Depression and Society
Introduction
Loneliness. Guilt. Dejection. Inadequacy. Despondency. At one point or another everyone has harbored feelings such as these. People with depression, however, don’t just relate to these emotions, they identify themselves with these feelings. Gilbert felt a heavy weight pulling deep within his stomach. As he lay in his bed, he began to search for whatever emotional baggage he had that was weighing him down, but strangely enough, he couldn’t find a single thing to complain about. If he had to explain to anyone, he’d probably say that he was sad, but if he was asked about what he was sad about, he probably wouldn’t have an answer. He knew he couldn’t tell his parents; they wouldn’t understand. No one would …show more content…
Because of this, depression has remained a plague upon people everywhere by being the 4th leading cause of worldwide disease and having up to 50% of all depressed individuals not being recognized in 2002 (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2002). Often times, problems arise from ignorance, and on the topic of depression, this is most certainly the case. Ignorance on the topic of depression has caused a trivialization of this serious issue, and as a result, those afflicted continue to suffer. Educating those afflicted and those not afflicted on the diagnosis and screening procedures, symptoms, and effects of depression would help raise awareness of just how serious depression …show more content…
Even if symptoms are not present, early screening is conducive in the health of at-risk individuals. Identifying the risk factors provides useful information to healthcare professionals, even when concerning asymptomatic individuals (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2002). By undergoing early screening procedures, changes in an individual’s psyche become easier to recognize, and as a result, depression becomes easier to diagnose. Unfortunately however, individuals are less receptive to the idea of undergoing early screening procedures for depression. Whether it’s because the individual exhibits no signs of depression and therefore feels no need to be screened, or if it’s because of a lack of understanding on the subject of depression, informing people of the severity of depression and the effectiveness of early screening would encourage people to get screened. It is important to understand that the decision to go through early screening process or not is not a slippery slope; that would be a misrepresentation of the argument. An early screening does not eliminate the possibility of developing depression in the future. Conversely, not getting screened for depression does not increase your chances of developing depression either. It is an early screening, not a preventative one. However, that does not make them any less effective at recognizing depression and are still an important tool that are not utilized
Introduction
Loneliness. Guilt. Dejection. Inadequacy. Despondency. At one point or another everyone has harbored feelings such as these. People with depression, however, don’t just relate to these emotions, they identify themselves with these feelings. Gilbert felt a heavy weight pulling deep within his stomach. As he lay in his bed, he began to search for whatever emotional baggage he had that was weighing him down, but strangely enough, he couldn’t find a single thing to complain about. If he had to explain to anyone, he’d probably say that he was sad, but if he was asked about what he was sad about, he probably wouldn’t have an answer. He knew he couldn’t tell his parents; they wouldn’t understand. No one would …show more content…
Because of this, depression has remained a plague upon people everywhere by being the 4th leading cause of worldwide disease and having up to 50% of all depressed individuals not being recognized in 2002 (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2002). Often times, problems arise from ignorance, and on the topic of depression, this is most certainly the case. Ignorance on the topic of depression has caused a trivialization of this serious issue, and as a result, those afflicted continue to suffer. Educating those afflicted and those not afflicted on the diagnosis and screening procedures, symptoms, and effects of depression would help raise awareness of just how serious depression …show more content…
Even if symptoms are not present, early screening is conducive in the health of at-risk individuals. Identifying the risk factors provides useful information to healthcare professionals, even when concerning asymptomatic individuals (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2002). By undergoing early screening procedures, changes in an individual’s psyche become easier to recognize, and as a result, depression becomes easier to diagnose. Unfortunately however, individuals are less receptive to the idea of undergoing early screening procedures for depression. Whether it’s because the individual exhibits no signs of depression and therefore feels no need to be screened, or if it’s because of a lack of understanding on the subject of depression, informing people of the severity of depression and the effectiveness of early screening would encourage people to get screened. It is important to understand that the decision to go through early screening process or not is not a slippery slope; that would be a misrepresentation of the argument. An early screening does not eliminate the possibility of developing depression in the future. Conversely, not getting screened for depression does not increase your chances of developing depression either. It is an early screening, not a preventative one. However, that does not make them any less effective at recognizing depression and are still an important tool that are not utilized