Girl friends shoolwork. Depression The Disease
Question:
Here is a paper my girlfriend did for school. We both have depression. -snip- If you think you have depression, and it is causing problems in your life, please get help. You are worth it. I’m glad I got help, it really works!
Pretty good. Pretty brave. Sincerely Stewart — The Metaphor Man *and* The Great Defender of the Self (remove the SPAMBLOCK)
Response:
Here is a paper my girlfriend did for school. We both have depression. Depression The Disease Perhaps the simplest definition of depression is, as Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Ned Gassem said, "misery requiring treatment." Depression is one of the oldest human afflictions. Hippocrates, the ancient Greek healer described patients who suffered from "melancholia," a condition with the same symptoms as what we now call major depression. Those symptoms are inability to feel pleasure, loss of appetite or weight, early morning awakening, lack of energy and excessive or inappropriate guilt.(Hales 13) In the 16th century, William Shakespeare described similar symptoms in one of his best know characters, Hamlet. Sinking into despair, Hamlet laments: How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world! Even more profound was the severe depression that Abraham Lincoln suffered when he wrote the following words: I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or be better, it appears to me.(Hales 14) Depression remains just as intense and widespread today. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) about one of every five Americans experiences an episode of depression in his or her lifetime. Depression has become a growing problem among children and adolescents. The APA estimates that 3 to 6 million young people may currently be depressed. Depression is one of the most common health problems in the United States today. More people are depressed, more of the time, more severely and starting earlier in their lives. (O’Connor, Ph.D. 17) No one has ever identified a single, dominant cause of depression. Almost always a combination of factors are responsible: genetic vulnerability, a developmental trauma, intense life stresses, physical illness, and environmental and social influences. Two-thirds of depressed patients have family members who have suffered depression. Mild depression does not seem to run in families but more serious depression does. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of depressive Disorders, immediate biological relatives of a depressed person have a 15% chance of developing depression. Grandchildren, nephews, and nieces have a 7% risk. A person with no relatives who have suffered depression has about a 2%-3% risk of developing the disorder. (Hales 47, 48) Depression is underdiagnosed . Many people don’t realize that they have it. Some people go into the doctors office who have trouble sleeping and other physical symptoms, like feeling anxious, overwhelmed, lonely, tormented by guilt, obsessional thoughts and may even have thoughts of suicide – but they don’t say their depressed. They just feel like life stinks and there’s nothing they can do about it. Some get a useless prescription or get dismissed as hypochondriacs. They medicate themselves with drugs or alcohol. The depressed person is caught up in a vicious circle from which there seems to be no escape. In mental health, where there is so much that can’t be helped, depression is one thing that can usually be treated effectively and efficiently. Estimates are that when treated promptly, 90 percent of people will recover. New medications are quite helpful with few side effects. Psychotherapy and medication together are more effective than either alone. (O’Connor pg 19) Some people who suffer from depression don’t want to try antidepressants. They either think it won’t help or that they really don’t need it. Or they might be afraid of unwanted side effects. I know with myself, that when I first realized I had depression I didn’t want to try antidepressants; but after a few years of struggling with the disease I decided to try them. With very few minor side effects in the first few weeks, they actually helped. My family could see the improvement. I was prescribed something called Paxil. I’ve been taking it for about four years now. Of course the dosage is higher now so it will work as well as it can. I recently started taking Wellbutrin also and that has enabled me to do a lot more things; like working, going to school and just every day things I can do much better. I strongly suggest that if you are having trouble functioning and really feel depressed, to see a doctor and don’t be afraid of taking medication for depression. It doesn’t mean you are weak. People with high blood pressure need something to lower it, so why not be able to treat depression also. Depression is a fascinating condition. There is a great deal of value in thinking of it as a disease. For one thing, it responds very well to medication. Seventy percent of patients who take medication for depression report feeling better. Further supporting the disease idea is the finding that the brain chemistry of depressed people is different from that of other people. Helping people that are depressed understand that they have a disease can free them of much guilt and self-blame that comes with depression. (O’Connor 20) Depressed people are not merely unhappy but profoundly miserable. They lose interest in food, friends, sex, favorite activities, or any form of pleasure. They lack energy but often can’t sleep. Their thoughts are consistently negative, even when good things happen. They believe there is no end to the despair that they feel. (Hales 19, 20) How do you know if you have depression? Medical researchers have developed laboratory tests that detect various biological changes in blood, urine, or sleep patterns linked to depression. None, however, provides definitive proof that a person is or isn’t depressed. The DSM or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders bases its diagnosis of clinical depression on the presence of at least five of the following symptoms nearly every day for two weeks. Depressed mood. Loss of interest in activities. Significant weight loss or gain or decreased or increased appetite. Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleep) Psychomotor agitation or retardation Fatigue or loss of energy Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt Diminished ability to think or concentrate Thoughts of suicide or death Depression varies in severity. People who are mildly depressed have minimal symptoms that cause only minor problems in their lives. Moderate depression involves more symptoms and a greater impact on day-to-day functioning. Persons who are severely depressed experience numerous symptoms that greatly interfere with their lives.(Hales 20-22) "Depression is probably the most widespread, most extensively studied and best understood major psychiatric disorder," notes pyschiatrist Martin Keller, M.D., of Harvard Medical School. Yet according to the APA, less than 33% of depressed people seek treatment. Some people don’t realize they have depression and don’t get help. Or some may think it’s a sign of weakness. But if left untreated, depression can last for months or years shattering a persons life. This life threatening problem can claim as well as cripple lives. According to the DSM, about 15% of those diagnosed as depressed commit suicide. But depression like many other illnesses, can be overcome. With help most depressed people begin feeling better within weeks. They can believe in a brighter future! (Hales 22) If you think you have depression, and it is causing problems in your life, please get help. You are worth it. I’m glad I got help, it really works! Works Cited Griest, John H. and Jefferson James W. Depression And Its Treatment 1992 Hales, Dianne The Encyclopedia Of Health. Ed.Solomon H. Snyder, M.D . 1989 O’Connor Richard, Ph.D. Undoing Depression Canada: 1997 — It’s ok to be a little twisted. It keeps you from becoming unraveled Cape Cods AA meeting list page. http://www.capecod.net/capecodaa ICQ# 2504216
