Depression
Sydney C. Bl: 2
What is Depression?
Depression is a common but serious illness. It interferes with your daily life and causes pain for both you and those who care about you. There are many forms of depressive disorder for example: major depression is a severe symptom that interferes with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life.
My Story~
In sixth grade, I became depressed due to being at a new school and how my parents pretty much fought everyday. I didn't want to bother my family, since they were stressed, and I just kept all my feelings hidden. I would tell my friends, but I didn't want to keep blabbing about me, myself, and I being sad so I pretty much cried every night. In school, I didn't really care about my grades anymore and kept forgetting to do homework. A few months later, the depression I was having was kind of healing but then my parents brought up the topic of divorce, and I couldn't take it anymore. I kept thinking about what it was like disappearing but I knew that I wouldn't do want to disappear because I loved my family, my friends, and didn't want to put everyone in more stress. Although, I started talking to my friend, Amanda, again and she listened to my problems and my depression was disappearing one by one. She gave me hope :D
Harmful/emotional effects of Depression
Harmful
- Affects the immune system, making it harder for your body to fight infections
- Depression has also been linked to heart disease and increased risk for substance abuse
- Increases levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline.
Emotional
- Feeling helpless or worthless
- Restlessness
- Decreased energy, increased faigue
How can you fix depression? How can others help with this issue?
Fixing Depression
- Get in a routine
- Set goals
- Exercise
- Eat healthy
- Get enough sleep
Others helping with this issue
First of all, you should learn about depression. If someone you love or your friend is in depression, don't help them. It's not your fault that they are depressed nor responsible of his or her happiness. Recovery is in the hands of the depressed person. Talking to them is more efficient like asking; When did you begin feeling like this? Did something happen that made you start feeling this way? How can I best support you right now? Have you though about getting help? Remember, being supportive involves offering encouragement and hope.
Statistics of Depression
- Major depressive affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older.
- While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the median age at onset is 32.