Eng Research Final December 2
Eng Research Final December 2
Eng Research Final December 2
Voight, Rebecca
ENG 1201
6 December 2021
Research Essay
For as long as I can remember, I have always been "sad," better word to use is depressed.
I'm not sure when it started, but I know it has never gone away. I have my good days where it
seems like being "sad" is nearly impossible for me. Then out of nowhere, that feeling of a heavy
dark cloud comes back to haunt me, and once again, that sad feeling known as depression comes
back. There are days where I don’t want to get out of bed, I’ll just lay there, in the dark and cry,
for reasons that I don’t know. There are days where I feel perfectly fine but then all the sudden, I
just have a breaking moment. I can’t help to think that something is wrong with me. I have
always been curious about how I've became depressed and why it always outstays its welcome in
my life. People would tell me that I’m just sad and that depression isn’t real, it is all in my head.
So, are they right? Is it all in my head? If depression is real then how did I become depressed,
and why am I stuck with it? I’m stuck with it because depression can be developed through the
During the early years of depression in the second millennium B.C.E Mesopotamia,
Ancient Greek and Roman times, and the Common Era, depression was viewed as an individual
being possessed by demons or witches. With the idea that a person was depressed because of
demons or witches, priests usually helped rather than physicians. Since the person was
possessed, cultures would often perform harsh punishments in the attempt to get the demon out
of them. Sometimes depression was treated with methods like bloodletting, baths, exercise, and
diets but even with that type of treatment, to avoid harsher treatments, it was still a spiritual
matter, it was still demons. “It was not until a Persian doctor named Rhazes (865–925 CE) did
see mental illness as arising from the brain” (Schimelpfening). With Rhazes discovering that
depression comes from the brain, more doctors realized the cause of depression was more natural
than supernatural.
In the 18th and 19th Centuries, depression was viewed as inherited, and it could not be
changed. With this outlook, people were often locked up and shunned because of their
depression. “During the Age of Enlightenment, other doctors of this time spoke of depression as
resulting from internal conflicts between what you want and what you know is right”
(Schimelpfening). In the 1950s is when drug therapy became a thing. So, instead of all these
other ridiculous treatment methods for depression, doctors started to prescribe medication, what
What is depression now, and who can suffer from it? Can depression be life threatening?
Depression is a mental illness that can affect an individual's everyday life. Anyone can suffer
from depression at any time, there is no age limit nor time limit. Even though depression is not
common in children under the age of 12, it can still occur. Majority of the factors of children
feeling depressed can come from their home life. Between the ages of 12 and 18, the depression
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feeling is more common because of social life, like school and friends. Ages 19 and 29 due to
major life changes young adults can develop the mental illness. Adults ages between 30-60 the
cause of depression is usually triggered by something. With elderly people, depression is part of
growing older. The symptoms can cause some people to develop other mental illnesses, like
anxiety. Some symptoms can be more severe than others, it can potentially be life threatening. In
some cases, depression can get so bad that it can lead to an induvial taking their own life because
they feel like that is the only way to escape the feeling of depression. It is unfortunate but it does
happen a lot more than people think. Suicide is the 10th leading causes of death in the United
States. “In 2019 about 1.38 million Americans attempted suicide and 47, 511 died by suicide”
(AFSP). On average there is about 130 suicides a day. Suicide can be prevented if the correct
help is there for people who suffer from depression. Picture 1, Suicide Rates 2019 (AFSP).
The photo above (AFSP), shows suicide rates by age, showing that at any age an
individual can be so depressed that they feel like taking their own life is the only thing that will
help.
Not all people who suffer from depression have suicidal intentions. People may all have
different symptoms, some are more noticeable than others. Symptoms can be sleeping too much
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or not all at, loss of appetite, feeling lethargic, or just being sad for unknown reasons. It can be
easily hidden and that is why it can be hard to detect if someone suffers from the illness. A lot of
people can hide their depression by a fake smile and pretending that they are okay. Depression is
so common that majority of people will experience. It can slowly develop and come out of
nowhere one day. It can also be an illness that they had their whole life and was not aware of it
until something happened in their life. Picture 2 (NIH) below, shows the percentage of how often
The photo above (NIH), shows how often adults in the United States suffer from
depression. Depression is more common than what people realize. People experience depression
in different ways and how they develop depression is different as well. It is not all the same.
There are several different types of depression. There is significant depression which usually
lasts longer than two weeks and affects a person's daily life. A persistent depressive disorder
often has less severe but lasts longer, usually two years. Seasonal affective disorder or seasonal
depression comes and goes with the seasons. Bipolar, which is also known as manic depressive,
the symptoms are different but still considered as depression. Perinatal depression, women may
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experience this after a significant life change like being pregnant or giving birth. Lastly, PMDD,
this type of depression usually occurs after ovulation and ends once menstruation starts.
Does the cause of depression in an individual come from family problems, traumatic
experiences, stress, addiction, etc.? Early depression symptoms, long-time exposure to stress,
challenges, or adversities, all young people must deal with, are breeding grounds for risky
behaviors among young adults. “Young adults and teens are more likely to reach for different
kinds of stimulants like alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs. It has also been proven that anti-health
behaviors may cause depression in the future” (MARTA and JADWIGA). Even factors such as
education, value systems, and religion can a significant role in the development of depression.
Along with anti-health behaviors driving depression, stress plays a vital role in depression. If the
stress in the body doesn’t last long, then the body will usually return to normal. If the stress in
the body stays for too long, then the body will go into overdrive. It is known that not only stress
but, early loss and trauma can play a huge role in an individual developing depression. Early loss
and trauma can may lead some people more open to develop depression later in their life.
Traumatic events can cause changing in the brain function that lead to symptoms of depression.
Even though depression is known to come from social and traumatic life events can it
still develop through genetics? Yes. “A person who has a relative with depression is almost five
times as likely to develop it compared to someone who doesn't have a relative with depression”
(Faris). If a person's mom or dad suffered from depression, it would make sense that their baby
may suffer from depression as well because of genetics. During pregnancy, it has been found that
if the mother is stressed or depressed, those emotions and illnesses can be inherited to the
newborn baby. When it comes to mental illness that runs in the family, it is known that the
mental illness will make its way through the family because of genetics. The best use for the
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research is the use of twins in a family. With identical twins, who share the same genetics, one
will have a mental illness, like depression, and the other twin would have an 80% chance of
having the same mental illness. When it comes to siblings who are not identical, that 80% chance
It is usually said that depression is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain or the
imbalance of serotonin. Serotonin levels and depression can be linked to one another. Serotonin
is known as a “feel good” chemical within the brain neurons. It is possible that the imbalance of
serotonin can lead to depression and other issues. “The popular lore is where emotions reside in
the heart. Science, though, tracks the seat of your feelings to the brain. Certain areas of the brain
help regulate mood. Researchers believe that more important than levels of specific brain
chemicals, nerve cell connections, nerve cell growth, and the functioning of nerve circuits have a
significant impact on depression” (Harvard Health). When all these factors of the brain don’t do
their “job” correctly there is chance that the system can shut off, which leads to depression.
Pushing the system off is another way of saying an individual could have a mental breakdown.
The minor thing in a person's life can send them off the edge and go into a full panic mode and
shut down. That shutting down stage is when depression kicks in the most. When the system
goes off balance, there is no estimated time on when that individual will start to feel “better”.
The feeling of severe depression can last a couple hours, days, even weeks until that person finds
their way out of the dark. A person may feel better that does mean they got rid of the depression,
depression may never go away. There is the good days and bad days. Picture 3 (Harvard Health)
The picture above (Harvard Health), shows the brain and all the parts of the brain that are
affected by depression. The main parts affected are the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the
thalamus. The amygdala becomes active when an individual recalls anything emotional or
traumatic that happened in their life and the activity becomes higher when an individual is
depressed or sad. The hippocampus job is to process memories and this part of the brain can be
minor in people who have depression. The thalamus is part of the brain where behavior problems
and thinking come from. Problems in the thalamus is what causes mental illness.
when it gets cured. It can be a lifelong experience in which side effects can peak from time to
time, but it can be treated. Depression can be treated, just like any other mental illness through a
course medication, psychotherapy, and brain stimulation therapy. Medications usually take
anywhere from four to eight weeks to show any signs that it is working. Some doctors may try a
numerous of different types of medications to see which works best for the individual.
Psychotherapy, also known as counseling, helps by having individuals talk about their
depression, giving them new ways to change habits that may trigger the depression. Brain
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stimulation therapy involves activating or inhibiting the brain directly with electricity or
magnetic waves. This form of therapy is newer and still experimental. Even with all these ways
of treating depression is it still important that an individual takes time for themselves so they
So, the question again is, how does depression develop in an individual? Is it created by
some traumatic life experience or stress? Is it produced by genetics? Is depression the result of
imbalanced chemicals in the brain? Is depression real? The answer is yes. The answer is yes to
all those questions. Depression can be developed through the genetic make-up of an individual, a
traumatic event in an individual’s life, an imbalance chemical in the brain The combination of all
three factors is the major cause of depression. If anyone has ever experienced trauma, tragic loss,
anything related to trauma they can get depression. Anyone who has the mental illness that run in
I always wanted to know why I was depressed, assuming that something was just wrong
with me. Nothing is wrong with me; my depression came from all three factors that caused it.
Depression can be a mental illness that a person is born with, or depression can also be caused by
traumatic events in life, stress, or social issues. Depression is a mental illness that one may not be
able to control, numerous signs show a person is depressed, but it can be easily hidden. It is a
complex mental illness that research is still being done about it as of today. Depression is a real
mental illness. Telling people that it is not real, they are just sad, and it is all in their head can
make the depression worse for them. There are serious side effects that comes from the mental
illness, it is important to not ignore those signs of depression. I know from experience, if an
individual needs help, they must get it. Depression is more common than people think, it can be
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dangerous, it can life changing but people need to know that they are not alone in the fight
against it.
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Work Cited
Adults?”
Polish Journal of Public Health, vol. 125, no. 2, June 2015, pp. 116-120.
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/genetic
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression-anxiety.html.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression.
https://www.verywellmind.com/who-discovered-depression-1066770