Emmanuel G.

Geronimo

REFLECTION PAPER: DEPRESSION

Depression is not only a state of being sad, it is a disease that conquers the ability to feel
emotion, whether good or bad, whatsoever. Depression not only involves the mind, it also
involves the body and thoughts. In different cultures some complain of excessive headaches
and extreme pain and this is identified as depression, moderate or otherwise. This disease
can be passed down through genes or can follow external events or can be caused by a
chemical imbalance in the brain. Depression affects twenty percent of all Americans, some
without even knowing it, at some time during their lives. Depression is not a disease that
only influences males or children of the age three to eleven. Every human being is prone to
depression. Although women are three times more likely to become depressed than men,
men are five times more likely to commit suicide when depressed than women. Some think
that women have a less pleasing social role and their hormones make them more
susceptible to depression. Men are more subject to keep their emotions bottled up inside of
them because of their role in society and that they do not have the society’s permission to
express their feelings openly. There are many symptoms of depression. Sadness and loss of
satisfaction in things once enjoyed are probably the most known symptoms. But some
symptoms are sometimes overlooked. Guilt is one symptom that coincides with depression
immensely. When feelings of guilt are put on a person they lose what hope they once had.
They blame themselves for things that they are not accountable for and have extreme
feelings of hopelessness. Other symptoms overlooked are insomnia and loss of appetite. Not
getting enough sleep may be linked to stress and guilt. Stress is another great factor in
depression. Stressful events or experiences can stimulate depression in people who are
predetermined to the disorder. Although all age groups are open to depression, teenagers
are the most common to be heard of being affected by the disease. This is probably because
of peer pressure and the changes in their life. Although the rate of suicide as a whole has
decreased in the past twenty five years, the fixed amount of suicide from those between
fifteen and nineteen has sky rocketed and quadrupled. The number of deaths due to suicide
each year is roughly the same number of deaths from AIDS. Teenage depression is a growing
problem in today’s society and is often a major contributing factor for most adolescent
problems. The statistics about teenage runaways, alcoholism, drug problems, pregnancy,
eating disorders, and suicide are alarming. The common link to all of these crises is often
depression. The path into adolescence is a difficult one, and the choices a teen makes can
leave lasting scars on the lives of an entire generation of young men and women. There is a
growing realization that teenage depression can be life changing, even life- threatening.
Depression can be described in many ways. Its main description is that it is a serious mental
disorder in which a person suffers long periods of sadness, loneliness, and other negative
feelings. Teenagers have always been vulnerable to depression for a variety of reasons. It’s a
confusing time of life because a teen’s body is changing along with their relationships.
Teenagers constantly teeter-totter between striving for independence from family and still
trying to be a child and depend on it. But today’s teens face an additional challenge: They’re
growing up in a world quite different from that of their parent’s youth. Adolescents today
are faced with stresses that were unknown to previous generations and are dealing with
them in an often self – destructive way. One great risk for becoming depressed is if
you smoke. Some scientists hold to believe that smoking may be linked to Depression.
Tobacco smoke kills off an enzyme that is responsible for breaking down a nerve cell
chemical that activates pleasure seeking behavior. So smokers have a high count of this
nerve cell chemical and a very low count of the enzyme, which in turn may make them want
to smoke even more. Although some scientists argue the facts about homosexuality,
homosexuals also have a bigger risk of being depressed. Homosexuals are prone to be
teased and made fun of and therefore they don’t have as many friends and can’t talk about
their problems. This may also be linked to depression. Genes also have a lot to do with
Depression. While studying twins, scientists have found that there is a powerful genetic
influence in depression. Identical twins are three times as possible to have depression than
fraternal twins raised in the same environment. This is because fraternal twins only have
around fifty percent of the same genes in common. Additionally, identical twins are five
times more likely to have bipolar disorder. This suggests that depression and bipolar
disorder can be inherited. Even if twins are adopted they still have the vulnerability to
become depressed. Abnormal activity in the brain may also be influenced by the genes.
Research shows that neurotransmitters help in regulating moods and emotions. People who
are depressed have a lower than normal count of these neurotransmitters involved with
depression. Antidepressants can solve this problem by producing more of these
neurotransmitters associated with depression. An imbalance of hormones can also be
connected to depression. When having too high of count of a hormone related to stress,
depression may occur. Sigmund Freud believed that a person’s oblivious anger over a loss
weakened the “ego,” which resulted in self hate and self injurious behavior. Aaron Beck
steered in a different way. He believed that depressives looked at everything in a negative
light and blamed themselves for everything that went wrong. This negative thinking made
situations appear much worse than held true and raised the chance of depression. A
scientist though the depression came from “learned helplessness,” an idea that one cannot
control the effect of happenings. All of these theories may hold true in some cases. And this
depression among young teenager might lead to frustration and deaths. This is were suicide
comes in the figure. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people. Each year
in the U.S., approximately five thousand individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 take
their own life. A major cause of suicide is mental illness, very commonly depression. Others
who are not suffering from depression are overwhelmed by painful emotions and see death
as the only way out. Most of those who die could have been helped. An individual
considering suicide frequently confides in a friend, who may be able to convince the person
to seek treatment. When the risk is high, concerned friends and relatives should seek
professional guidance.