Introductory post

I have grown as a curious person and am always engaged with learning new things. I enjoy science and while I was in middle school I took my first real biology class, which I definitely enjoyed. I remember that was my first time dissecting a frog and learning the inside parts of the body. In addition, in high school I continued taking science courses and I was a part of a program called science research in partnership with Project Advanced Syracuse Program. This was a 3 year program and by the end of the year we worked on an experiment, which we then wrote a research paper based on.

One day I hope to become a pediatrician because I am happy to help others with their health, and enjoy working with kids. I am a caring person and always give advice to others to improve their lifestyle. There are many kids that can develop depression without even knowing it. In today’s society there are many parents that do not believe in depression and this a serious mental illness that can later negatively impact their child’s life. Action must be taken as soon as possible. Coming from a Mexican family I have witnessed adults not pay much attention to their child, which then makes it difficult for them to overcome depression.

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What is depression?

According to the American Psychiatric Association, “Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable.”

In other words, depression causes a jumble of emotions, and can lead to you lashing out on people you are close to, or pushing them away. This can become hard to repair in the future, especially if both parties are not aware of the mental state you are in, which is something very common. 

Depression transforms a patient’s life, including disruption of their emotional state. In addition, it becomes difficult to carry on with life like you normally would. Your emotions jumble, and lack of help, and nobody to be there for you leads to your inability to control your emotions, which can be severe.

Some symptoms of depression include:

• Reduced interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
• Changes in appetite
• Weight loss or gain
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Loss of energy
• Feelings of worthless
• Difficulty concentrating, or making decisions
• Constant thoughts of death or suicide

The image demonstrates the effects depression can have on the individual’s body. For example, near the brain the individual may experience negative thoughts that may lead to suicidal thoughts. Along with that, the person may also have trouble concentrating. 

Depression can happen to anyone

Anyone is vulnerable to depression as a stressful environment, workload, or person can negatively influence our emotions, and there is always something that makes a person anxious, which if not solved, can lead to depression. The American Psychiatric Association  states “Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year. And one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life” (Torres, 2020). To make matters worse, many times, depression goes under notice, helping it get worse and last longer. A numerous amount of people go through this problem, and most people suffer from it for the rest of their lives due to the lack of attendance and notice, which is something that needs to be discontinued.

Depression’s high point during COVID- 19

As many of us experienced changes in our lives due to the pandemic, there was an increase in numbers of individuals experiencing depression.  Students’ educations changed rapidly, it all went from being in person to everything being online courses. The shift to online learning led to drastic changes in students performances in exams and other assignments. It has been harder for students to interact with one another, which is a problem because some students have felt isolated.

The feeling of isolation would not motivate students’ attendance in online courses. Students have set their mindset that if they turn in the assignment late there would be no issues. This problem has expanded due to students feeling over stressed with their personal life and school life. Aside from feeling stress, many college students have felt lonely and isolated as well. The Michigan Medicine agrees that “The COVID pandemic has resulted in increased loneliness, stress, anxiety, and depression, among many Americans, including college students.” During these difficult times students were removed from their social support system and other extracurricular activities they were involved in. The removal of students from their social support system and organization disconnected friendships.

The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy states “women were more likely to have depression symptoms before and during the pandemic than men (10.1% of women and 6.9% of men before the pandemic, vs 22.2% of women and 21.9% of men during the pandemic)”.

Depression In Women

Depression is highly found in women and they are more likely to experience depression compared to men. As well as their association with stress, another striking future of mood disorders is the greater prevalence of these conditions in women. “Sex steroid hormones play a role in the increased vulnerability of women to anxiety disorders and depression. Women have a higher incidence of unipolar depression (Weissman & Olfson, 1995), which arises at puberty.” (Keyes and Goodman, 2012, p. 42) Hormones play an excessive high role in women’s bodies due to the effects carried along the way. Specifically, for these steroid hormones taken by women, they have a higher chance of experiencing major depression. Women often have to face many challenges on their own, while being on some sort of medication, or hormones.

Surveys concluded that women are more likely than men to encounter depression, especially those who are already married. In married couples, women tend to get stressed due to taking responsibilities of their children and home duties. This explains the increase of numbers during depression. Families were not used to seeing each other 24/7 and due to this, many conflicts arose. Torres(2020) introduces the idea that “Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime. ” (Torres, 2020) Major depression is a type of depression that is more severe and advanced, which can leave a more dramatic effect on one’s life.

Type of depression that may specifically occur to women only:

• Postpartum depression
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder

Depression in Men:

According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 9% of men have experienced daily feelings of depression. Men and women experience depression very differently due to symptoms differing. Men with depression are more likely to feel empty, extremely tired all the time, and having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much. Adding on, men are more likely to hide their feelings because they might feel embarrassed. Due to hiding their feelings they become more aggressive and upset. Meanwhile, women often appear to be sad or feel lonely. National Institute of Mental Health explains males may follow the incorrect path and begin to intake drugs or alcohol in order to try to cope with their mix of emotions.

Depression treatment

You may feel ashamed for some time, but remember there will always be someone that would understand you. 

You can get help by:

• Visiting a doctor- The doctor may conduct a physical exam, lab test or may interview you in order to determine your medical condition. If your doctor is unable to find anything, then comes the psychological evaluation. 
• Most common treatments: medication and psychotherapy. As to medication, antidepressants would be given because it mainly works with brain chemicals. 
• If you experience severe depression, it is more effective to receive medication and psychotherapy.