Hell during the living – depression.
Depression is a disease or weakness of man?
First, we should answer the question : what depression is.
By definition, depression is a condition characterized by mood deterioration , reduced energy, activity and interest.
But not everyone who is sad and feels pity has depression.
To diagnose depression, some symptoms must have reached the intensity of clinically relevant, because not every depression is a mental illness.
The most noticed and mentioned symptoms are:
- sadness, sorrow. Patient feels tired, lack of energy. He thinks: “I can’t complete the unfinished operations, I want to do nothing. “
- isolation from the environment, the abandonment of regular contacts
- lack of interest, and the important responsibilities
- anxiety, failing of the anger, crying, frustration
- symptoms of the body: headache, appetite disorder
- in the sphere of thought: a sense of guilt – reminding old mistakes, bad choices in life, a sense of small value, worthlessness of life, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts.
- deterioration of cognitive function – inability to focus, persevere in activities requiring men intellectual effort.
Causes of depression.
Causes of depression are not only biological for example: abnormal functioning of the CNS ( central nervous system). Psychological factors cause depression too. For instance:
- a negative way of thinking
- blaming for unfortunate situations
- remembering rather the bad than happy events
- submissive behavior pattern
- feeling of embarrassment, fear and retreat than taking the challenges
- deposition of the problems
- conflicts, quarrels at home
- open favoring siblings
- putting excessive demands
- psychological abuse, sexual harassment – called. bad touch.
To sum up, we can think that depression is a result of patient's character or way of thinking.. According to professor Antoni Kępiński depression is an illness that should be treated pharmacologically or by psychotherapy.
In interview, he said that patient suffering from depression isn’t able to help himself. Family has big influence on the patient’s mood too. By professor A. Kępiński , when the wife says to her husband, who is depressed: “Do not despair and go to work” it will not help him. Quite on the contrary, it will deepen the depression.
SOME STATISTIC ON DEPRESSION:
1. According to WHO ( World Health Organization ) 120 million people in the world are suffering from depression.
2. By the European Commission 4, 5 % of European population is affected by depression
3. Every year 58000 Europeans dies as a result of suicide.
4. 12 % population of France has a depression. Every year 65 000 000 antidepressant pills is sold in France.
5. Women experience depression about twice as often as men.
6. Over half of patients do not benefit from medical help
7. 40 % of the population of hospital patients and residents of nursing homes after 65 years of age suffer from depression.
8.More than 90% of people who died by suicide had been diagnosed with mental illness, commonly
a depressive disorder.
9.Depression is also known to weaken the immune system, making the body more susceptible to other medical illnesses.
10. By the year 2020, depression will be the 2nd most common health problem in the world.
More statistics:
http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_statistics_depression
Do you think that depression is an illness or weakness of man?
Do you know someone who was/ is depressed?
1. Film about Post-Partum Depression.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qz-gdWtKaM&feature=player_embedded#at=75
2. Test: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale:
http://www.medafile.com/cln/HDRS.html
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ReplyDeleteI think, that depression is an illness, person, who suffers from it can't function properly, have several physical and psychological symptoms. However, many people, under the influence of some bad accidents, might feel depressed for a short time - and if it happens not very often, it's normal. Maybe the problem of depression isn't treated seriously at all because of fact of misusing this term to call "normal" frustration, sadness etc., but in my oppinion it really exists as an ilness.
ReplyDeleteI know a person, who suffered from strong depression - she is a niece of my aunt. It was clearly noticed, because she used to be really cheerful, always laughing loudly and telling jokes. Luckily, now everything is all right with her mental health, but the treatment of that state was long.
I agree with Ania that depression is a normal ilness - it can ruin man's life. Fortunately I have never had a depression and I hope that I will have have. It's horrible how difficult it is to find out that someone is depressed, as Ania said, such person often try to show that everything is okay just to not worry their friends or families. It's terrible how many people are depressed in modern world, we definitely should do something with it! And when I have read that by the year 2020, depression will be the 2nd most common health problem in the world, I didn't know what to think about it I hope that depression will be treated more seriously and people who can't manage their lives would find help.
ReplyDelete*such persons
ReplyDeleteI also agree that depression is an illness. The biggest problem in diagnozing depressia is that it is difficult to distinguish typical, momentary sadness from illness. That causes many problems and sometimes people who are really ill don't recive medical help. Personally I don't know anyone who had depression, or what is also possible I know such persons but I don't know that they are ill (they also don't know that).
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt, depression is an illness diagnosed by psychiatrists. I think if you say that you're depressed, probably you aren't. Because it's very difficult to the person suffering from a mental illness to admit and accept it (it is due to social prejudices- in Poland at least; I think we have very much to do with it). What's more, a person afflicted with depression doesn't see in an objective way: she wouldn't admit that she is ill because she thinks the reason of her bad frame of mind is her fault. She simply takes the blame, it's a depression's characteristic. That's why anybody but a doctor can help such a person (like dr Kępiński underlines).
ReplyDeleteI know the problem because I know a person suffering from depression and I have a psychiatrist in my family ;)
It's true that the level of this mental illness increases, I think something is wrong in our lifestyle...
I think that depression is an illness. There is a lot off people who fall in depression and they can not remedy with it by themselves. They have to visit a psychologist and in many cases only specialist doctor can help us to recover from depression. It is commonly believed that nowadays we observe increasing fall in depression.
ReplyDeleteOf course, depression is an illness! Very serious illness wich cannot be cured without help of specialist, that means psychiatrist. Unfortunately, many people don't want to be treated by 'head doctor' because they don't want to be thouhgt off one's rocket.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion depression is a disease associated with the progress of civilization. At present this way many persons are suffering from it because the pace causes lives, that they aren't in the state all do.More and more tasks, less and less of time for the rest, less time for entertainment is causing discontent, feeling the hopelessness and in the end depression. Loosening the relation between human causes, that early depression, in the curable stage without intervention of the doctor, is deepening. Sometimes that's all is ending tragically. And he will sometimes be enough with somebody to talk...
ReplyDeleteI think that depression is an illness. Serious illness. Maybe this question is that many people think that they are ill for depression, but it isn't true. But when somebody is really ill, it is very sad. Depression caused many serioius symptoms. Untreated depression can even lead to suicide.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anyone who have or had depression. Fortunetally. Because I think that I can't help person who have a depression
So we all agree that depression is an illness but not so many of us have noticed a person touched by it. It may happen that this condition is well hidden and not so easily shared with others. It is probably because still in society this illness is not understood and can be underestimated or even bad treated. It's a difficult situation because affected people often need rapid help in other case it may result tragically.
ReplyDeleteI also think that depression is an illness and not just a weakness. I have often come across the opinion that people become depressed because they can let themselves be depressed - They know that someone else will take care of them and their problems, and that they believe they can afford to cut themselves away from the world. But I don’t think that is true. Depression is an illness of which people who suffer from it have no control of. It’s not up to them to help themselves, they must get professional help as well as the help of the people surrounding them. Although I have never known anyone who has suffered from depression I can imagine that it must be very difficult to overcome and deal with such a illness - for the person afflicted with depression as well as for his/her family and friends.
ReplyDeleteThis common belief you've quoted has made me think about another, very important question: it's that according to the reaserchers, susceptibility to depression is genetically conditioned...
ReplyDeleteI agree that depression is an illness and depressed people need help of specialists and medicines.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anyone who have depression, but every day I see sad and weary of existing people.
I think that depression is simply a combination of bad events and week people. Some of us need support from others. And sometimes when we are left alone (which is not hard to obsereve to must of us nowadays) we feel overwhelmed with everything happening to us. We need someone to support us, not even help us bo to give us confidencion in ourselves. And that is to my mind depression. Persoanlly I don't know, or I am aware of a person who (may) have depression
ReplyDeleteIn our times when rat race is very common depression is popular and terrible disase. I agree with opinion that it is connection of week people and bed circumstances, but this weeknes has a deeper meaning. Most of people don't get ill for depresion in one or two days. It's a long term process with usually starts in childhood and the result could be tragic when it isn't treated/
ReplyDeleteNowadays depression is one of the most frequent and sirious disease. Most of peoples who suffer from depression can't cope with it alone and they need specialists help and medicines. This illness id soo horrible because peoples who suffer from it feel lonely and corner by reality, like there won't be any sense of life. It is really difficult to fight with disease when you can't see any sense of life.
ReplyDeleteI think pepole often mix depression with ordinary blues. I have the impression the depression is on the top. It's sad, but people like find easy reason of different situations, so instead search a real cause of his stress or sadness, they say: 'I have depression'.
ReplyDeleteDepression is an illness and someone who suffer in because of depression, needs mental hospital. It is much more than “long-term melancholy”! It seems to me that someone who never suffered in because this disease – never does not understand.
ReplyDeleteDepression is a kind of illness...which should be treatment. People who have depressed can't find happiness in life. In this situation they need help from people close to them...I think this is the most important thing we can give to such people.
ReplyDelete