Social depression

By: Adam Fraij and Yahia Alasooli

 What is social depression?
• Social anxiety disorder (SAD), (also
known as social phobia), is characterized
by intense fear of social interaction and
often associated with social avoidance
and impairments. There is high risk for
depression, substance use disorder, and
suicide among them.
• In many instances, social anxiety
causes depression. If you have social
anxiety, you may have trouble making
friends and maintaining close
relationships. Fear of social
interaction can even result in missed
opportunities. Without treatment, the
symptoms of social anxiety often lead
to: frustration.
 What causes social depression?

• The causes of depression • Family history. Though there are no

include complex interactions specific genes that we can look at and
trace to depression, if your family
between social, psychological and
members have had depression, you are
biological factors. Life events more likely also to experience
such as childhood adversity, loss depression. ...
and unemployment contribute to • Illness and health issues. ...
and may catalyse the development
• Medication, drugs, and alcohol. ...
of depression.
• Personality.
 What are the effects of social
depression?
• People with depressive symptoms
report having more negative social
interactions and react more
strongly to them than people who
are not depressed. The main
symptoms of depression that can
affect your social life? Loss of
interests, self-blame, impaired
concentration and depressed mood.
• Untreated clinical depression is a
serious problem. Untreated
depression increases the chance of
risky behaviors such as drug or
alcohol addiction. It also can ruin
relationships, cause problems at
work, and make it difficult to
overcome serious illnesses.
 How can we prevent social depression from
happening?
• Psychotherapy (talk therapy) can
teach you how to replace negative
thought patterns with positive
ones. This is helpful for both social
anxiety and depression. With any
type of treatment for depression, it
helps to first identify things that
trigger sadness. Social anxiety is a
common underlying cause.
• For many, depression is a chronic
condition meaning that symptoms
can persist for many years.
Understanding your particular
triggers can help you ward off the
most difficult symptoms. Working
with a psychiatrist and a trained
counselor is one of the most effective
ways to recover permanently from
depression.
 Now lets read a paragraph about social depression

Social depression is a term used to describe a pervasive sense of despondency and

isolation experienced by individuals or communities within a society. It is not a
clinical diagnosis, but rather a metaphorical concept that highlights the emotional
and psychological toll of various societal factors, such as economic inequality,
discrimination, social disconnection, and the erosion of community bonds. People
suffering from social depression may feel alienated, hopeless, and detached from
their surroundings, often due to a lack of social support, economic hardship, or the
impact of systemic issues. Addressing social depression requires a comprehensive
approach that includes social policies, mental health support, and efforts to foster
stronger community ties, ultimately aiming to alleviate the emotional distress that
can result from these societal challenges.
Now lets test you and see if you actually read the paragraph by asking you a question

What do you infer from the text above?

 What are the mental issues in the UAE?
• Among the most 5 common What is UAE doing for mental health?
mental disorders within the
• To help overcome this, MOHAP has
UAE were Anxiety (56.4%), launched Hayat (life), a programme for
depression (31.5%), post- mental health support during the
traumatic stress disorder pandemic. Also, the National Programme
(15.1%), phobic disorder for Happiness and Wellbeing launched a
(10.8%), and personality dedicated telephone counselling hotline
to help those with psychological
disorder (6.4%). concerns or anxiety.
If you would like to donate to people
with mental illnesses click this link.
https://www.nami.org/About-
NAMI/Donate-to-NAMI
Thank you for listening and we hope that
you enjoyed our presentation