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Lilah Mohler

Professor Slye

English 1201

20 March 2022

What are the causes of depression and how can someone deal with it?

Depression has been present ever since humans were created. However, it

hasn't been as widely accepted socially as it is now. It seems as if the number of people

with depression is constantly increasing all over the world with depression in

adolescents on the rise (Lohmann). What are the causes of depression and what can a

person do to help deal with depression?

Mental illnesses, especially depression, haven’t always been widely accepted. A

psychology professor wrote a psychology module explaining the history of mental

illnesses. “In the past, uncommon behavior or behavior that deviated from the

sociocultural norms and expectations of a specific culture and period has been used as

a way to silence or control certain individuals or groups.” (Farreras) Those who

displayed mental illnesses were often seen as outsiders, and almost as if they were

animals. Chloe Tenn, a neurobiology graduate, wrote an article going into details about

a specific cause of depression, genetic risks. In this article she stated how nowadays,

mental illnesses are widely accepted, especially amongst the medical community, where

the World Health Organization lists depression as the leading cause of disability (Tenn).

Depression went from not being widely accepted, to being widely accepted, especially

by the medical community.

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Psychologists have been studying mental illnesses for a long time, which has

allowed for them to come up with some causes as to why people may experience

depression. One of these causes is a lack of sleep. In the news article written by

Lohmann, who is a professional counselor, where she dives into the causes of the rise

in depression among teens, she states that since adolescents are going through lots of

physical and mental changes, sleep is when these changes happen, so if they don’t

sleep enough, their brain won’t be able to function properly (Lohmann). A study done by

Harvard researchers adds to this point by saying that sleeping for just one hour can

decrease a person's risk of getting depression by 23%! (Cox)

According to a study done by researchers in Brazil, undergraduate students

participated in a study to see what effect the COVID pandemic had on their mental

health. “A study in the Spanish population during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that

younger people (18-25 years old), mostly university students, reported more symptoms

of depression, anxiety and stress, and the authors associated this result with the

additional stress of the need to adapt to remote educational activities.” (Lopes and

Nihei)

Not only did the sudden change in everyday life caused by the pandemic increase

depression numbers, but also the lack of social interaction allowed for the increase in

depression. This lack of face to face contact can increase the risk of getting depression

(Lohmann).

Something that most of the articles failed to mention is the fact that genetics can

also play a big role in who is going to struggle with mental illnesses. Most studies

regarding psychology and especially depression have been done on people of

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European ancestry. A study done on East Asians shows that there are genetic links to

depression (Tenn). This surprised me, I never would have thought that genetics play

into someone's susceptibility to a mental illness. This also shows that despite the fact

that some people believe mental illnesses “are all in the head”, mental illnesses have

been proven to be real through studies such as these ones, where things such as

genetics play into whether or not you might get depression.

It seems as if the causes of depression are endless. The smallest things can lead

to the onset of depression, something that I didn’t know previously. Now that some

causes of depression were discussed, what can someone do to help them battle

depression? One can make sure they are getting enough sleep to help ensure their

brain is healthy and getting that crucial time to grow. Someone can also surround

themselves with people who care about them and people who will support them through

any struggles they go through (Lohmann, Lopes and Nihei).

Therapists and counselors are also a great source of help for those who are

struggling with depression. Hannah Cox in her article wrote something that none of the

other articles wrote about. She states that how well a person is able to battle through

their depression depends on their outlook of their circumstances. “Yes, there may be

circumstances that are unjust or unpleasant, yes we may have barriers placed on our

paths that are outside of our control (especially by the government). But we can control

how we face (and hopefully overcome) those circumstances.” (Cox) This surprised me

because it shows that how well we handle depression is partly in our hands.

To battle depression, it’s helpful if one knows what the causes are. If they know

what the causes are, they can do anything in their power to try to prevent depression
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from developing in their brain. Surrounding themselves with caring people and a

therapist can help someone with depression in great amounts. Therapy is also

beneficial in many ways. Further research could be done to learn about the different

types of therapies and counseling tactics. Even though the depression numbers are

increasing, that does not mean all hope is lost.

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Works Cited

Cox, Hannah. "Harvard Researchers Say This One Tiny Life Adjustment Can Reduce

Depression Risk." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale

In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/HOBIPO453821332/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=bookmark-

OVIC&xid=65c5b89a. Accessed 6 Mar. 2022. Originally published as "Harvard

Researchers Say This One Tiny Life Adjustment Can Reduce Depression Risk,"

Foundation for Economic Education, 10 June 2021.

Farreras, Ingrid G. “History of Mental Illness.” Noba,

nobaproject.com/modules/history-of-mental-illness.

Lohmann, Raychelle. “Teen Depression Is on the Rise | for Parents | US News.” U.S.

News, 22 Apr. 2019,

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/for-parents/articles/2019-04-22/teen-depressi

on-is-on-the-rise.

Lopes, Adriana Rezende, and Oscar Kenji Nihei. "Depression, anxiety and stress

symptoms in Brazilian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Predictors and association with life satisfaction, psychological well-being and

coping strategies." PLoS ONE, vol. 16, no. 10, 13 Oct. 2021, p. e0258493. Gale

In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

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link.gale.com/apps/doc/A679440061/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=bookmark-OVIC&

xid=360c1db2. Accessed 6 Mar. 2022.

Tenn, Chloe. “Genetic Risks for Depression Differ between Ancestral Groups.” The

Scientist Magazine®, 19 Oct. 2021,