“Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.” (Mayo Clinic 2015) Depression is considered an illness because it is a patient’s personal experience with a certain disease. (Dr. Latham’s Lecture notes) I personally was diagnosed with depression in 2011. I started to see a psychiatrist due to some major family issues that caused a misbalance in my life and caused me to spin into a period of deep depression. After being diagnosed with depression it created changes in my behavior due to the assignment of the meaning to my illness.
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(Dr. Latham’s Lecture notes 8/26/2015) My experience with depression day to day would differ depending on the workload I had and how I was feeling that day. Some days were worse than others, but I still managed to get what was needed done. My social interactions were very limited due to my illness and my friends and family would wonder about me because they weren’t aware of my diagnosis. I kept my diagnosis a secret because I felt that I could keep it managed without worrying my friends and family. My social structure and support system allowed me to overcome my depression without medication. My cultural values and norms allowed me to believe that medication isn’t always the solution for every disease and that I could manage my illness without the medication that was usually prescribed in situations like the one that was presented. Depression is one of the diseases, in my opinion, that is stigmatized due to its uncertainty among many members of society. Since the field is so broad for depression, I feel as if many people see depression as a way for people to escape their daily lives with an excuse portrayed as an illness. An example we talked about in class involved the sick role and the illness career and how a doctors note is seen as an essential part of confirming your illness and with it you are dismissed from your everyday roles due to your illness. (Dr. Latham’s Lecture and lecture notes
(Dr. Latham’s Lecture notes 8/26/2015) My experience with depression day to day would differ depending on the workload I had and how I was feeling that day. Some days were worse than others, but I still managed to get what was needed done. My social interactions were very limited due to my illness and my friends and family would wonder about me because they weren’t aware of my diagnosis. I kept my diagnosis a secret because I felt that I could keep it managed without worrying my friends and family. My social structure and support system allowed me to overcome my depression without medication. My cultural values and norms allowed me to believe that medication isn’t always the solution for every disease and that I could manage my illness without the medication that was usually prescribed in situations like the one that was presented. Depression is one of the diseases, in my opinion, that is stigmatized due to its uncertainty among many members of society. Since the field is so broad for depression, I feel as if many people see depression as a way for people to escape their daily lives with an excuse portrayed as an illness. An example we talked about in class involved the sick role and the illness career and how a doctors note is seen as an essential part of confirming your illness and with it you are dismissed from your everyday roles due to your illness. (Dr. Latham’s Lecture and lecture notes