Depression Essay, Research Paper

Does the mean individual experience depression throughtout their life?

Troy R. Mittler

Research Report

Introductory Psychology 110

Teacher: Jack Mino

12/15/99

Introduction

In psychological science, depression is a mental unwellness in which a individual experiences deep, firm unhappiness and lessened involvement in about all activities, it involves perturbations in emotion ( Encarta ) . Depression is among the most common mental unwellnesss. About 8 per centum of grownups in the United States experience serious depression through out their lives ( Encarta ) . Womans are about three times more likely to be depressed than work forces ( Encarta ) . The unwellness could come on easy, so acquire increasingly worse over clip, or it could come on all of a sudden in hebdomads or even yearss ( Encarts ) . Depression would do a individual to be sad all of the clip and they may frequently shout ( Encarta ) . Thingss that would normally convey that individual pleasance no longer make. Symptoms of depression vary with a individual & # 8217 ; s age. Depression could be caused by something obvious such as matrimony, fiscal, or personal jobs, but most psychologist believe depression & # 8220 ; consequences from an interaction between stressfull life events and a individual & # 8217 ; s biological and psychological vulnerabilities. & # 8221 ; ( Encarta ) .

A cross sectional survey of symptom ascription and acknowledgment of depression and anxiousness in primary attention showed:

[ D ] ifferent manners of symoptom ascription are strongly associated with different rates of sensing of depression and anxiousness. Patients who make psychologising ascriptions are more likley to acquire a psychological diagnosing ; the stronger there inclination to do such ascriptions the more likley such a diagnosing becomes. A normalising manner of ascription has the opposite consequence, and the patients inclination to nomralise or understate his or her symptoms the less likley she is to be seen as down or dying by the general practician. Somaticattributions, which are least common, had no mensurable consequence on diagnoised rates, though this may hold been because of deficiency of statistical power.

These lines are quoted from the British Medical Journal Feb,13 1999 ( David A Kessler ; Keith Loyd ; Glyn Lewis ; Denis pereira Gray ) .This survey suggest that psychlogist, when naming a patient with depression symptons, may misdiagnois, or may under diagnois the patient.

The operation and wellbeing of down patients, a medical result survey of 11,242 out patients determined that & # 8220 ; patients with either current depressive upset or depressive symptoms in the absence of upset tended to hold worse physical, societal, and function operation, worse preceived current wellness, and greater bodily pain that did patients with no chronic conditions. & # 8221 ; ( Kenneth B. Wells, MD, MPH ; Anita Stewart, Phd ; Ron D. Hays, Phd ; M.Audrey Burnham, Phd ; William Rogers, Phd ; Marcia Daniels, MD ; Sandra Berry, Ms ; Sheldon Greenfield, MD ; John Ware, Phd ) .

Does the mean individual go through stages of depression throughout their life? Does everyone experience depression but possibly they merely have a different manner of covering with it? Is what psychologist call a psychological science down trade with anxiousness and emphasis. Some people may really dissemble their depression with intoxicant. American Jorunal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, did a survey on anxiousness and intoxicant in patients in intervention for depression. The main findings of the survey was that & # 8220 ; [ w ] biddy anxiousness is a important constituent for a depressive patient, the clinical image is evidently more complicated, intervention result is less certain, and the long-run forecast is worse than when depression entirely is indicated. Alcohol is a factor among depressive patients,

this cooralation is non confirmed to one gender ( “although the manner in which anxiousness maps in impacting intoxicant maltreatment may differ for females that males” ) ( Edward H. Fischer ; John W. Goethe ) .

M E T H O D S

In this study,123 Questionnaires were handed out to four different groups of people. The questionnaires were handed out personally and the instructions were given verbally. The receivers were asked to make full out the questionnaires which consisted of three simple yes or no inquiries. They were asked to set their age on the questionnaire but to stay annomonus. The three inquiries on the questionnaire asked the receiver if they of all time experienced symptoms of depression. Depression was defined as deep, firm unhappiness and lessened involvement in all activities, accompanied by stomach aches, concerns, and crossness. They were so asked if these symptoms were merely present when emphasis degrees were high. The concluding inquiry asked it they had of all time been diagnosed with major depression. They were so given instructions as to where to go forth the questionnaires when finished, they were told to return them within one hebdomad. The first group of questionnaires handed out were to the senior psychological science pupils at a local high school. The following group was 28 employees that worked in tthe office of a concern. The 3rd group was 19 employees at a building site. The concluding group was 12 members of a local wellness nine. Out of the 123 questionnaires handed out merely 48 returned.

R E S U L T S

The 48 returned questionnaires were classified into five different classs harmonizing to the symptoms of depression that was reported. The figure of peple that reported a certain symptom of depression was categorized by their age ( see chart )

My survey seemed to propose that the 17 who reported symptoms of depression, but have non been diagnosed with a upset, could hold been related to high sums of emphasis or emphasis full events. Three people reported holding depressive symptoms, accompanied by high emphasis degrees, and have been diagnosed with depression. One individual said they experienced depressive symptoms, but stress full events had no impact, and they were sing symptoms of depression, emphasis did non hold an impact, but they were diagnosed with depression. Twenty six people reported have no symptoms of depression. Although the cogency of a little survey like this one is questionable, the consequences seem to propose that emphasis could play a large function in conveying out symptoms of depression in people that have, or have non been diagnosed with depression.

Discussion

The intent of my survey was to see if everyone in one manner or another experiences depression, and if emphasis has an consequence of conveying out depression in people. Depression is a deep unhappiness, or a withdrawl from activity. There is different degrees of depression.

Person could hold a minor instance of depression or person could hold a major instance. The survey in which I did, does non look at the degrees of depression, but tather looks at the common symptoms associated with depression. My findings did non demo that everyone experiences some signifier of depression, because of the 48 people who returned the questionaire, all of them said they had no symptoms of depression. The survey showed a little coralation between age and depression, but due to the little sum of participants in the survey this could hold been merely coinencedience. Those that reported high emphasis, reported more symptoms of depression than those that reported no emphasis. To happen out whether of non everyone experiences depression, we would hold to da a much bigger and more concentrated survey. A batch more research on this subject is needed to be certain that all of the consequences are accurate.