Have you ever felt sadness, guilt, or loss of interest for over two weeks of time? If so, you probably have one of the most common mental disorders in America today. Depression can come and go, but even with extensive research, no one knows exactly what can onset depression. Many people with depression need someone to notice their suffering before they will actually get help, and sometimes that call for help will be drastic. Anyone can have depression, but the symptoms, types, and length of depression is different for every patient.
History of Depression Depression has been around for a very long time. A couple Alvin and Virginia Silverstein along with their daughter Laura wrote an informative book Diseases and People: Depression. …show more content…
You usually find depression in teens. According to an article written by the National Institute of Mental Health (2016), “No two people are affect the same way by depression and there is no “one-size-fits-all” for treatment.” Women are more likely to get depression than males. But women are more open to talk about their problems and get help than men are. As women are getting help, men usually just turn to alcohol or drugs. Adults aren’t the only ones who experience depression, children and elderly can too. In Michael J. Martin’s book Teen Depression (2005), “According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s report, 3.5 million children and teenagers suffer from depression” (p. 6). Although many children may be experiencing depression, their parents, teachers, or friends are the ones who recognize their suffering and get them help. The elderly may be depressed after losing a loved one or being lonely. Even one of America’s great leaders, Abraham Lincoln, suffered from depression. As many people can be depressed, the symptoms are different for …show more content…
The National Institute of Mental Health’s article (2016) tells us, “Current research suggests that depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors.” Also if someone is struggling with a disease such as cancer, diabetes, or others, depression can co-occur. Some of them most known causes of depression are death or loss of loved one, abuse, certain medications, major events happening in one 's life, and personal problems. (WebMd 2005-2016) The one cause people don’t think about is differences in the brain. According to WebMd (2005-2016), “For instance, the hippocampus, a small part of the brain that is vital to the storage of memories, appears to be smaller in some people with a history of depression than in those who’ve never been depressed.” But that doesn’t stop the research and what is happening in the brain that could lead to depression. The hypothalamus also is known for transmitting our emotional state in the brain to our physical feelings. According to Daniel Amen and Lisa Routh, they stated in their book Healing Anxiety and Depression (2003), “When the deep limbic system is less active, there is generally a positive, more hopeful state of mind. When it is heated up, or overactive, negativity can take over,” (p. 26). As these are just the known factors for depression now, there is not one cause that is known to onset