidemic that affects everyone. If you are that person who sees your friend suffering, I urge you to do something about it. Sometimes taking that difficult step could be thing that ultimately saves their life. If you are like Joshua, Jacob, Faith, or Connor, then I urge you to let those around you help you; do not try to fight it on your own. Regardless of the situation or symptoms, we all have to face the fact that we have to accept depression as an epidemic that cannot be cured without the effort from each and every one of us to do something about it. Both Camus and myself would agree that acceptance is the most important part in fixing this epidemic. The rather unfortunate part of this epidemic is that nobody is immune. Depression can affect anyone regardless of age, race, or gender. Therefore, we all must come together and take a very serious, well educated approach towards putting this rapidly spreading epidemic to its final end.
Works Cited
“Archives of General Psychology.” Depression Statistics - Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=education_statistics_depression.
Marano, Hara Estroff. “Depression: A Family Matter.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 1 Mar. 2002, www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200203/depression-family-matter.
Keith, Tiana. “Depression and Its Negative Effect on College Students.” Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences, Kappa Omicron Nu, www.kon.org/urc/v9/keith.html.
Nemade, Rashmi. “Historical Understandings of Depression.” Depression: Depression & Related Conditions, www.gulfbend.org/poc/view_doc.php?&id=12995&cn=5.
Swanholm, E., Vosvick, M., & Chng, C. (2009). Pessimism, trauma, risky sex: Covariates of depression in college students. American Journal of Health Behavior, 33:309-318.
“Major Depression.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Holmes, Leonard. “Why Is the Suicide Rate Increasing?” Verywell Mind,
Saisan, Joanna. “Depression Treatment.” Depression Treatment: Therapy, Medication, and
Lifestyle Changes That Can Treat Depression, www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/depression-treatment.htm.
No comments:
Post a Comment