depression

depression Essay Examples

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Published: Friday 25th of January 2013

How To Write a Depression Essay: Example and Tips

Using statistics is an excellent way to start your depression essay. By using statistics, you can make your argument about the seriousness of this health condition more believable. It is useful because not many people are aware of how much destruction some mental disorder can do to a person, let alone a family or a society. Because there is a lack of awareness on mental disorders, medical college students are likely to be asked to write an essay about it to help them understand the issue better and consequently equip them with sufficient knowledge to deal with such issue in the future. Here, we will discuss how to write an excellent essay about depression. We also have some suggestions on some potentially promising topics about which you can write.

Depression Essay: Definition

An essay about depression isn't a frequent academic topic. It is an assignment specifically designed for students who study psychology. The goal here is to explore all the different mental disorders out there, their symptoms, severity, diagnosis, and treatments. Depression has become a common mental disorder among teenagers in modern times. Many events can potentially drive a vulnerable teenager into depression. It can be a break-up, a failed test, bullying, family problems, etc. Sometimes, being alone can cause depression as well. There is no exact formula for depression. Any combination of events can cause this, but they always result in the patient's stress and sadness. Depression is a severe health problem that can have an irreversible consequence on us. It can negatively impact our social and professional life, and it can even lead us to death. Depression, in a way, is contagious since your death can cause grief in some other people who love you dearly. This grief can turn into depression, and the cycle continues. Therefore, it is imperative to understand this issue in its entirety.

Emotional Responses that Cause Depression

An excellent essay about depression always addresses the internal cause of the mental disorder. Although depression is a well-known mental disorder, not many people have an in-depth understanding of the causes of the issue. Two of the most common emotions that cause depression are grief and sadness. These feelings are not uncommon at all, and everyone tends to feel them once in a while. Usually, such emotions do not last long. Should they last more than 48 hours, then it is a good indicator that one is suffering from depression. Here, time is the clear line in the sand that distinguishes the difference between a bad mood and depression. Lack of motivation in life is also one of the usual causes of depression a person cannot find happiness anywhere in their immediate environment. Luckily, depression can be treated without expensive medication, if done correctly. The key to eradicating depression is emotional support. While it may seem small, a little bit of encouragement from the peers or relatives can help a person a great deal when the going gets tough. There is a common misconception that loneliness is the root-cause of depression. In reality, many other reasons drive many people into the dark pit that is depression. Therefore, when you are required to write an essay about depression, you should also address all of its early indicators so that the patient can be saved before any irreversible psychological damage happens. Plus, the essay should also address the ways to diagnose depression. There are many different types of depression to which you can dedicate your essay about depression. You can address the bipolar disorder or mania. These are some of the most severe types of depression, and these notions are familiar to most people. It is also a good idea to address some other less-known types of depression since the idea is to raise awareness of their existence. One of them is the premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which is exclusive to women. Regardless of the type of depression you write about, you should address the vulnerability found in the patient's genes and how the environment in which the patient grows up can facilitate the development of depression. Keep in mind that genes and the environment are two of the most potent influences that lead to depression.

What You Should Address

Many students often run out of ideas when they write an essay about depression, especially if the required word count is high. When you are writing about any depression, you can expand upon some of the most common symptoms such as fatigue, suicidal thoughts, guilt, lack of sleep, or excessive sleep. You need to convince your lecturer, or anyone expected to correct your paper, or your readers, of the threat that depression poses to everyone. The essay should also explain what could lead to depression in the first place. You should also point some of the ways to diagnose depression. As mentioned earlier, depression is best treated as soon as possible. Therefore, you should also follow up with some ways to treat depression such as medications or therapies. The key here is to convince your readers of the problems that depression could lead to if not appropriately treated.

Essay Example: Psychotherapy as a Treatment for Depression

It is very common for someone to feel sad once in a while. In fact, there will always be a time when we feel a little bit discouraged when life throws some disappointing news our way. Maybe it is a failed test, maybe it is a breakup, or maybe it is the passing of a loved one. Usually, such news is shocking and unexpected, and the feeling of sadness also goes away just as quickly. Unfortunately, to some people, these feelings linger far longer than they usually should. Should such undesirable emotions linger longer than usual, they will start to cause a negative impact on your life. If you are experiencing this, then chances are that you may be having a mental condition known as depression. When you are suffering from depression, life seems a lot less colorful and exciting to you. Such emotions can reduce your productivity and have negative consequences on your social and professional life. Eventually, you will have suicidal thoughts, and you may even act them out if you do not receive any immediate assistance. Unfortunately, the defining line between depression and feeling a bit sad is blurred. It is already an issue when someone close to you cannot tell with certainty that you are depressed or not. To make things worse, there are times when you cannot even tell whether you are depressed or not. Therefore, you should seek professional assistance to help you if you are sensing that you may be suffering from depression. Early treatment is key. Doctors are unsure about the primary causes of depression. Usually, the change of the chemistry in your body that affect your moods and your cognitions can cause depression. A common cause of depression is often the death of a person close to you such as your pet, your spouse, or your relative. Fortunately, such events are easy to spot for both you and your doctor. Then, doctors can diagnose your mental illness more easily. They can then administer some medications or other forms of treatments earlier on before things get too dangerous. Sometimes, depression just comes without a reason and diagnosis. Maybe it was a problem left unsolved during your childhood that you have accepted as a part of you or your life. Maybe it was a forgotten bitter past event. Should depression come from that deep dark corners of your past, then its treatment becomes significantly tricky. The big question here is if we can cure depression permanently. If done correctly, the mental condition can be treated. But this requires professional help promptly. That is why depression needs to be treated as soon as possible. Different people require different treatments, and this also adds another layer of complication. When a person is suffering from depression, he or she would need emotional support in the form of love and encouragement from their loved ones. It is true that it can be easy to spot someone who is suffering from depression by how he or she behaves. However, not as many people show such behavior to just about anyone. Therefore, parents, siblings, relatives, or anyone close to the patients are among the first to see such behavior shown to them. It is critical that they recognize the symptoms and seek professional help from experts as soon as possible. It is also worth noting that telling the person suffering from depression to "get over it" is a terrible idea because one known cause of depression is the fact that the patient is not being heard or finding understanding. By doing so would only inflict further damage to the patient instead of helping them recover from this mental condition. There is one standard and well-known treatment for many different types of depression. It is called psychotherapy, and it is useful regardless of how severe the depression is. As far as human go, everyone is different. Therefore, doctors need to use different medication and employ different methods of treatment to help patients recover from depression. With the right medication, methods, and the sheer willpower of the patient, it is possible to treat depression and hopefully release the patient from the fatal mental condition forever. To do that, one needs to tackle the patient's problems one by one. This means that honesty is crucial. The patient needs to be open about their problems so that the doctor or therapist can effectively help the patient in overcoming them. Such a process can be tedious, but it will prove to be a valuable experience for both the patients and the therapists. Some therapists introduce hobbies to assist the patient in minimizing the effects of depression.

Topics for Depression Suggestions

You can get some valuable information about depression from some therapists or healthcare practitioners. They can also suggest some excellent topics about depression that you can write about in your essay. Some of the topics that you can write about are:
  • Signs of depression that teenagers show
  • How to raise awareness of mental illnesses?
  • The connection between depression and poverty
  • The asylum’s effectiveness in treating mental disorders