Depression by Sydnee Villarreal

Imagine waking up every morning feeling like there is a dark cloud over your head. You do not have any motivation to move and your mind is telling you that it is okay for you to feel that way. On the outside you look like everyone else but on the inside you are drowning, dull, lifeless, dead. You see the world go by like a movie and you are not even a character in it.

Depression is a rising epidemic that continues to evolve every day. People continue to abuse this disease and doctors misdiagnose daily. Depression is a serious epidemic that needs to be handled, can we solve this epidemic?

History

            Depression has been around for decades, but not one person can be credited for

discovering depression. The earliest knowledge of depression was in the second millennium BC in writings where it was said depression was more spiritual rather than physical and that it was caused by demonic possession(1). The correlation between depression and demonic possession was in many cultures, including the ancient Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Chinese, and the

Egyptians(1). These cultures often treated it with starvation and beatings(1). The Geek and Romans, however had another way of thinking and considered it to be psychological and used therapeutic methods like massage, diets, music, and medication with poppy extract and donkey’s milk (Schimelpfening,1).

            A Greek physician, Hippocrates, came to with the idea that depression or melancholia was caused by an imbalance in body fluids called humors(1). He believed that an excess of black bile in the spleen contributed to melancholia(1). Hippocrates used bloodletting baths, exercise and diet to treat depression (Schimelpfening,1).

             In the early 19th century, doctors came up with new therapy techniques(1). They had water immersion, which was to keep the patient emerged under water for as long as possible without drowning them(1). They also had a special spinning stool that was believed to rearrange the brain contents in correct order (NEMADE,1).  During the late 19th and 20th century,  desperate patients with severe depression had a Lobotomy. A Lobotomies is a surgical procedure that destroys the frontal part of the brain. It was supposed to have a calming effect, but it often caused personality changes and sometimes led to death. They also had electroconvulsive therapy, which is electrical shocking to induce a seizure (Schimelpfening,1).

            Today, depression is caused by multiple factors. Doctors have found that it could be

Biological, psychological, and social factors that cause depression. Treatment today is

Medication targeted toward neurotransmitters in the brain.

Social Effects

            Depression not only affects the person who has it, but it affects friendships too. Imagine having a friend that sleeps a lot and can never concentrate let alone stick to the plans you have made in advance. When you ask your friend what is wrong he or she simply say they are “fine” or get super defensive. Deep down you know something is wrong because they always seem sad and grumpy. Those are all signs of depression. Eventually the friend with depression will start to distance themselves from you because they think you hate them or do not want to be friends anymore. They will continue to push you away even when trying to help because he or she think they are a nuisance and a waste of time. Being friends with someone who has depression is difficult, but you have to remember that it really is not their fault for acting that way. You have to be that friend that they rely on because depression is dark and evil, it influences people to make the wrong decisions.

            Another social effect is that depression affects school and social interactions. It causes you to have difficulty concentrating and organizing which can lead to poor grades on assignments or missing important due dates. Depression also decreases self esteem, which could lead to multiple absences because they feel rejected by their peers or unfinished assignments that were given up half way through because they did not feel confident in their work.

Examples       

            There are different types of depression that everyone at some point has come in contact to, I know I have. Being a senior in high school is not easy, we are faced with making these huge decision that are just apart of life. We have to figure out what we want to pursue in life and where we want to go to college. You get caught up in all these decision not knowing what to do, if you are making the right choice or not. I see other people who know what school they are

going too, what major they want and I look at myself confused because I have no plan of where I am going. I get closed off and anxiety filled, discouraged not wanting to do anything, not

wanting to grow up. You can get caught up in your head, spiraling, just thinking of what is going to happen next. Depression is not something to take lightly, even if it is a mild case, I know well enough for myself to not let it get too far and to talk to someone about it.

            It is not just normal everyday people with depression, it is historical figures as well(1).  Abraham Lincoln was believed to inherit melancholy from his parents(1). Lincoln's father, Tom, was said he could get gloomy in a snap, A neighbor said he "often got the ‘blues,' and had some strange sort of spells, and wanted to be alone all he could when he had them.”(1) Because he was a farmer he tended to spend his time working in the field or woods(1). After his mother died, Tom left Abraham and his other three children with a cousin to find a new wife(1). Lincoln

described that point in his life as "sad, if not pitiful.”(Shenk,1)

            Lincoln never showed signs of depression in his teens or early twenties but it was later in his presidency that people started to worry about his well being(1). After a family friend had passed it seemed to produce a breakdown in Lincoln(1). He was openly saddened and threatened to kill himself, it was said that even poor weather could send him off the edge(Shenk, 1). This goes too show just how strong depression can be for anyone and how it effects everyone in a different way.

Solutions

            Depression is hard to treat because what could work for one person cannot for another (1). It could take months or years to find the right treatment (1). One treatment that was first studied in the 1970s is Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT (1). CBT is to become aware of one’s negative thought patterns, and then replace them with positive ones over time (1).

It’s essentially supposed to rewire thought patterns (1). It has found to be effective for treating depression, but over the years, it has become not as powerful when it was originally studied (1). It is suggested, in studies, that it is helpful, but its effects tend to fall rapidly after treatment has stopped (1). Recent studies have supported that CBT decreases activity in the frontal cortex, which is the “thought” center of the brain (1). CBT is a solid treatment and has strong evidence to back it up (Walton 1).

            There are also Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Both treatments are long term therapy that are required, multiple times a week (1). Psychoanalysis is to help understand one’s unconscious process and beliefs (1). It is a treatment that helps get to the roots of long-held ideas (1). Psychotherapy is for people who have unresolved trauma; psychoanalysis improves and reduces conflicts (Walton,1).

            Exercise has been one successful treatment for mild to moderate cases of depression (1). Exercise can work as an antidepressant through the serotonin that is released (1). This plays a large part in generating new cells in the hippocampus, which is linked to depression (Walton,1). 

            One major treatment that everyone knows is an antidepressant. “Antidepressants are an effective tool for depression. Untreated depression is a huge problem because of the burden to society,” said Andrea Cipriani of the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Center (Boseley,1). Antidepressants help balance chemicals in the brain, neurotransmitters, that affect mood and emotions (Greenlaw). The Anti-depression medication is under controversy due to doubts if they work or if they are placebos, or simply some patients do not want to take pills (1).       

             Antidepressants and psychological therapies like CBT have similar success rates (1). Studies say 60% of people respond to the drugs by two months with a 50% reduction in symptoms, which is quicker than psychological therapies (1). Dr. James Warner, reader in psychiatry at Imperial College London, said: “This rigorous study confirms that antidepressants have an important place in the treatment of depression. Depression causes misery to countless thousands every year and this study adds to the existing evidence that effective treatments are available” (Boseley 1).

            There is not one treatment the works best for all. Everyone’s state of depression is different and the treatment is catered to them. It is a long and treacherous to find the right methods and therapies that could work. It could take months or even years to find the right therapies.

Camus and Absurdity

            Albert Camus, who was an anarchist and an atheist believed that there was no meaning to life, Which is the mentality that people with  depression have (1). Most people in a state of depression are always down on themselves, and possibly, think that there is no reason to live.  Those who seek treatment for depression are considered absurd by Camus because he believes to try to know, and gain rational knowledge as futile (Aronson,1).

            Camus would have been saddened to see the depression epidemic because of the suffering. However, he would have been pleased to see people questioning the meaning of life. He would have disapproved of the suicide rates of depression, although he believes it is a natural response he thinks it is absurd to hope for existence after death. As he says in The Rebel, “the absurd is an experience that must be lived through, a point of departure, the equivalent, in existence, of Descartes’s methodical doubt” (Aronson,1).

Conclusion

            Depression is the leading cause of disability today. It affects around 350 million people worldwide (Boseley). It is important to realize depression is a growing epidemic, it affects people every day, doctors continually to misdiagnose, and people are ignorant to those with depression. People are suffering inside, begging for help and some of us don't even know it. It is absurd that this could be a part of someone’s life, but God gives the most difficult challenges to the strongest people to show that we can truly overcome anything.

                                                               

                                                                        Work Cited

Aronson, Ronald. "Albert Camus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." Stanford Encyclopedia of                    Philosophy, 10 Apr. 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/camus/#SuiAbsHapMytSis.

Boseley, Sarah. "The Drugs Do Work: Antidepressants Are Effective, Study Shows." The Guardian, 21 Feb. 2018, www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/21/the-drugs-do-work-antidepressants-are- effective-study-shows.

Greenlaw, Ellen. "How Antidepressants and Depression Medication Can Affect Your Life." WebMD, 30  July 2010, www.webmd.com/depression/features/antidepressant-effects#1.

Malibu, Paradigm. "Teen Depression and School Performance." Paradigm Malibu, 23 Jan. 2014,           paradigmmalibu.com/teen-depression-school-performance/.

NEMADE, RASHMI, et al. "Historical Understandings of Depression Continued." Mental                        Health, Depression, Anxiety, Wellness, Family & Relationship Issues, Sexual Disorders & ADHD Medications, www.mentalhelp.net/articles/historical- understandings-of-depression-continued/.

Schimelpfening, Nancy. "When Were the Earliest Accounts of Depression?" Verywell Mind  30 Sept. 2014, www.verywellmind.com/who-discovered-depression-1066770#earliest-                 accounts-of-depression.

Shenk, Joshua W. "Exploring Abraham Lincoln's 'Melancholy'." NPR.org, 26 Oct. 2005,                          www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4976127.

Walton, Alice G. "6 Strategies That Science Actually Shows Are Effective For Depression." Forbes, 24  Oct. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/15/the-strategies-that-science-actually- shows-are-effective-for-depression/#129a1ef45117.