Depression: The Epidemic
Depression can mean different things to different people. In the United States alone, millions of people have been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder. Depression is a crippling illness that may be responsible for many social and functional impairments. Not only does Depression affect a person's mental health but it can also affect a person's physical health as well. Regardless of the cause or meaning, Depression is defined as a mental disruption. (DeRubeis, Siegle, Hollon, 2008). Depression is on the rise in the United States; to that end it is valuable for the American people to understand the factors that contribute to Depression, its effects, and treatment of this disease.
To understand what Depression is, it is important to know the symptoms that can cause the onset of a major depressive episode. Symptoms of Depression can last for a few days and at times, for many weeks at a time. Common symptoms of Depression can include noticeable weight loss or weight gain, loss of interest, fatigue, or restlessness, as well as periodic thoughts of suicide or death. (Kanter, Busch, Weeks, & Landes 2008). It is impossible to consider the issue of a major depressive disorder diagnosis without talking about suicide. The worst possible result of Depression is suicide, to that end it is an alarming fact that must be considered. 0. 045 of the general population commits suicide each year. (Rihmer, Z. , Gonda, Rihmer, A. & Fountoulakis, 2010). There are a certain set signs to look for in someone that is intending on committing suicide. In various occasions, a person will talk to someone else about wanting to die, weeks before a suicide attempt is made. They may also start to give away their valuable possessions for no plausible reason. If they were previously exhibiting other symptoms of a depressive disorder, they may seem to have recovered and look to be behaving normally before a suicide attempt. It is imperative that anyone working with or potentially encountering a depressed individual know these symptoms.
Depression affects both a person's social life and physical health. The social effects of Depression influence how people interact in their professional and personal relationships; simply put, Depression will affect how a person interacts with the rest of the world. In most cases a person will go into complete withdrawal from friends and family. Their performance at work will severely decline. It is very possible that they could begin to struggle with substance abuse to self-medicate for all the symptoms they me experiencing. (Effects of Depression: Physical, Social Effects of Depression. 2017). They physical effects of Depression can impact your neurological and circulatory system. One of the most adverse effects on your neurological system is a decrease in brain volume. Other research has shown that dealing with Depression long-term can negatively affect the heart. Because of experiencing Depression, there can...
