walks of life. Regardless of rather a person is a rich, poor, or somewhere in between,
depression can takes its toll on anyone. There is an interesting paradox surrounding depression.
That it is a “disease of poverty” that it only effects those on the lower rungs of society. However
many wealthy and successful people also suffer from depression. J.K Rowling, whose bestselling
series Harry Potter has netted who a net worth of a cool billion dollars also suffers from
depression (Forbes, 2015). In 2010 she was quoted in an interview with Opera saying ,“It 's so
difficult to describe [depression] to someone who 's never been there, because …show more content…
In 1841 Lincoln wrote a letter to a law
partner stating, “If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human race, there would
not be one cheerful face on this earth.”(Goldberg, 2015). So obviously depression is something
that effects more than just people of misfortune. So what exactly is depression? What causes
Depression? How can it be treated, and what are some of the risks involved if left untreated?
These are the things aspects I plan to address in my paper.
Defining depression: For someone who has never experienced depression, it can be
almost impossible to express. It’s not just a matter of feeling sad, or unhappy; these our normal
human emotions that everyone experiences. However not everyone will experience
depression. In fact according to psychcentral. Only about 5% of the population suffers from
severe clinical (Nauert, 2015). Depression is so such a finite thing, that it becomes so hard to
describe. It’s a feeling of such intense hopelessness and loss unlike anything you can imagine or
explain. In their book the Power of Hope, Anthony Scioli, Ph.D., and Henry Biller, Ph.D. define
depression with a quote from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. “A grief so deep the tongue must wag …show more content…
Mayo Clinic states “For clinical
depression, you must have five or more of the following symptoms over a two-week period,
most of the day, nearly every day. At least one of the symptoms must be either a depressed
mood or a loss of interest or pleasure. Signs and symptoms may include: Depressed mood.
Reduced interest or feeling no pleasure in activities you used to enjoy. Unexplained significant
weight loss or gain. Insomnia. Restless or slowed behavior that can be observed by others,
Fatigue, Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt. Trouble making Decisions, Recurrent
thoughts of death or suicide. Over time depression tends to act like a virus slowly infecting
every aspect of your quality of life. Once these symptoms start having a noticeable impact on
your relationships and daily activities you know it’s time to start seeking help (Hall-Flavin,
So what causes depression? The onset of depression can be very sudden and often
come out of know where. Depression can be caused by a traumatic event from the past, such as
child abuse or a sexual assault. It kind also manifest as the result of current misfortune, such