why depression essay

Essays About Depression: Top 8 Examples Plus Prompts

Many people deal with mental health issues throughout their lives; if you are writing essays about depression, you can read essay examples to get started.

An occasional feeling of sadness is something that everyone experiences from time to time. Still, a persistent loss of interest, depressed mood, changes in energy levels, and sleeping problems can indicate mental illness. Thankfully, antidepressant medications, therapy, and other types of treatment can be largely helpful for people living with depression.

People suffering from depression or other mood disorders must work closely with a mental health professional to get the support they need to recover. While family members and other loved ones can help move forward after a depressive episode, it’s also important that people who have suffered from major depressive disorder work with a medical professional to get treatment for both the mental and physical problems that can accompany depression.

If you are writing an essay about depression, here are 8 essay examples to help you write an insightful essay. For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

1. My Best Friend Saved Me When I Attempted Suicide, But I Didn’t Save Her by Drusilla Moorhouse
2. How can I complain? by James Blake
3. What it’s like living with depression: A personal essay by Nadine Dirks
4. I Have Depression, and I’m Proof that You Never Know the Battle Someone is Waging Inside by Jac Gochoco
5. Essay: How I Survived Depression by Cameron Stout
6. I Can’t Get Out of My Sweat Pants: An Essay on Depression by Marisa McPeck-Stringham
7. This is what depression feels like by Courtenay Harris Bond

8. Opening Up About My Struggle with Recurring Depression by Nora Super

1. what is depression, 2. how is depression diagnosed, 3. causes of depression, 4. different types of depression, 5. who is at risk of depression, 6. can social media cause depression, 7. can anyone experience depression, the final word on essays about depression, is depression common, what are the most effective treatments for depression, top 8 examples, 1. my best friend saved me when i attempted suicide, but i didn’t save her by drusilla moorhouse.

“Just three months earlier, I had been a patient in another medical facility: a mental hospital. My best friend, Denise, had killed herself on Christmas, and days after the funeral, I told my mom that I wanted to die. I couldn’t forgive myself for the role I’d played in Denise’s death: Not only did I fail to save her, but I’m fairly certain I gave her the idea.”

Moorhouse makes painstaking personal confessions throughout this essay on depression, taking the reader along on the roller coaster of ups and downs that come with suicide attempts, dealing with the death of a loved one, and the difficulty of making it through major depressive disorder.

2. How can I complain? by James Blake

“I wanted people to know how I felt, but I didn’t have the vocabulary to tell them. I have gone into a bit of detail here not to make anyone feel sorry for me but to show how a privileged, relatively rich-and-famous-enough-for-zero-pity white man could become depressed against all societal expectations and allowances. If I can be writing this, clearly it isn’t only oppression that causes depression; for me it was largely repression.”

Musician James Blake shares his experience with depression and talks about his struggles with trying to grow up while dealing with existential crises just as he began to hit the peak of his fame. Blake talks about how he experienced guilt and shame around the idea that he had it all on the outside—and so many people deal with issues that he felt were larger than his.

3. What it’s like living with depression: A personal essay by Nadine Dirks

“In my early adulthood, I started to feel withdrawn, down, unmotivated, and constantly sad. What initially seemed like an off-day turned into weeks of painful feelings that seemed they would never let up. It was difficult to enjoy life with other people my age. Depression made typical, everyday tasks—like brushing my teeth—seem monumental. It felt like an invisible chain, keeping me in bed.”

Dirks shares her experience with depression and the struggle she faced to find treatment for mental health issues as a Black woman. Dirks discusses how even though she knew something about her mental health wasn’t quite right, she still struggled to get the diagnosis she needed to move forward and receive proper medical and psychological care.

4. I Have Depression, and I’m Proof that You Never Know the Battle Someone is Waging Inside by Jac Gochoco

“A few years later, at the age of 20, my smile had fallen, and I had given up. The thought of waking up the next morning was too much for me to handle. I was no longer anxious or sad; instead, I felt numb, and that’s when things took a turn for the worse. I called my dad, who lived across the country, and for the first time in my life, I told him everything. It was too late, though. I was not calling for help. I was calling to say goodbye.”

Gochoco describes the war that so many people with depression go through—trying to put on a brave face and a positive public persona while battling demons on the inside. The Olympic weightlifting coach and yoga instructor now work to share the importance of mental health with others.

5. Essay: How I Survived Depression by Cameron Stout

“In 1993, I saw a psychiatrist who prescribed an antidepressant. Within two months, the medication slowly gained traction. As the gray sludge of sadness and apathy washed away, I emerged from a spiral of impending tragedy. I helped raise two wonderful children, built a successful securities-litigation practice, and became an accomplished cyclist. I began to take my mental wellness for granted. “

Princeton alum Cameron Stout shared his experience with depression with his fellow Tigers in Princeton’s alumni magazine, proving that even the most brilliant and successful among us can be rendered powerless by a chemical imbalance. Stout shares his experience with treatment and how working with mental health professionals helped him to come out on the other side of depression.

6. I Can’t Get Out of My Sweat Pants: An Essay on Depression by Marisa McPeck-Stringham

“Sometimes, when the depression got really bad in junior high, I would come straight home from school and change into my pajamas. My dad caught on, and he said something to me at dinner time about being in my pajamas several days in a row way before bedtime. I learned it was better not to change into my pajamas until bedtime. People who are depressed like to hide their problematic behaviors because they are so ashamed of the way they feel. I was very ashamed and yet I didn’t have the words or life experience to voice what I was going through.”

McPeck-Stringham discusses her experience with depression and an eating disorder at a young age; both brought on by struggles to adjust to major life changes. The author experienced depression again in her adult life, and thankfully, she was able to fight through the illness using tried-and-true methods until she regained her mental health.

7. This is what depression feels like by Courtenay Harris Bond

“The smallest tasks seem insurmountable: paying a cell phone bill, lining up a household repair. Sometimes just taking a shower or arranging a play date feels like more than I can manage. My children’s squabbles make me want to scratch the walls. I want to claw out of my own skin. I feel like the light at the end of the tunnel is a solitary candle about to blow out at any moment. At the same time, I feel like the pain will never end.”

Bond does an excellent job of helping readers understand just how difficult depression can be, even for people who have never been through the difficulty of mental illness. Bond states that no matter what people believe the cause to be—chemical imbalance, childhood issues, a combination of the two—depression can make it nearly impossible to function.

“Once again, I spiraled downward. I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t work. I had thoughts of harming myself. This time, my husband urged me to start ECT much sooner in the cycle, and once again, it worked. Within a matter of weeks I was back at work, pretending nothing had happened. I kept pushing myself harder to show everyone that I was “normal.” I thought I had a pattern: I would function at a high level for many years, and then my depression would be triggered by a significant event. I thought I’d be healthy for another ten years.”

Super shares her experience with electroconvulsive therapy and how her depression recurred with a major life event despite several years of solid mental health. Thankfully, Super was able to recognize her symptoms and get help sooner rather than later.

7 Writing Prompts on Essays About Depression

When writing essays on depression, it can be challenging to think of essay ideas and questions. Here are six essay topics about depression that you can use in your essay.

Depression can be difficult to define and understand. Discuss the definition of depression, and delve into the signs, symptoms, and possible causes of this mental illness. Depression can result from trauma or personal circumstances, but it can also be a health condition due to genetics. In your essay, look at how depression can be spotted and how it can affect your day-to-day life.

Depression diagnosis can be complicated; this essay topic will be interesting as you can look at the different aspects considered in a diagnosis. While a certain lab test can be conducted, depression can also be diagnosed by a psychiatrist. Research the different ways depression can be diagnosed and discuss the benefits of receiving a diagnosis in this essay.

There are many possible causes of depression; this essay discusses how depression can occur. Possible causes of depression can include trauma, grief, anxiety disorders, and some physical health conditions. Look at each cause and discuss how they can manifest as depression.

There are many different types of depression. This essay topic will investigate each type of depression and its symptoms and causes. Depression symptoms can vary in severity, depending on what is causing it. For example, depression can be linked to medical conditions such as bipolar disorder. This is a different type of depression than depression caused by grief. Discuss the details of the different types of depression and draw comparisons and similarities between them.

Certain genetic traits, socio-economic circumstances, or age can make people more prone to experiencing symptoms of depression. Depression is becoming more and more common amongst young adults and teenagers. Discuss the different groups at risk of experiencing depression and how their circumstances contribute to this risk.

Social media poses many challenges to today’s youth, such as unrealistic beauty standards, cyber-bullying, and only seeing the “highlights” of someone’s life. Can social media cause depression in teens? Delve into the negative impacts of social media when writing this essay. You could compare the positive and negative sides of social media and discuss whether social media causes mental health issues amongst young adults and teenagers.

This essay question poses the question, “can anyone experience depression?” Although those in lower-income households may be prone to experiencing depression, can the rich and famous also experience depression? This essay discusses whether the privileged and wealthy can experience their possible causes. This is a great argumentative essay topic, discuss both sides of this question and draw a conclusion with your final thoughts.

When writing about depression, it is important to study examples of essays to make a compelling essay. You can also use your own research by conducting interviews or pulling information from other sources. As this is a sensitive topic, it is important to approach it with care; you can also write about your own experiences with mental health issues.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

FAQs On Essays About Depression

According to the World Health Organization, about 5% of people under 60 live with depression. The rate is slightly higher—around 6%—for people over 60. Depression can strike at any age, and it’s important that people who are experiencing symptoms of depression receive treatment, no matter their age.

Suppose you’re living with depression or are experiencing some of the symptoms of depression. In that case, it’s important to work closely with your doctor or another healthcare professional to develop a treatment plan that works for you. A combination of antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral therapy is a good fit for many people, but this isn’t necessarily the case for everyone who suffers from depression. Be sure to check in with your doctor regularly to ensure that you’re making progress toward improving your mental health.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Amanda has an M.S.Ed degree from the University of Pennsylvania in School and Mental Health Counseling and is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer. She has experience writing magazine articles, newspaper articles, SEO-friendly web copy, and blog posts.

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This is what depression feels like

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Personal Stories

My depression in my life.

By Leah Anonymous

Depression is something that shows itself differently for everyone. There is no one person, or one story, or one experience that can make someone universally understand truly how depression alters the lives of those of us who suffer from it. I can’t make anyone understand how it is for everyone, but I can tell you how it alters my life, and maybe that will help people understand how all-encompassing it really is.

For me there are two main ways that my depression manifests itself when it breaks through the barriers I have set with the help of years of therapy and medication. There is the gut wrenching loneliness and near constant anxiety and then there is the checking out, the feeling nothing at all, the numbness. Sometimes I don’t know which is worse, but I will try to explain both.

The Loneliness and Anxiety:

In some ways I consider this step one of when my depression spikes because it always seems to come first. But I don’t consider it step one in levels of horribleness. Like I said above I really think that both ways my depression hits me are pretty awful and I couldn’t say which is worse.

You know that feeling you have in your gut when you are about to and/or really need to cry. While that is what it is like. All the time. I could be laughing and having a great time with my friends, which I often am because my friends are great, and yet in the back of my mind I feel more alone than ever and I just want to curl up into fetal position and cry. But I never can. I can’t go home and cry and then feel better, because it’s not like there is something to cry about, or really anything to be sad about. And it isn’t really sadness. It is complete solitude. It’s when my brain tells me that I am alone, that I can’t be loved, that no one really wants me around, and worst of all that no one will understand me.

That is worst of all because at the place I am in my life, no matter what I have been through in the past, or what my depression tries to make me believe I know that I can be loved, that I’m not alone and that I am wanted. And I know that because of the hard work I have done to get to that place in my life, and because of some of the amazing people in my life who make sure that I know that they are there for me, that they love me, and that they want to spend time with me.

But the idea that no one will ever truly understand who I am, or any of that. That is a little harder to dissuade myself from believing. Because as much as I can tell people what I went, and still go through and what goes through my mind, who can really understand me other than me. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the way my depression tells me it, it is a bad thing.

So there I am surrounded by people, very possibly having some of the best experiences of my life, feeling like I need to bawl, completely unable to, and nearly having an anxiety attack because I just want it to end.

And it is here where two things happen. It is here where I wish for and welcome the numbness because I don’t want to feel the all-encompassing loneliness and anxiety. It is also where I think about cutting.

I have not cut myself in three and a half years. And I know that it doesn’t solve my problems. I know that I shouldn’t and I don’t want to. Even when I want to I don’t want to.

But here, when I am feeling the all-encompassing loneliness which is the very last thing that I want to feel, I think about cutting because it lets me feel something else.

The physical act of cutting gives me something to think about and focus on, something other than that loneliness. And when I am not physically cutting, instead of thinking about how lonely I am and how that feeling will never end I think about the next time I can cut, or the most recent time I did.

And Then The Numbness:

I don’t really know how to explain this numbness. It is simply a period of time where I feel literally nothing. I fake happiness/normal emotion around friends, not always very well, and when I am alone I just don’t care about anything.

This is when my grades often fall because I don’t care about anything, including school, and therefore school work.

And then, sometimes I just want to feel something, anything, and so that is when I think about cutting. I think about cutting because it gives me something to feel, something I can control, but still feel.

The numbness comes because I can’t handle what I’m thinking and feeling, because it is too much for me to deal with, so I shut everything off so I don’t have to feel it.

In some ways, cutting transitions me back into feeling. But again, cutting, NOT A SOLUTION, NOT HEALTHY.

And something that I no longer do.

Now, for the past three and a half years, whenever I think of cutting, which I still do. It is still my first thought in either of these situations, I instead do one of the many things that I have come to know to help me cope.

For example, I force myself to spend more time with my friends, because I know that the loneliness will pass and I can talk myself out of feeling lonely when I am not physically alone.

I read/watch anything romantic. I pretend that I am one of the characters, and then I feel what they feel instead of what I am feeling (or preventing myself from feeling).

I belt along to old school Taylor Swift. Because what is more beautiful than a summer romance in a small country town with Chevy trucks and Tim McGraw?

And though my schoolwork does still sometimes fall through the cracks, I always make myself do some work.

Basically I force myself to live my life, because well, it is my life, and I refuse to live it feeling alone when I’m not, and numb when I could be great.

So even though I do feel those things far more often than I would like it is something that I live with, because I have depression.

Because depression is a disease, and I will always have it.

Because my depression is a part of who I am.

And most of all, because I only have one life, and I want to live it. Because even though when my depression spikes it makes me want to not live sometimes, I refuse.

Because I am the author of my own life and I choose to put a semicolon instead of a period at every point that my depression tells me otherwise.

So that is how my depression affects my life. That is how I deal with it. Like it or not I always will.

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How To Write A Strong Essay On Depression?

Table of Contents

Looking for useful information that will help you write a powerful essay on depression? You’ve come to the right place, then!

Depression is a worldwide spread disease that negatively affects how people feel, the way they think, and how they act. It is also the leading cause of disability. There are estimates that more than 300 million people are affected by depression globally, and this condition is also one of the most common mental disorders in the USA.

No wonder depression essay is a typical assignment for high school and college students. The goal of writing about this mental condition is to increase awareness among young people about mental health and help them find solutions to this problem.

In this guide, you will find all the necessary information for writing the best essays on this topic.

Depression essay: what’s the deal?

At some point in our lives, we all may experience symptoms like sadness, loss of interest, lack of pleasure from performing daily activities, etc.

For most people, these symptoms are a completely normal response to unpleasant or stressful events that they experience, for example, romantic relationships failures or financial issues.

Negative feelings are usually painful and overwhelming, but as time goes by, they become less intense and disappear.

But if these feelings persist, they may affect people’s life substantially and result in depression.

In recent decades, clinical depression has reached epidemic proportions and is widespread in the suburbs inner cities, farms, refugee camps, boardrooms, and classrooms, and women are more likely to be depressed than man.

Recent research reveals that the United States is the most depressed country in the world.

When writing an essay about this mental illness, you need to examine different aspects. For example, you may write a postpartum depression essay or explore how this mental condition affects the brain, personality, and physical health.

The choice of topics is endless, but you should follow standard writing requirements when working on your projects. Let’s discuss some important steps of writing an essay about mental disorders in detail.

Depression research paper outline: a brief how-to

Many students skip this stage in the writing process and as a result, may waste a lot of time when doing research and actually writing.

Creating a working outline for your project is an essential step that will help you stay focused and increase your overall productivity. Never skip this crucial step if you want to succeed.

Here are some tips on how you can do it right.

Choose a topic for your research and do some preliminary reading. Search for some interesting facts and try to think about new ways to address your topic. Scan some articles and look for knowledge gaps.
Take notes when you see an interesting quote and create a list of your sources. You can use them as references in your essay. Keep all the information you have gathered in one place.
Write down the objective of your essay in one sentence. Think about the outcome you want to achieve when other people read your essay.
Look through your notes and make a list of all the important points you want to make. Use brainstorming techniques and write down all ideas that pop into your head.
Review the points and create a thesis statement for depression research paper or essay.
Organize the list of points to create a structure of your essay . Put the points in a logical order. Check all aspects to make sure that each of them is relevant to your objective.
Revise all your points and try to put your outline in a standard format: numbered or bulleted list.

Depression essay introduction: how to start?

The introduction of your essay should provide some context and prepare your readers for the arguments you would present next.

Start your introduction with an attention grabber to engage your audience. It can be a provocative question, statistics, an anecdote, an interesting fact, etc.

Introduce your specific topic and provide some context to help your readers understand your paper. For example, you can define some key terms.

Finish your introduction with a strong thesis statement that clearly and concisely states the central argument or the purpose of your paper.

e.g., Students who drop out of a high school before graduation are more susceptible to depression and anxiety and have a higher risk of facing mental and physical health problems later in life.

You may also briefly outline the major points of your paper to help your audience follow your argument.

Depression essay conclusion: what should be included?

The conclusion is the last chance to impress your readers so it can be the most challenging part of an essay to write.

It should give your paper a sense of completeness and answer the question, “so what?”

You need to restate your main claim and tie that claim to a larger discussion. Don’t introduce any new ideas or subtopics here.

You can conclude your paper using one of the following strategies:

Call for a specific action.
Outline next steps for other researchers.
Speak about future implications.
Compare different situations or issues.
Use a quotation.
Ask a provocative question.

The use of depression essay example

A good essay example may help you understand how your project must be written. You can find a lot of essay examples online or order a well-written example from a professional writer.

You should read it and analyze what strategies and techniques are used to convey the main ideas and make an impression on readers.

Besides, you can get a better understanding of how you can structure your paper and what transitions you can use to ensure a logical flow of ideas.

Essay on depression: what to cover?

Writing about depression in college essay can involve a lot of different topics, especially those connected with the epidemic of mental disorders in teens.

For example, you may write causes of teenage depression essay and discuss multiple factors that create chemical imbalances in the human brain which may result in mental disorders and lead to such symptoms like anger, irritability, and agitation:

Biological factors – family history of mental disorders.
Social factors – loneliness and isolation, lack of meaningful relationships with family or peers.
Behavioral factors – alcohol or drug abuse.
Psychological factors – early childhood trauma, recent stressful experiences like a death in the family.

TOP-10 depression essay topics

Effects of mood disorders on physical health.
Causes of depression among teens.
Compare depression and bipolar disorder.
Neurodegenerative effects of long-term depression.
Mental disorders and personality changes in adults.
Impact of psychological stress on mental disorders.
Teen depression and suicide.
Depression symptoms in children and adults.
Are we witnessing an epidemic of serious mood disorders?
Digital media and mental disorders in children.

Argumentative essay on depression: how to prove you’re right?

Argumentative essay on depression is a more complex task because you need to take a stance and create a convincing argument to persuade your readers and make them accept your point of view or take a specific action.

You need compelling evidence to support your claims and main points.

Consult credible online sources, for example, a website of the American Psychiatric Association, to find some facts or statistics about mental disorders or news about current research on the topic.

Review some statistics which you can use to support your argument.

According to estimates, about 15% of adults experience depressive episodes in their lifetime.
About 5% of the US population experience seasonal depression every year.
The most “depressed” countries in the world are the USA, France, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Colombia.
Japan has one of the lowest depression rates in the world, but it has one of the highest suicide rates, which is one of the leading causes of death among Japanese teens.
4.8% of men and 8.5% of women suffer from depression in the USA.
The median age of people experiencing a major depressive episode is 32.
More than 44,000 American commit suicide each year and it’s the 2nd leading cause of death for young people aged from 15 to 24.

Argumentative essay topics about depression

Is there any correlation between burnout, depression, and anxiety?
How to deal with a crisis when living with mental disorders?
Is it common to have both anxiety and depression at the same time?
Can sleep deprivation cause mental disorders?
Is there any relationship between the consumption of certain food and mental disorders?
Can food help with overcoming anxiety?
Social media obsession and mental health issues.
Why do a lot of teens struggle with mental disorders?
Can exercise treat mental health issues?
How can we tell the difference between grief and depression?

Feel free to choose any of these interesting topics and write your own depression essay.

Although mental disorders are a complicated thing to write about, you are much likely to successfully cope with this challenging task if you follow our easy guidelines.

Depressed with the task to write depression? Forget the anxiety! Order your paper within three clicks and enjoy the bright side of life!

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7 Depression Research Paper Topic Ideas

Nancy Schimelpfening, MS is the administrator for the non-profit depression support group Depression Sanctuary. Nancy has a lifetime of experience with depression, experiencing firsthand how devastating this illness can be.

Cara Lustik is a fact-checker and copywriter.

In psychology classes, it's common for students to write a depression research paper. Researching depression may be beneficial if you have a personal interest in this topic and want to learn more, or if you're simply passionate about this mental health issue. However, since depression is a very complex subject, it offers many possible topics to focus on, which may leave you wondering where to begin.

If this is how you feel, here are a few research titles about depression to help inspire your topic choice. You can use these suggestions as actual research titles about depression, or you can use them to lead you to other more in-depth topics that you can look into further for your depression research paper.

What Is Depression?

Everyone experiences times when they feel a little bit blue or sad. This is a normal part of being human. Depression, however, is a medical condition that is quite different from everyday moodiness.

Your depression research paper may explore the basics, or it might delve deeper into the definition of clinical depression or the difference between clinical depression and sadness .

What Research Says About the Psychology of Depression

Studies suggest that there are biological, psychological, and social aspects to depression, giving you many different areas to consider for your research title about depression.

Types of Depression

There are several different types of depression that are dependent on how an individual's depression symptoms manifest themselves. Depression symptoms may vary in severity or in what is causing them. For instance, major depressive disorder (MDD) may have no identifiable cause, while postpartum depression is typically linked to pregnancy and childbirth.

Depressive symptoms may also be part of an illness called bipolar disorder. This includes fluctuations between depressive episodes and a state of extreme elation called mania. Bipolar disorder is a topic that offers many research opportunities, from its definition and its causes to associated risks, symptoms, and treatment.

Causes of Depression

The possible causes of depression are many and not yet well understood. However, it most likely results from an interplay of genetic vulnerability and environmental factors. Your depression research paper could explore one or more of these causes and reference the latest research on the topic.

For instance, how does an imbalance in brain chemistry or poor nutrition relate to depression? Is there a relationship between the stressful, busier lives of today's society and the rise of depression? How can grief or a major medical condition lead to overwhelming sadness and depression?

Who Is at Risk for Depression?

This is a good research question about depression as certain risk factors may make a person more prone to developing this mental health condition, such as a family history of depression, adverse childhood experiences, stress , illness, and gender . This is not a complete list of all risk factors, however, it's a good place to start.

The growing rate of depression in children, teenagers, and young adults is an interesting subtopic you can focus on as well. Whether you dive into the reasons behind the increase in rates of depression or discuss the treatment options that are safe for young people, there is a lot of research available in this area and many unanswered questions to consider.

Depression Signs and Symptoms

The signs of depression are those outward manifestations of the illness that a doctor can observe when they examine a patient. For example, a lack of emotional responsiveness is a visible sign. On the other hand, symptoms are subjective things about the illness that only the patient can observe, such as feelings of guilt or sadness.

An illness such as depression is often invisible to the outside observer. That is why it is very important for patients to make an accurate accounting of all of their symptoms so their doctor can diagnose them properly. In your depression research paper, you may explore these "invisible" symptoms of depression in adults or explore how depression symptoms can be different in children .

How Is Depression Diagnosed?

This is another good depression research topic because, in some ways, the diagnosis of depression is more of an art than a science. Doctors must generally rely upon the patient's set of symptoms and what they can observe about them during their examination to make a diagnosis.

While there are certain laboratory tests that can be performed to rule out other medical illnesses as a cause of depression, there is not yet a definitive test for depression itself.

If you'd like to pursue this topic, you may want to start with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The fifth edition, known as DSM-5, offers a very detailed explanation that guides doctors to a diagnosis. You can also compare the current model of diagnosing depression to historical methods of diagnosis—how have these updates improved the way depression is treated?

Treatment Options for Depression

The first choice for depression treatment is generally an antidepressant medication. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most popular choice because they can be quite effective and tend to have fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants.

Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is another effective and common choice. It is especially efficacious when combined with antidepressant therapy. Certain other treatments, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), are most commonly used for patients who do not respond to more common forms of treatment.

Focusing on one of these treatments is an option for your depression research paper. Comparing and contrasting several different types of treatment can also make a good research title about depression.

A Word From Verywell

The topic of depression really can take you down many different roads. When making your final decision on which to pursue in your depression research paper, it's often helpful to start by listing a few areas that pique your interest.

From there, consider doing a little preliminary research. You may come across something that grabs your attention like a new study, a controversial topic you didn't know about, or something that hits a personal note. This will help you narrow your focus, giving you your final research title about depression.

Remes O, Mendes JF, Templeton P. Biological, psychological, and social determinants of depression: A review of recent literature . Brain Sci . 2021;11(12):1633. doi:10.3390/brainsci11121633

National Institute of Mental Health. Depression .

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition . American Psychiatric Association.

National Institute of Mental Health. Mental health medications .

Ferri, F. F. (2019). Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2020 E-Book: 5 Books in 1 . Netherlands: Elsevier Health Sciences.

By Nancy Schimelpfening Nancy Schimelpfening, MS is the administrator for the non-profit depression support group Depression Sanctuary. Nancy has a lifetime of experience with depression, experiencing firsthand how devastating this illness can be.

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Stanford University School of Medicine blog

Taking Depression Seriously: What is it?

Depression is a disease that affects people from all backgrounds, at all stages of life. For Rebecca C., a 55-year-old, former salon owner and single mother, her most recent experience with depression was triggered by an ineffective operation that left her in so much abdominal and pelvic pain that she was unable to work.

This resulted in a difficult financial situation that almost caused her to lose her home. During this time, some mornings she could not bring herself to get out of bed. She lost interest in things that used to bring her joy, like cooking, baking and shopping. She had trouble sleeping and even experienced suicidal thoughts.

Her physician prescribed antidepressants, but she did not always take them regularly due to side effects that included weight gain and itchiness. After several months, Ms. C started to feel better, but some mild symptoms persisted. While her experiences are unique, Ms. C's primary symptoms and the trajectory of her depression are somewhat typical.

Worldwide, depression affects more than 300 million people , yet fewer than half receive adequate treatment. Barriers to effective care include lack of resources, social stigma, and societal and clinical inattention to mental health issues, including missed diagnosis. Through this blog series, I, along with Stanford professor and primary care physician Randall Stafford , MD, PhD, hope to provide greater insight into this often-misunderstood disease, starting with an overview of the disease itself.

Symptoms of depression are most concerning if they appear consistently for at least two weeks (multiple symptoms are common). They include:

Depressed mood
Marked loss of interest in daily activities
Significant weight loss or weight gain
Thinking and/or moving noticeably slower
Loss of energy
Persistent or excessive feelings of worthlessness or guilt
Diminished ability to think or concentrate
Suicidal thoughts

Like all other chronic diseases, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, depression is extremely complex and variable. Not only does it come in different forms, it presents in varying degrees of intensity and can overlap with other conditions.

Some people experience a reactive depression, generally in response to a personal loss or tragedy, like death of a loved one, losing a job, or in Ms. C.'s case, a difficult recovery from surgery. Others experience depression even when everything around them is going well.

Depression can be mild, but it can also leave an individual incapable of functioning and lead them to have suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Generally, depression is treated with a combination of medication and talk therapy. Depressive symptoms can also overlap with other conditions, including anxiety, bipolar disorder, addiction, personality disorder, and even dementia.

Like other chronic diseases, depression has a complex set of causes, which are not completely understood. Currently, there are two complementary models of how depression works.

The cognitive theory of depression suggests that depression results from negative thoughts generated by dysfunctional beliefs. The more negative thoughts an individual experiences, the more depressed that person becomes. These beliefs can shape and even distort how someone experiences the world. Individuals with depression tend to magnify the meaning of negative events and minimize positive events. These unconscious tendencies cause depression to begin and persist, but they can often be confronted and corrected using talk therapy.

A molecular model of depression suggests that depression's underlying cause is an imbalance of chemical neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin , norepinephrine , and dopamine . This imbalance may result, in part, from social or psychological cues. This model of depression has informed the development of our most effective antidepressant medications to date, however they are not universally effective.

There is a clear difference between a healthy brain and the brain of someone with depression, as the brain scans below illustrate.

Depression has no cure, but it is treatable through a combination of approaches, especially when it is recognized and properly diagnosed. Unfortunately, despite its immense impact on individuals and families, depression is often not taken seriously enough.

This is first in a series of blog posts, Taking Depression Seriously , that aims to help patients and family members better understand depression as a chronic disease and more successfully navigate the health care system. The next blog will focus on barriers to mental health care and how to overcome them. The patient's name has been changed to maintain privacy.

Sophia Xiao is a master's degree student in Community Health and Prevention Research (CHPR) at Stanford who studies barriers to health care and the role of public health education in improving access to care. Stanford professor and primary care physician Randall Stafford , MD, PhD, studies strategies to improve chronic disease treatment, including increasing the role of patients in their health care.

Photo by tadamichi

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Depression and Its Causes in the Modern Society Essay

Various people have different opinions when it comes to analyzing the quality of life in the 21 st century. According to popular opinions, modern life is an easy affair that has a ton of conveniences for 21 st century human beings. Modern people are able to cure most diseases and lead easier lives as compared to those individuals who lived in the past. Consequently, it is expected that the people who live in the modern times would have high levels of happiness.

However, the list of the leading problems for the 21 st century humanity includes global warming, conflict, cancer, and depression. The inclusion of depression in this list negates the possibility of the 21 st century man being the ‘happiest among them all’. Depression has become a pandemic in the modern times. In addition, depression is currently responsible for increased drug abuse, conflict, and suicide rates. Therefore, it is important to examine what has contributed to the high instances of depression in modern times.

Studies indicate that women are at a higher risk of developing depression than men are. For instance, statistics indicate that while about twenty-five percent of American women suffer from depression, only about twelve percent of men suffer from similar predicaments (Galambos, Leadbeater and Barker 16). The higher instances of depression among women can be explained using a number of reasons including the lifestyle of the modern woman and her role in the society. The modern woman is a career woman, a caregiver, a mother, a businesswoman, a wife, a housekeeper, and a political leader among others.

In the past, the role of a woman was restricted to domestic chores and procreation. The increased pressures that have been piled upon the modern woman might explain why depression is more prevalent among women. The increased dimensions of pressure among the modern women might also help to explain why the rest of the population is depressed. The modern life presents individuals with endless possibilities and this piles pressure on the people who are forced to make tough decisions about their lives. Moreover, modern women have to deal with other external pressures such as marital strain, hormonal changes, and hereditary deficiencies.

Another cause of depression in the modern society involves low self-esteem. In the modern society wealth, career success, and political power are often flaunted for all to see. There are displays of wealth in the media and all other possible avenues. The blatant displays of success and good fortune are likely to become a constant bother to individuals with low self-esteem.

In addition, the modern society is more materialistic than most of the others that existed in the past. For instance, a good number of depression cases involve individuals losing their jobs, houses, and companies (Brown and Harris 45). In the past, there were other social descriptors that were strong enough to rival wealth. People who do not believe that they are good enough to find their own success can easily fall into depression cycles.

The social fabric of the modern society has deteriorated and this has made personal struggles difficult to handle. In the past, the social fabric was intact and problems were handled in a more communal manner than they are dealt with today. Today, people find themselves deserted when they are dealing with difficult life events such as childhood traumas, divorces, and bereavement.

Lack of social and moral support whenever people are dealing with personal issues is a common cause of depression. In addition, there are various genetic predispositions that increase instances of depression among individuals. However, individuals who are predisposed to depression can avoid suffering from this condition by investing in social capital.

There is a complicated relationship between alcohol and substance abuse on one hand, and depression on the other. It is difficult to establish if alcohol is the source of depression or vice versa. For instance, people who take up social drinking might end up depressed while sufferers of depression are likely to turn to drugs and alcohol for comfort.

Nevertheless, alcohol is a known cause of depression especially in cases that involve genetic predispositions. On the other hand, people who seek to lessen their burdens by turning to alcohol and other drugs often end up with chronic cases of depression. Experts have described alcohol as “a depressant which increases a person’s chances of developing depression” (Klein and Wender 18).

There are various causes of depression in the modern society. However, the general consensus is that depression is easily aggravated by a combination of factors. Women are at a higher risk of suffering from depression than men. The modern society’s promotion of displays of affluence is also another factor that is likely to cause depression among individuals with low self-esteem.

The institution of the modern society also discourages individuals from sharing their problems with other members of their societies. The lack of social dependence among individuals is a known cause of depression in the modern society. Alcohol is another known cause of depression in the modern society. The future society will continue to deal with various scopes of depression. Meanwhile, it is up to the current society to institute measures to curb runaway depression.

Works Cited

Brown, George, and Tirril Harris. Social origins of depression , New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Galambos, Nancy, Bonnie Leadbeater, and Erin Barker. “Gender differences in and risk

factors for depression in adolescence: A 4-year longitudinal study.” International Journal of Behavioral Development 28.1 (2008): 16-25. Print.

Klein, Donald F., and Paul H. Wender. Understanding depression: A complete guide to

its diagnosis and treatment , Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.

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about Depression - Free Essay Samples And Topic Ideas

Depression, a common mental health disorder, can severely impact an individual’s quality of life. Essays on depression could delve into its symptoms, causes, and various treatment approaches including psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle modifications. Furthermore, discussions might extend to the societal stigma surrounding depression, the importance of mental health awareness, and the socio-economic impact of depression on individuals and communities. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Depression you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

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Why talking about depression is important

daughter concerned about father with depression

Let’s face it, talking about what bothers us isn’t always easy. Especially, if a person is dealing with depression.

So when celebrities like actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson open up about battling depression, it can have an impact on the public, and maybe get us talking about mental health.

“Many people in our society look up to celebrities and some model their behaviour after them,” says Dr. Mark Sinyor , a psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “When a celebrity says that they have struggled with depression, anxiety or another mental disorder, it sends several important messages: This is ok to talk about; You can struggle and still have a meaningful and successful life; Mental distress can be overcome.”

In a tweet, The Rock shared this sentiment: “Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it all in. You’re not alone.”

Dr. Sinyor notes, as a group, men are less likely to share their struggles with mental disorders and to seek help for these conditions. “The likely explanation has to do with male gender roles and the socialization of males to avoid vulnerability or perceived weakness.”

Dr. Sinyor adds that having someone like The Rock open up about his struggles can help open people’s minds. “Dwayne Johnson’s persona has always been that of an ’alpha male’. Having someone like him share his story of depression signals to others, especially men, that it’s ok for them to do so, too.”

That said, Dr. Sinyor emphasizes the importance of resisting blanket generalizations. It is not always the case that men bottle up their emotions. “There are some men who find it easy to open up and some women who don’t.”

While it is important for men to talk about mental health , he says it’s key for women too. “Women have nearly twice the risk of experiencing depression and anxiety disorders in their lifetimes as men.”

Why it’s hard to open up

Talking about our emotions can be difficult.

“Humans are still social animals and advertising our problems, especially ones that have historically been misunderstood, runs counter to our biology and social conditioning,” says Dr. Sinyor.

“We’re programmed to project strength to those around us. That said, we’ve come a long way. Decades ago we had the same issue with cancer. People were frightened or embarrassed to talk about it, but now it’s become easier to share that diagnosis.”

Why reaching out is important

“Talking about depression and emotions is essential. The most important reason is that these things are real,” says Dr. Sinyor.

“We all have ups and downs. For some people, the downs can be so deep that they have a disorder. There are very few situations in life where denial and avoidance get us very far. If we can be open and honest about how we feel individually and at a societal level, it gives us the best opportunity to find paths to resilience and ultimately, that’s what we’re all after.”

Getting help for depression

No matter who you are, it’s important to seek help. “We have excellent treatments for most mental disorders,” says Dr. Sinyor. “If you are depressed, changes to lifestyle, diet, exercise as well as talk therapy can be life changing. In more severe cases, so can medication. The message we want to send as mental healthcare practitioners is that there is hope. You can get better. You can have a good life.”

Some of the symptoms of depression include:

persistent feelings of sadness and/or crying spells
lack of pleasure in life
withdrawal from favourite activities
thoughts of death and suicide

Click here to learn more about depression and the many resources available for people needing support.

About the author

Jennifer Palisoc

Jennifer Palisoc is a Communications Advisor at Sunnybrook.

Have a question about this post? Get in touch .

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Why American Teens Are So Sad

Four forces are propelling the rising rates of depression among young people.

A drawing of a teenager walking beneath a rain cloud.

The United States is experiencing an extreme teenage mental-health crisis. From 2009 to 2021, the share of American high-school students who say they feel “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” rose from 26 percent to 44 percent, according to a new CDC study. This is the highest level of teenage sadness ever recorded.

The government survey of almost 8,000 high-school students, which was conducted in the first six months of 2021, found a great deal of variation in mental health among different groups. More than one in four girls reported that they had seriously contemplated attempting suicide during the pandemic, which was twice the rate of boys. Nearly half of LGBTQ teens said they had contemplated suicide during the pandemic, compared with 14 percent of their heterosexual peers. Sadness among white teens seems to be rising faster than among other groups.

A graph demonstrating rising levels of sadness and hopelessness among high school students

But the big picture is the same across all categories: Almost every measure of mental health is getting worse, for every teenage demographic, and it’s happening all across the country. Since 2009, sadness and hopelessness have increased for every race; for straight teens and gay teens; for teens who say they’ve never had sex and for those who say they’ve had sex with males and/or females; for students in each year of high school; and for teens in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

So why is this happening?

I want to propose several answers to that question, along with one meta-explanation that ties them together. But before I start with that, I want to squash a few tempting fallacies.

The first fallacy is that we can chalk this all up to teens behaving badly. In fact, lots of self-reported teen behaviors are moving in a positive direction . Since the 1990s, drinking-and-driving is down almost 50 percent. School fights are down 50 percent. Sex before 13 is down more than 70 percent. School bullying is down. And LGBTQ acceptance is up.

The second fallacy is that teens have always been moody, and sadness looks like it is rising only because people are more willing to talk about it. Objective measures of anxiety and depression— such as eating disorders , self-harming behavior, and teen suicides —are sharply up over the past decade. “Across the country we have witnessed dramatic increases in Emergency Department visits for all mental health emergencies including suspected suicide attempts,” the American Academy of Pediatrics said in October. Today’s teenagers are more comfortable talking about mental health, but rising youth sadness is no illusion.

The third fallacy is that today’s mental-health crisis was principally caused by the pandemic and an overreaction to COVID. “Rising teenage sadness isn’t a new trend, but rather the acceleration and broadening of a trend that clearly started before the pandemic,” Laurence Steinberg, a psychologist at Temple University, told me. But he added: “We shouldn’t ignore the pandemic, either. The fact that COVID seems to have made teen mental health worse offers clues about what’s really driving the rise in sadness.”

Here are four forces propelling that increase.

1. Social-media use

Five years ago, the psychologist Jean Twenge wrote an influential and controversial feature in The Atlantic titled “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” based on her book iGen . Around 2012, Twenge wrote, she had noticed that teen sadness and anxiety began to steadily rise in the U.S. and other rich developed countries. She looked for explanations and realized that 2012 was precisely when the share of Americans who owned a smartphone surpassed 50 percent and mobile social-media use spiked.

In the past few years, scientists have disputed the idea that social-media use itself makes teenagers miserable. “There’s been absolutely hundreds of [social-media and mental-health] studies, almost all showing pretty small effects,” Jeff Hancock, a behavioral psychologist at Stanford University who has conducted a meta-analysis of 226 such studies, told The New York Times recently.

But I think Twenge’s strongest point is misunderstood. Social media isn’t like rat poison, which is toxic to almost everyone. It’s more like alcohol : a mildly addictive substance that can enhance social situations but can also lead to dependency and depression among a minority of users.

This is very close to the conclusion reached by none other than Instagram. The company’s internal research from 2020 found that, while most users had a positive relationship with the app, one-third of teen girls said “Instagram made them feel worse,” even though these girls “feel unable to stop themselves” from logging on. And if you don’t believe a company owned by Facebook , believe a big new study from Cambridge University , in which researchers looked at 84,000 people of all ages and found that social media was strongly associated with worse mental health during certain sensitive life periods, including for girls ages 11 to 13.

Why would social media affect teenage mental health in this way? One explanation is that teenagers (and teenage girls in particular) are uniquely sensitive to the judgment of friends, teachers, and the digital crowd. As I’ve written , social media seems to hijack this keen peer sensitivity and drive obsessive thinking about body image and popularity. The problem isn’t just that social media fuels anxiety but also that—as we’ll see—it makes it harder for today’s young people to cope with the pressures of growing up.

2. Sociality is down

Both Steinberg and Twenge stress that the biggest problem with social media might be not social media itself, but rather the activities that it replaces.

“I tell parents all the time that if Instagram is merely displacing TV, I’m not concerned about it,” Steinberg told me. But today’s teens spend more than five hours daily on social media, and that habit seems to be displacing quite a lot of beneficial activity. The share of high-school students who got eight or more hours of sleep declined 30 percent from 2007 to 2019. Compared with their counterparts in the 2000s, today’s teens are less likely to go out with their friends , get their driver’s license , or play youth sports .

The pandemic and the closure of schools likely exacerbated teen loneliness and sadness. A 2020 survey from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education found that loneliness spiked in the first year of the pandemic for everyone, but it rose most significantly for young people. “It’s well established that what protects teens from stress is close social relationships,” Steinberg said. “When kids can’t go to school to see their friends and peers and mentors, that social isolation could lead to sadness and depression, particularly for those predisposed to feeling sad or depressed.”

This is important to say clearly: Aloneness isn’t the same as loneliness, and loneliness isn’t the same as depression. But more aloneness (including from heavy smartphone use) and more loneliness (including from school closures) might have combined to push up sadness among teenagers who need sociality to protect them from the pressures of a stressful world.

3. The world is stressful—and there is more news about the world’s stressors

Lisa Damour, a clinical psychologist and author, told me that no single factor can account for the rise of teenage sadness. But she believes a part of the answer is that the world has become more stressful. Or, at least, teenagers’ perception of the world seems to be causing them more stress.

“In the last decade teenagers have become increasingly stressed by concerns about gun violence, climate change, and the political environment ,” she wrote in an email. “Increased stress among young people is linked to increasing levels of sadness. Girls, more than boys, are socialized to internalize distress, meaning that they tend to collapse in on themselves by becoming depressed or anxious.”

Fears about finances, climate change, and viral pandemics are smashing into local concerns about social approval and setting oneself up for success. “I think of it as a pile-on effect,” Steinberg said. “We’re coming out of the pandemic, and then suddenly Russia goes to war. Every day, it feels like there’s something else. It creates a very gloomy narrative about the world.”

This sense of doom doesn’t just come from teenagers. It comes from us , the news media, and from the social-media channels through which our work is distributed. News sources have never been more abundant, or more accessible. But journalism also has a famous bad-news bias, which flows from an unfortunate but accurate understanding that negativity generally gets more attention . When we plug our brain into a news feed, we are usually choosing to deluge ourselves with negative representations of reality. A well-known 2019 experiment randomly forced people to stop using Facebook for four weeks before a midterm election. The study found that those who logged off spent more time hanging out with family and friends, consistent with the idea that social-media use displaces pro-social behaviors. It also found that deactivating Facebook “reduced factual news knowledge” while “increasing subjective well-being.” We cannot rule out the possibility that teens are sad about the world, not only because the world contains sadness, but also because young people have 24/7 access to sites that are constantly telling them they should be depressed about it.

4. Modern parenting strategies

In the past 40 years, American parents—especially those with a college degree— have nearly doubled the amount of time they spend coaching, chauffeuring, tutoring, and otherwise helping their teenage children. The economist Valerie Ramey has labeled this the “ rug rat race .” High-income parents in particular are spending much more time preparing their kids for a competitive college admissions process. When I interviewed Ramey about her work in 2019, she told me that she “couldn’t believe the amount of pressure our friends were putting on their kids to get ready for college.”

The “rug rat race” is an upper-class phenomenon that can’t explain a generalized increase in teenage sadness. But it could well explain part of what’s going on. And in the 2020 Atlantic feature “What Happened to American Childhood?,” Kate Julian described a related phenomenon that affects families a bit more broadly: Anxious parents, in seeking to insulate their children from risk and danger, are unintentionally transferring their anxiety to their kids.

I want to pull out two points from Julian’s complex essay. First, children are growing up slower than they used to. Today’s children are less likely to drive, get a summer job, or be asked to do chores. The problem isn’t that kids are lazy (homework time has risen), or that scrubbing dishes magically dispels anxiety disorders. Rather, Julian wrote, these activities “provide children with two very important things”: tolerating discomfort and having a sense of personal competence.

Second, researchers have noted a broad increase in an “accommodative” parenting style. If a girl is afraid of dogs, an “accommodation” would be keeping her away from every friend’s house with a dog, or if a boy won’t eat vegetables, feeding him nothing but turkey loaf for four years ( an actual story from the article ). These behaviors come from love. But part of growing up is learning how to release negative emotions in the face of inevitable stress. If kids never figure out how to do that, they’re more likely to experience severe anxiety as teenagers.

Julian highlighted a new treatment out of Yale University’s Child Study Center called SPACE, or Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. Put simply, SPACE forces parents to be less accommodating. If the girl is afraid of dogs, encourage her to play with young puppies. If the boy hates vegetables, caramelize the hell out of some broccoli. This sort of advice is infinitely easier to type than to put into practice. But folding a bit of exposure therapy into modern parenting and childhood might help teenagers grapple with a complex and stressful world.

O ther explanations don’t fit neatly into the above categories. Maybe drugs are a big factor: One study found that a sixth of the increase in teen suicides was associated with parental opioid addiction. Maybe the authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt are right that college campuses and internet culture have come to celebrate fragility. Maybe political polarization is fueling anxiety, not only by creating mutual hatred but also by encouraging people to reject opposing views, which over time reduces their capacity to handle cognitive dissonance in a confusing world.

The truth is I’m not satisfied by any of the above explanations, on their own. But I see no reason to keep them alone. They interact, amplify, and compound. And together they paint a powerful picture.

The world is overwhelming, and an inescapably negative news cycle creates an atmosphere of existential gloom, not just for teens but also for their moms and dads. The more overwhelming the world feels to parents, the more they may try to bubble-wrap their kids with accommodations. Over time, this protective parenting style deprives children of the emotional resilience they need to handle the world’s stresses. Childhood becomes more insular: Time spent with friends, driving, dating, and working summer jobs all decline. College pressures skyrocket. Outwardly, teens are growing up slower; but online, they’re growing up faster. The internet exposes teenagers not only to supportive friendships but also to bullying, threats, despairing conversations about mental health, and a slurry of unsolvable global problems—a carnival of negativity. Social media places in every teen’s pocket a quantified battle royal for scarce popularity that can displace hours of sleep and makes many teens, especially girls, feel worse about their body and life. Amplify these existing trends with a global pandemic and an unprecedented period of social isolation, and suddenly, the remarkable rise of teenage sadness doesn’t feel all that mysterious, does it?

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Essay On Depression: Causes, Symptoms And Effects

Our life is full of emotional ups and downs, but when the time of down lasts too long or influences our ability to function, in this case, probably, you suffer from common serious illness, which is called depression. Clinical depression affects your mood, thinking process, your body and behaviour. According to the researches, in the United States about 19 million people, i.e. one in ten adults, annually suffer from depression, and about 2/3 of them do not get necessary help. An appropriate treatment can alleviate symptoms of depression in more than 80% of such cases. However, since depression is usually not recognized, it continues to cause unnecessary suffering.

Depression is a disease that dominates you and weakens your body, it influences men as well as women, but women experience depression about two times more often than men.

Since this issue is very urgent nowadays, we decided to write this cause and effect essay on depression to attract the public attention one more time to this problem. I hope it will be informative and instructive for you. If you are interested in reading essays on similar or any other topic, you should visit our website . There you will find not only various essays, but also you can get help in essay writing . All you need is to contact our team, and everything else we will do for you.

Depression is a strong psychological disorder, from which usually suffers not only a patients, but also his / hers family, relatives, friends etc.

General information

More often depression develops on the basis of stress or prolonged traumatic situation. Frequently depressive disorders hide under the guise of a bad mood or temper features. In order to prevent severe consequences it is important to figure out how and why depression begins.

Symptoms and causes of depression

As a rule, depression develops slowly and insensibly for a person and for his close ones. At the initial stage most of people are not aware about their illness, because they think that many symptoms are just the features of their personality. Experiencing inner discomfort, which can be difficult to express in words, people do not ask for professional help, as a rule. They usually go to doctor at the moment, when the disease is already firmly holds the patient causing unbearable suffering.

Risk factors for depression:

being female;
the presence of depression in family anamnesis;
early depression in anamnesis;
early loss of parents;
the experience of violence in anamnesis;
personal features;
stressors (parting, guilt);
alcohol / drug addiction;
neurological diseases (Parkinson's disease, apoplexy).

Signs of depression

Depression influences negatively all the aspects of human life. Inadequate psychological defense mechanisms, in their turn, affect destructively not only psychological, but also biological processes.

The first signs of depression are apathy, not depending on the circumstances, indifference to everything what is going on, weakening of motor activity; these are the main clinical symptoms of depression . If their combination is observed for more than two weeks, urgent professional help is required.

Psychological symptoms:

depressed mood, unhappiness;
loss of interest, reduced motivation, loss of energy;
self-doubt, guilt, inner emptiness;
decrease in speed of thinking, inability to make decisions;
anxiety, fear and pessimism about the future;
daily fluctuations;
possible delirium;
suicidal thoughts.

Somatic symptoms:

vital disorders;
disturbed sleep (early waking, oversleeping);
eating disorders;
constipation;
feeling of tightness of the skull, dizziness, feeling of compression;
vegetative symptoms.

Causes of depression

It is accepted to think in modern psychiatry that the development of depression, as well as most of other mental disorders, requires the combined effect of three factors: psychological, biological and social.

Psychological factor (“Personality structure”)

There are three types of personality especially prone to depression:

1) “Statothymic personality” that is characterized by exaggerated conscientiousness, diligence, accuracy;

2) Melancholic personality type with its desire for order, constancy, pedantry, exessive demands on itself;

3) Hyperthymic type of personality that is characterized by self-doubt, frequent worries, with obviously low self-esteem.

People, whose organism biologically tends to depression development, due to education and other social environmental factors form such personality features, which in adverse social situations, especially while chronic stress, cause failure of psychological adaptation mechanisms, skills to deal with stress or lack of coping strategies.

Such people are characterized by:

lack of confidence in their own abilities;
excessive secrecy and isolation;
excessive self-critical attitude towards yourself;
waiting for the support of the close ones;
developed pessimism;
inability to resist stress situations;
emotional expressiveness.

Biological factor:

the presence of unfavorable heredity;
somatic and neurological head injury that violated brain activity;
changes in the hormonal system;
chronobiological factors: seasonal depressive disorders, daily fluctuations, shortening of REM sleep;
side effects of some medications.
Heredity and family tendency to depression play significant role in predisposition to this disease. It is noticed that relatives of those who suffer from depression usually have different psychosomatic disorders.

Social factor:

the presence of frequent stress situations, chronic stress;
adverse family relationships;
adverse childhood experience, the absence of tenderness from parents, ill-treatment and sexual harassment, interpersonal loss, severe methods of education, negative childhood memories;
urbanization;
significant changes in the life;
population migration;
increased lifetime.

People in a state of chronic stress suffer from depression more often. If some acute stress situation happens during the period of chronic stress, the probability of depression symptoms development increases.

If you decide to fight the depression, remember that you are not alone! Every fifth person in the world at least once in the life experienced depression. If you notice the signs of depression that disturb you for more than two weeks, you should go to the specialist.

Do not delay visit, in this case time does not heal. The professionalism of the doctors and a complex program of treatment will help to get rid of any kind of depression.

Where to go for help

If you do not where to go for help, ask your family physician, obstetrician, gynecologist or the clinic. In an emergency situation, the emergency doctor can provide temporary help for patients with emotional problems and give them an advice where and how they can ask for the further help.

Here is the list of people and organizations that can diagnose and suggest a course of treatment, or can give a direction to the examination and treatment.

Family doctors.
Such specialists as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and consultants on mental health.
Health maintenance organizations.
Local centers for the treatment of mental illness.
The Department of Psychiatry in hospitals and outpatient clinics.
Programs at universities and medical schools.
Family assistance services and social services departments.
Private clinics and institutions.
Care centers in the workplace.
Local health and (or) mental health communities.

It is very important in depressive episode treatment to understand that this is depression of a certain person, do not make attempts to excessive generalization of symptoms and factors of disease development. It requires personal approach to each patient.

So, as you can see, depression is a serious disease that requires professional treatment. If you manage to recognize the signs of depression at its early stage and ask for professional help, you can successfully overcome this problem. I hope this essay about depression was useful for you, and you got what you were looking for.

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We’ve Got Depression All Wrong. It’s Trying to Save Us.

New theories recognize depression as part of a biological survival strategy..

Updated May 16, 2024 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

What Is Depression?
Find counselling to overcome depression
Common wisdom says depression starts in the mind with distorted thinking, leading to "psychosomatic" symptoms.
Some researchers see depression as an immobilization response a biological defense against stress.
When stuck in an immobilization response indefinitely, the body and brain develop symptoms known as depression

For generations, we have seen depression as an illness, an unnecessary deviation from normal functioning. It’s an idea that makes sense because depression causes suffering and even death. But what if we’ve got it all wrong? What if depression is not an aberration at all, but an important part of our biological defense system?

More and more researchers across specialties are questioning our current definitions of depression. Biological anthropologists have argued that depression is an adaptive response to adversity and not a mental disorder. In October, the British Psychological Society published a new report on depression, stating that “depression is best thought of as an experience, or set of experiences, rather than as a disease.” And neuroscientists are focusing on the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in depression. According to the Polyvagal Theory of the ANS, depression is part of a biological defense strategy meant to help us survive.

The common wisdom is that depression starts in the mind with distorted thinking. That leads to "psychosomatic" symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, or fatigue. Now, models like the Polyvagal Theory suggest that we’ve got it backward. It’s the body that detects danger and initiates a defense strategy meant to help us survive. That biological strategy is called immobilization, and it manifests in the mind and the body with a set of symptoms we call depression.

When we think of depression as irrational and unnecessary suffering, we stigmatize people and rob them of hope. But when we begin to understand that depression, at least initially, happens for a good reason we lift the shame . People with depression are courageous survivors, not damaged invalids.

Laura believes that depression saved her life. Most of the time her father only hurt her with words, but it was when she stood up to him that Laura’s dad got dangerous. That’s when he’d get that vicious look in his eyes. More than once his violence had put Laura’s life at risk.

Laura’s father was so perceptive, that he could tell when she felt rebellious on the inside even when she was hiding it. And he punished her for those feelings.

It was the depression that helped Laura survive. Depression kept her head down, kept her from resisting, helped her accept the unacceptable. Depression numbed her rebellious feelings. Laura grew up at a time where there was no one to tell, nowhere for her to get help outside her home. Her only strategy was to survive in place. And she did.

Looking back, Laura does not regret her childhood depression. She values it. Going through her own healing process and working with her therapist helped her see how depression served her.

Laura’s story is stark. It’s ugly. And it helps us understand that even though depression may happen for a good reason, that does not make it a good thing. Laura suffered deeply and describes the pain of her hopelessness vividly. Her depression was a bad experience that started as the last resort of a good biological system.

Depression Starts With Immobilization

According to the Polyvagal Theory, discovered and articulated by neuroscientist Stephen Porges, our daily experience is based on a hierarchy of states in the autonomic nervous system. When the ANS feels safe, we experience a sense of well-being and social connection. That’s when we feel like ourselves.

But the autonomic nervous system is also constantly scanning our internal and external environment for signs of danger. If our ANS detects a threat or even a simple lack of safety, its next strategy is the fight or flight response, which we often feel as anxiety .

Sometimes the threat is so bad or goes on for so long, that the nervous system decides there is no way to fight or to flee. At that point, there is only one option left: immobilization.

The immobilization response is the original biological defense in higher animals. This is the shutdown response we see in reptiles. Also known as the freeze or faint response, immobilization is mediated by the dorsal vagus nerve . It turns down the metabolism to a resting state, which often makes people feel faint or sluggish.

Immobilization has an important role. It dulls pain and makes us feel disconnected. Think of a rabbit hanging limply in the fox’s mouth: that rabbit is shutting down so it won’t suffer too badly when the fox eats it. And the immobilization response also has a metabolic effect, slowing the metabolism and switching the body to ketosis . Some doctors speculate that this metabolic state could help to heal severe illness.

In humans, people often describe feeling "out of their bodies" during traumatic events, which has a defensive effect of cushioning the emotional shock. This is important because some things are so terrible, we don’t want people to be fully present when they happen.

So the immobilization response is a key part of the biological defense, but it is ideally designed to be short-term. Either the metabolic shut down preserves the organism, i.e. the rabbit gets away, or the organism dies and the fox eats the rabbit.

But if the threat continues indefinitely and there is no way to fight or flee, the immobilization response continues. And since the response also changes brain activity, it impacts how people’s emotions and their ability to solve problems. People feel like they can’t get moving physically or mentally, they feel hopeless and helpless. That’s depression.

Does Depression Have Value?

It’s easy to see why Laura's childhood circumstances would set off the immobilization response, and even how it might have helped her survive. But why does it happen in people with less obvious adversity? Our culture tends to think of depression in the person who finds work too stressful as a sign of weakness. Self-help articles imply that they just need more mental toughness and they could lean in and solve it. Even some therapists tell them that their depression is a distorted perception of circumstances that aren’t so bad.

But that is not how the body sees it. The defense responses in the autonomic nervous system, whether fight/flight or immobilization are not about the actual nature of the trigger. They are about whether this body decides there is a threat. And that happens at a pre-conscious point. The biological threat response starts before we think about it, and then our higher-level brain makes up a story to explain it. We don’t get to choose this response; it happens before we even know it.

Studying anxiety has revealed that many modern circumstances can set off the fight or flight response. For instance, low rumbling noises from construction equipment sound to the nervous system like the growl of a large predator. Better run. Feeling like they are being evaluated at school removes kids' sense of safety and triggers fight-or-flight. Better give the teacher attitude or avoid homework. And to most of us, fight-or=flight feels like anxiety.

Eventually, if these modern triggers last long enough, the body decides it can’t get away. Next comes immobilization which the body triggers to defend us. According to Porges, what we call depression is the cluster of emotional and cognitive symptoms that sits on top of a physiological platform in the immobilization response. It’s a strategy meant to help us survive; the body is trying to save us. Depression happens for a fundamentally good reason.

And that changes everything. When people who are depressed learn that they are not damaged, but have a good biological system that is trying to help them survive, they begin to see themselves differently. After all, depression is notorious for the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. But if depression is an active defense strategy, people may recognize they are not quite so helpless as they thought.

Shifting Out of Immobilization

If depression is the emotional expression of the immobilization response, then the solution is to move out of that state of defense. Porges believes it is not enough to simply remove the threat. Rather, the nervous system has to detect robust signals of safety to bring the social state back online. The best way to do that? Social connection.

One of the symptoms of depression is shame, a sense of having let other people down or being unworthy to be with them. When people are told that depression is an aberration, we are telling them that they are not part of the tribe. They are not right, they don’t belong. That’s when their shame deepens and they avoid social connection. We have cut them off from the path that leads them out of depression.

It is time that we start honoring the courage and strength of depressed people. It is time we start valuing the incredible capacity of our biology to find a way in hard times. And it is time that we stop pretending depressed people are any different than anyone else.

LinkedIn image: tommaso79/Shutterstock. Facebook image: Sam Wordley/Shutterstock.

Porges, Stephen. (Apr 2009) The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system. Cleve Clin J Med.

Porges, Stephen. (Feb 2007) The polyvagal perspective. Biol Psychology.

A pediatrician and writer, Dr. Escalante is on a mission to help parents out of the Shouldstorm that disconnects them from their kids. She is raising her own rambunctious boys.

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Home — Essay Samples — History — History of the United States — Great Depression

Essays on Great Depression

Great depression essay topic examples, argumentative essays.

Argumentative essays on the Great Depression require you to take a stance on a specific aspect of this historical event and provide evidence to support your viewpoint. Consider these topic examples:

1. Argue for the primary causes of the Great Depression, emphasizing the role of economic policies, banking practices, and global factors in triggering the crisis.
2. Debate the effectiveness of New Deal programs in alleviating the suffering of Americans during the Great Depression, discussing their long-term impact on the nation's economy and social fabric.

Example Introduction Paragraph for an Argumentative Great Depression Essay: The Great Depression remains a defining moment in American history, marked by economic turmoil and widespread suffering. In this argumentative essay, we will examine the primary causes of the Great Depression, focusing on economic policies, banking practices, and global factors that contributed to this devastating crisis.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for an Argumentative Great Depression Essay: In conclusion, the analysis of the Great Depression's causes underscores the complexity of this historical event. As we reflect on the lessons learned from this era, we are reminded of the importance of sound economic policies and vigilant oversight in preventing future economic crises.

Compare and Contrast Essays

Compare and contrast essays on the Great Depression involve analyzing the similarities and differences between various aspects of the era, such as its impact on different countries or the approaches taken to address the crisis. Consider these topics:

1. Compare and contrast the effects of the Great Depression on the United States and Germany, examining the economic, social, and political consequences in both nations.
2. Analyze and contrast the approaches taken by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and Adolf Hitler's economic policies in response to the Great Depression, exploring their divergent ideologies and outcomes.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Great Depression Essay: The Great Depression had a global impact, affecting nations differently and prompting diverse responses. In this compare and contrast essay, we will explore the effects of the Great Depression on the United States and Germany, examining the economic, social, and political consequences in both countries.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Great Depression Essay: In conclusion, the comparison and contrast of the Great Depression's effects on the United States and Germany reveal the profound and lasting consequences of economic crises. As we study these different experiences, we gain insights into the resilience of nations facing adversity.

Descriptive Essays

Descriptive essays on the Great Depression allow you to provide detailed accounts and analysis of specific aspects, events, or individuals during this period. Here are some topic ideas:

1. Describe the everyday life of a typical American family during the Great Depression, detailing their struggles, coping mechanisms, and aspirations for a better future.
2. Paint a vivid picture of a significant event from the Great Depression era, such as the Dust Bowl or a famous protest, discussing its impact on society and the lessons learned.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Descriptive Great Depression Essay: The Great Depression left an indelible mark on the lives of ordinary Americans, shaping their daily experiences and aspirations. In this descriptive essay, we will delve into the everyday life of a typical American family during this challenging period, exploring their struggles and hopes for a brighter future.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Descriptive Great Depression Essay: In conclusion, the descriptive exploration of a typical American family's life during the Great Depression reminds us of the resilience and determination of individuals in the face of adversity. As we reflect on their experiences, we are inspired by their unwavering spirit.

Persuasive Essays

Persuasive essays on the Great Depression involve advocating for specific actions, policies, or changes related to economic recovery, social welfare, or preventing future economic crises. Consider these persuasive topics:

1. Persuade your audience of the importance of implementing social safety net programs to prevent another Great Depression-like economic catastrophe, highlighting the potential benefits and challenges of such initiatives.
2. Advocate for increased financial literacy education in schools as a means to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills to make informed financial decisions, potentially preventing future economic crises.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Persuasive Great Depression Essay: The lessons of the Great Depression continue to shape economic and social policies today. In this persuasive essay, I will make a compelling case for the implementation of social safety net programs aimed at preventing future economic catastrophes like the Great Depression, emphasizing the potential benefits and challenges of such initiatives.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Persuasive Great Depression Essay: In conclusion, the persuasive argument for social safety net programs underscores the importance of proactive measures to safeguard against economic crises. As we advocate for change, we contribute to a more resilient and equitable society.

Narrative Essays

Narrative essays on the Great Depression allow you to share personal stories, experiences, or observations related to this historical period, your family's history during the era, or the impact of the Great Depression on your community. Explore these narrative essay topics:

1. Narrate a family story or anecdote passed down through generations about how your family coped with the challenges of the Great Depression, highlighting the resilience and resourcefulness of your ancestors.
2. Share a personal narrative of how the Great Depression era shaped the values and principles of your community, discussing the lasting impact on your town or neighborhood.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Narrative Great Depression Essay: The Great Depression was not just a historical event; it was a period that defined the experiences and values of countless individuals and communities. In this narrative essay, I will share a family story that has been passed down through generations, illustrating how my family coped with the challenges of this era and the lasting impact on our values.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Narrative Great Depression Essay: In conclusion, the narrative of my family's experience during the Great Depression serves as a reminder of the resilience and resourcefulness that emerged during this challenging period. As we reflect on our history, we find inspiration in the strength of those who came before us.

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New Deal Programs During The Great Depression

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The Great Depression in The USA

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1929 - c. 1939

Europe, United States

Franklin D. Roosevelt: As the President of the United States from 1933 to 1945, Roosevelt implemented the New Deal, a series of economic and social programs aimed at alleviating the effects of the Great Depression. John Steinbeck: An influential American author, Steinbeck wrote novels such as "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939), which depicted the plight of migrant workers during the Great Depression. His work shed light on the social and economic injustices faced by many Americans during that time. Dorothea Lange: A renowned documentary photographer, Lange captured powerful images of individuals and families affected by the Great Depression. Her iconic photograph "Migrant Mother" became a symbol of the hardships faced by ordinary Americans. Eleanor Roosevelt: The wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt was a prominent advocate for social and economic reform. She played an active role in promoting the New Deal policies and was a strong voice for marginalized communities during the Great Depression.

The Great Depression, one of the most severe economic crises in history, occurred during the 1930s. It started in the United States with the stock market crash of 1929, often referred to as "Black Tuesday." This event led to a chain reaction of economic downturns worldwide, resulting in high unemployment rates, widespread poverty, and a significant decline in industrial production. The effects of the Great Depression were felt across various sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, and banking.

The Great Depression was preceded by a series of factors that set the stage for its occurrence. In the aftermath of World War I, the global economy experienced a period of instability and rapid growth known as the Roaring Twenties. However, beneath the surface of apparent prosperity, there were underlying vulnerabilities. One of the key factors contributing to the Great Depression was the rampant speculation in the stock market, fueled by easy credit and speculative investments. This speculative bubble eventually burst in October 1929, triggering the stock market crash and initiating a chain reaction of economic collapse. Additionally, international economic imbalances played a role in exacerbating the crisis. Protectionist trade policies, war reparations, and a decline in global trade contributed to a decline in industrial production and widespread unemployment. The collapse of the banking system further deepened the crisis, as bank failures wiped out people's savings and caused a severe liquidity crisis.

Stock Market Crash: On October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday, the stock market experienced a catastrophic crash, signaling the start of the Great Depression. This event led to a massive loss of wealth and investor confidence. Dust Bowl: In the early 1930s, severe drought and poor farming practices led to the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains region of the United States. Dust storms ravaged the land, causing agricultural devastation and mass migration of farmers to seek better opportunities elsewhere. New Deal: In response to the crisis, President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented the New Deal, a series of programs and reforms aimed at providing relief, recovery, and reform. This included measures such as the creation of jobs, financial regulations, and social welfare initiatives.

Economic Collapse: The Great Depression plunged the global economy into a severe downturn. Industries faced widespread bankruptcies, trade declined, and unemployment soared. Poverty levels skyrocketed, leaving many families without basic necessities. Social Unrest: The economic hardship led to increased social unrest. Breadlines, shantytowns, and soup kitchens became common sights as people struggled to survive. Homelessness and hunger became prevalent, straining social structures. Global Impact: The Great Depression had a global reach, affecting countries around the world. International trade declined, leading to a sharp decline in exports and imports. This interconnectedness contributed to a worldwide economic slowdown. Political Shifts: The economic crisis paved the way for significant political shifts. Governments faced pressure to address the crisis, resulting in the rise of interventionist policies and increased government involvement in the economy. This gave birth to the concept of the welfare state. Cultural and Artistic Expression: The Great Depression influenced art, literature, and music, reflecting the hardships and struggles of the era. Artists and writers depicted the human suffering and the search for hope amid despair.

Literature: John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939) is a powerful depiction of the Great Depression's impact on migrant workers in the United States. It follows the Joad family as they face poverty, displacement, and exploitation while searching for a better life. The book explores themes of resilience, social injustice, and the human spirit in the face of adversity. Photography: The Farm Security Administration (FSA) hired photographers, including Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans, to document the effects of the Great Depression. Their iconic photographs, such as Lange's "Migrant Mother," captured the hardships faced by rural communities, evoking empathy and raising awareness about the human toll of the economic crisis. Films: Movies like "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940) and "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) depicted the struggles and resilience of individuals and communities during the Great Depression. These films offered social commentary, showcased the impact of economic hardship, and explored themes of hope, perseverance, and the importance of human connections. Music: Artists like Woody Guthrie composed folk songs that reflected the experiences of those affected by the Great Depression. Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and "Dust Bowl Blues" expressed the struggles of the working class and the desire for a more equitable society. Art: Painters such as Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton created works that captured the hardships and rural landscapes of the Great Depression. Wood's painting "American Gothic" became an iconic representation of the era, symbolizing the resilience and determination of the American people.

1. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States dropped by approximately 30% during the Great Depression. 2. Between 1929 and 1932, over 9,000 banks in the United States failed, causing immense financial instability. 3. The poverty rate in the United States surged during the Great Depression. By 1933, around 15 million Americans, representing approximately 30% of the population at that time, were living below the poverty line.

The topic of the Great Depression holds significant importance as it marks a critical period in global history that profoundly impacted economies, societies, and individuals worldwide. Exploring this topic in an essay provides valuable insights into the causes, consequences, and responses to one of the most severe economic downturns in modern times. Understanding the Great Depression is essential to grasp the complexities of economic cycles, financial systems, and government policies. It allows us to reflect on the vulnerabilities of economies and the potential ramifications of economic crises. Moreover, studying the Great Depression enables us to analyze the various social, political, and cultural transformations that took place during that era, including the rise of social welfare programs, labor movements, and governmental interventions. By delving into this topic, we gain valuable lessons about resilience, adaptability, and the role of leadership during challenging times. Exploring the experiences of individuals and communities during the Great Depression also helps us empathize with their struggles and appreciate the importance of collective efforts to overcome adversity.

1. Bernanke, B. S. (1983). Nonmonetary effects of the financial crisis in the propagation of the Great Depression. The American Economic Review, 73(3), 257-276. 2. Eichengreen, B. (1992). Golden fetters: The gold standard and the Great Depression, 1919-1939. Oxford University Press. 3. McElvaine, R. S. (1993). The Great Depression: America, 1929-1941. Times Books. 4. Rothbard, M. N. (2000). America's Great Depression. Ludwig von Mises Institute. 5. Badger, A. J. (2014). The Great Depression as a revolution. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 44(2), 156-174. 6. Temin, P. (2010). The Great Depression: Lessons for macroeconomic policy today. MIT Press. 7. Kennedy, D. M. (1999). Freedom from fear: The American people in depression and war, 1929-1945. Oxford University Press. 8. Leuchtenburg, W. E. (2015). The FDR years: On Roosevelt and his legacy. Columbia University Press. 9. Roth, B. (2017). The causes and consequences of the Great Depression. OpenStax. 10. Galbraith, J. K. (1997). The Great Crash, 1929. Houghton Mifflin.

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Teen Depression: Why Today’s Teens are More Depressed Than Ever

Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the US. It affects people of all ages, but it can be particularly difficult for teenagers.

In fact, teen depression rates are on the rise, and experts believe that this is because today’s teens are more stressed than ever before.

There are many different reasons why teens might experience depression, including family problems, academic pressure, and social media use. If you think your teen might be depressed, it is important to get help right away.

Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center is a unique, adolescent, substance use disorder and dual diagnosis treatment program providing every resident with a comprehensive and customised level of care.

Keep reading as we discuss teen depression symptoms and why experiential therapy can be a helpful treatment option.

How common is teen depression?

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, almost 3.2 million teens between the ages of 12 to 17 experienced at least one sizable depressive breakdown in 2017. This means that teen depression is actually pretty common, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

However, teen depression rates have been increasing in recent years. In fact, the number of teens who reported experiencing a depressive episode in 2017 was up from just under two million in 2005. So what’s causing this increase?

There are many possible explanations, but one of the most likely causes is stress. Today’s teens are facing more academic pressure than ever before, and they are also dealing with social media comparisons and other challenges that didn’t exist a few years ago.

What are teen depression symptoms?

It can be difficult to tell if a teen is depressed because many of the symptoms, such as fatigue and irritability, are also common during adolescence.

However, there are some teen depression symptoms that are more likely to occur than others. These include:

Withdrawing from friends and activities that were once enjoyed
Changes in eating or sleeping habits
Difficulty concentrating
Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness
Thoughts of death or suicide

If you notice any of these teen depression symptoms in your child, it is important to get help as soon as possible.

Causes of teen depression

Do you think that teen depression is only caused by stress? While stress may be a trigger for some teens, there are actually many different causes of teen depression.

These can include genetic predisposition, brain chemistry, and trauma. For some teens, depression may be caused by a combination of several different factors.

It is important to remember that each teen is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all cause for teen depression.

Teen depression is different from the normal ups and downs of adolescence. Depression is a real medical condition that affects your mood, thoughts, body, and behavior.

While some teen girls may be more likely to experience depression due to hormone changes during puberty, boys are just as likely to be affected. Depression doesn’t discriminate.

Most teens are not getting treatment

Getting the proper treatment for depression is very important, as it can lead to long-term recovery.

According to the Mental Health Administration, about 60% of teens with major depression did not receive treatment from 2017–2018. This leaves them at risk for long-term consequences.

The different types of depression in teens

Signs of depression are often symptoms of another physical or psychological medical condition. It’s important to work with a medical professional to identify the type of depression you are experiencing and, ultimately, develop a treatment plan.

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by persistent sadness and low mood, which may be accompanied by feelings of anxiety or guilt.

Depression can be categorized into various types, such as short-term symptoms that last for a few days or chronic symptoms that last for months.

There are different types of depression, which can be classified according to their cause, severity, and duration. Some types of depression include:

Major depressive (MDD)
Seasonal depression
Peripartum depression
Postpartum depression
Persistent depressive
Premenstrual dysphoric

Regardless of the type of depression that you’re experiencing, it’s important that you seek professional help. A treatment plan should be developed that’s specifically designed for you.

Experiential therapy for teen depression

While medication and traditional talk therapy can be helpful for some teens, experiential therapy is often the best option for treating teen depression.

This is because experiential therapy focuses on helping teens to identify and express their emotions in a healthy way. This can be done through activities such as art, music, and movement.

Experiential therapy can also help teens to build self-esteem and learn coping skills that will be helpful in the future. If you are looking for a teen depression treatment that is holistic and effective, experiential therapy is a great option.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy treatment

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy that can be helpful for teen depression. CBT helps teens to identify and change the negative thoughts and behaviors that may be contributing to their depression.

This type of therapy can be very effective in helping teens to feel better and to get back to their normal activities. If you are looking for a teen depression treatment that is specifically designed to help teen girls, CBT may be a good option for you.

CBT has been shown to be an effective treatment for teen depression, but it is important to find a therapist who is experienced in working with teenagers.

The therapist should also be someone who you feel comfortable talking to. If you are not sure if CBT is right for you, you can always talk to your doctor or mental health professional about other teen depression treatment options.

Final thoughts

Depression is a serious issue, but it is important to remember that help is available. If you think your teen might be depressed, don’t hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional for help.

Robert Haynes did his degree in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.

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Suffering in silence with high-functioning depression | The Excerpt

On a special episode (first released on May 16) of The Excerpt podcast: Many people have some experience with depression. Often the condition goes away, but what if it doesn't? What if it's something you just learn to live with? With a term like ‘high-functioning’ attached to it, it may, by its very nature, be difficult to diagnose. So what is high-functioning depression and what can be done for the people who are suffering with it? Vale Wright, the senior director of Health Care Innovation at the American Psychological Association, joins The Excerpt to help answer these questions.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here

Dana Taylor:

Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. When a disorder or condition has a term like high functioning attached to it, that could mean it may, by its very nature, be difficult to diagnose at all. Many of us have some experience with depression, but what if it just didn't go away? And worse, no one could tell that's why we weren't acting like our regular selves. So what is high functioning depression and what can be done for the people who are suffering with it? To answer these questions, I'm joined by Vaile Wright, the Senior Director of Healthcare Innovation at the American Psychological Association. Thanks for joining us, Vaile.

Vaile Wright:

Thanks so much for having me.

First, what is high functioning depression?

High functioning depression, it's not an official clinical term. I think that's important for people to know. It really was coined and popularized on social media to represent a certain presentation of depression. And that presentation is somebody who seemingly seems like they have it all together on the outside. They can go to work, they have relationships, they look like they're really engaging in life, but internally they're suffering in a way that others really just can't see.

And how does high functioning depression differ from other kinds of depression?

It's not necessarily that it differs from other kinds of depression. I think what a potential benefit of this term is, is it helps people understand that depression is not a one size fits all. People can be presenting with depression with a variety of different mild or more moderate symptoms. Some people will experience sadness, whereas others experience no sadness at all. So there isn't a typical type, but we have a mental model about what we think depression looks like, and this kind of breaks that mental model a little bit.

What are some of the other conditions that can show up alongside high functioning depression? I want to know, in particular, is anxiety in the mix.

Absolutely. There's a lot of comorbid relationship, or what we mean by that is they go together, anxiety and depression, and they share a lot of the same symptoms. So it can be really hard to decide, which is it. You can have trouble concentrating with both anxiety or depression, difficulty sleeping, difficulty eating or maintaining your appetite. So a lot of overlap exists, but at the end of the day, individuals experiencing these symptoms, it interferes with their life and it often interferes with the lives of people in their homes and in their schools and in their workplaces. So it affects everybody.

What are some of the telltale signs that a person is struggling with this condition?

I think when somebody feels like they're not themselves over an extended period of time, so anybody can feel sadness or just like you're just not into it and you're just not excited about the things you used to be excited about, but when that persists and when it either starts to interfere in your life some way or others start to get worried about you and notice that something's not how it usually is, that's when we know that something's really going on that might need some help.

And what about masking?

I think there's so much stigma attached with mental health, less now maybe than 10 years ago. I think social media and celebrities coming out and being more open about their mental health has really helped. But there's still this sense of we all have to have it together all the time, or even worse that even if I'm feeling sad, I have it better than you do and so I'm not allowed to feel sad. I shouldn't even tell you I'm sad because I have so many other things going on in my life. And that's so isolating and that just perpetuates the problem.

Vaile, other than that, what are some of the barriers that people face in acknowledging their depression and getting help?

There's so much sense that this is just all on your head, and if you just sort of pick yourself up by your bootstraps and you just go to work or do what you like to do or just go out and have fun, that somehow it'll all get better. And that's not the reality. For a lot of people depression is mild and situational and it might go away. For others, it's a lifelong condition that may have periods of wellness and then have periods of debilitation again. And so, again, I think it's often a lack of understanding of how to access care and when you need it, as well as just clear systemic issues within our healthcare for actually getting the care that we need.

And then offering people some help. How is it currently being treated medically? And also is talk therapy an effective treatment here?

Talk therapy is an incredibly effective treatment for all types of depression, particularly mild and moderate forms of depression. Other often avenues for treatment include medication, but what we do know is that when people get treated early on in what's going on, they're more likely to get better quicker. And so that early recognition and then that sort of ability to say or find somebody to help you find the help you need is going to be what is most effective in the long run. It just depends a little bit on what people's preferences are, what their opportunities are, what kinds of depression and symptoms they're experiencing, and that's why working with a trained professional is really critical.

And are there any specific scientific advances that you're looking at right now that people should be watching out for in terms of treating depression?

Certainly there's been a lot of talk about the use of psychedelics and other types of treatments and innovations in that area. I think the research is still awfully early to know exactly what impacts it will have. There's also clearly, I think, a role for technology to be played in how we reach people where there are. How do we get people in their homes, how do we reach them on their phones, which they're off and on anyway. But by delivering actually evidence-based, clinically validated treatments to them, not just an app that you can get off the app store, which may be helpful but likely isn't going to really treat your depression. So I think there's lots of ways that we need to be thinking innovatively because we just can't hope that everyone's going to come into the clinical office and get the treatment that they need. We need to be thinking beyond that.

Okay. So what does a successful path to recovery look like here? Without sharing any identifying information? Can you share a real world example?

It's going to look different depending on what it is that your depression is being caused by, because we know there's a lot of causes. It can be psychological, it can be environmental, it could be biological. But if you are going to receive treatment from a trained behavioral health provider, it's going to start with an intake and some history taking and then a shared decision-making about what type of treatment makes the most sense for that individual. Often we're talking about kind of weekly treatments for maybe six to eight weeks. And over that period of time, you're working with your provider to monitor your symptoms and see if you're getting better. And then ideally, you would end treatment after that phase when you've hit this place of recovery, recognizing that at any point in time you might need a booster going forward, and that's perfectly normal. And that's the kind of discussion you might have with your provider.

Well, depression can be a lonely place for people. What's your recommendation for a patient who is looking for support from the people in their lives?

Well, one of the things to keep in mind is that if you're feeling depressed, you're likely not alone. We know that annually, 17 million Americans will experience a depressive episode. So I think even though there's so much stigma and this fear of reaching out, when we do it can be so incredibly validating. You can find somebody who has experienced what you've experienced and can really understand where you're coming from or have engaged in coping skills that have worked for them that they can share with you. We also know that just having that social connection is a huge buffer for stress. So even though it can be hard to do, reaching out to others, and even more importantly, if you're that friend who's noticing something about your friend that you think is off, take that time, take that onus to do the reaching out yourself because sometimes they just don't have it in them right now.

Vaile, how would you say high-functioning depression and the conversation around it is impacting our society at large?

I think it's increasing our health literacy, in particular our mental health literacy. And it's shining a light on the fact that even though we think depression looks one way typically, that it's a woman who is crying and can't get out of bed. And that is one way that depression manifests itself, it's not the only way. And that different groups may experiencing different symptoms, and again, that somebody might have it looking like they have it all put together on the outside, but internally you don't really know what's going on with them. And so I think it helps to ask the question of, am I reaching out enough? Am I asking the people in my lives how they're doing?

Then finally, what do people most need to know about those with high functioning depression and how to best support them?

I think what's most important is to make sure you're not unintentionally invalidating their experience, because when somebody has it all put together or it looks like they do on the outside, it can be easy to say really unhelpful things like, I don't know why you're depressed, you have a job, or you're married, or you have these great kids. And really that's not taking compassionate routes understanding what they're going through. And so just even asking that question, I'd love to know what you're going through. I can see that you're in pain. Please, let's have a conversation. Just opening that door. You don't have to solve their depression, but just letting them know that you're there and that you hear them and you see them, that's a critical way to validate their experience.

This is great information. Thank you so much for being on The Excerpt Vaile.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon Rae Green and Bradley Glanzrock for their production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to [email protected]. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.

A New Study Is Finally Attempting to Pin Down The Root Causes of Depression

Most experts agree that depression is not one thing.

The core experiences of depression — changes in energy, activity, thinking, and mood — have been described for more than 10,000 years. The word “depression” has been used for about 350 years.

Given this long history, it may surprise you that experts don’t agree about what depression is, how to define it, or what causes it.

However, many experts do agree that depression is not one thing . It’s a large family of illnesses with different causes and mechanisms. This makes choosing the best treatment for each person challenging.

Reactive vs endogenous depression

One strategy is to search for sub-types of depression and see whether they might do better with different kinds of treatments. One example is contrasting “reactive” depression with “endogenous” depression.

Reactive depression (also thought of as social or psychological depression) is presented as being triggered by exposure to stressful life events. These might be being assaulted or losing a loved one — an understandable reaction to an outside trigger.

Endogenous depression (also thought of as biological or genetic depression) is proposed to be caused by something inside , such as genes or brain chemistry.

Many people working clinically in mental health accept this sub-typing. You might have read about this online .

But we think this approach is way too simple.

While stressful life events and genes may, individually, contribute to causing depression, they also interact to increase the risk of someone developing depression. And evidence shows that there is a genetic component to being exposed to stressors. Some genes affect things such as personality. Some affect how we interact with our environments.

What we did and what we found

Our team set out to look at the role of genes and stressors to see if classifying depression as reactive or endogenous was valid.

In the Australian Genetics of Depression Study , people with depression answered surveys about exposure to stressful life events. We analyzed DNA from their saliva samples to calculate their genetic risk for mental disorders.

Our question was simple. Does genetic risk for depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, anxiety, and neuroticism (a personality trait) influence people’s reported exposure to stressful life events?

You may be wondering why we bothered calculating the genetic risk for mental disorders in people who already have depression. Every person has genetic variants linked to mental disorders. Some people have more, some less. Even people who already have depression might have a low genetic risk for it. These people may have developed their particular depression from some other constellation of causes.

We looked at the genetic risk of conditions other than depression for a couple of reasons. First, genetic variants linked to depression overlap with those linked to other mental disorders. Second, two people with depression may have completely different genetic variants. So, we wanted to cast a wide net to look at a wider spectrum of genetic variants linked to mental disorders.

If reactive and endogenous depression sub-types are valid, we’d expect people with a lower genetic component to their depression (the reactive group) to report more stressful life events. And we’d expect those with a higher genetic component (the endogenous group) would report fewer stressful life events.

But after studying more than 14,000 people with depression, we found the opposite.

We found people at higher genetic risk for depression, anxiety, ADHD, or schizophrenia say they’ve been exposed to more stressors .

Assault with a weapon, sexual assault, accidents, legal and financial troubles, and childhood abuse and neglect were all more common in people with a higher genetic risk of depression, anxiety, ADHD, or schizophrenia.

These associations were not strongly influenced by people’s age, sex, or relationships with family. We didn’t look at other factors that may influence these associations, such as socioeconomic status. We also relied on people’s memory of past events, which may not be accurate.

How do genes play a role?

Genetic risk for mental disorders changes people’s sensitivity to the environment.

Imagine two people, one with a high genetic risk for depression and one with a low risk. They both lose their jobs. The genetically vulnerable person experiences the job loss as a threat to their self-worth and social status. There is a sense of shame and despair. They can’t bring themselves to look for another job for fear of losing it, too. For the other, the job loss feels less about them and more about the company. These two people internalize the event differently and remember it differently.

Genetic risk for mental disorders also might make it more likely people find themselves in environments where bad things happen. For example, a higher genetic risk for depression might affect self-worth, making people more likely to get into dysfunctional relationships, which then go badly.

What does our study mean for depression?

First, it confirms genes and environments are not independent. Genes influence the environments we end up in and what then happens. Genes also influence how we react to those events.

Second, our study doesn’t support a distinction between reactive and endogenous depression. Genes and environments have a complex interplay. Most cases of depression are a mix of genetics, biology, and stressors.

Third, people with depression who appear to have a stronger genetic component to their depression report their lives are punctuated by more serious stressors.

So, clinically, people with higher genetic vulnerability might benefit from learning specific techniques to manage their stress. This might help some people reduce their chance of developing depression in the first place. It might also help some people with depression reduce their ongoing exposure to stressors.

This article was originally published on The Conversation by Jacob Crouse and Ian Hickie at the University of Sydney . Read the original article here .

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Guest Essay

The Happiness Gap Between Left and Right Isn’t Closing

A woman’s face with red lipstick and red-and-white stripes on one side in imitation of an American flag.

By Thomas B. Edsall

Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C., on politics, demographics and inequality.

Why is it that a substantial body of social science research finds that conservatives are happier than liberals?

A partial answer: Those on the right are less likely to be angered or upset by social and economic inequities, believing that the system rewards those who work hard, that hierarchies are part of the natural order of things and that market outcomes are fundamentally fair.

Those on the left stand in opposition to each of these assessments of the social order, prompting frustration and discontent with the world around them.

The happiness gap has been with us for at least 50 years, and most research seeking to explain it has focused on conservatives. More recently, however, psychologists and other social scientists have begun to dig deeper into the underpinnings of liberal discontent — not only unhappiness but also depression and other measures of dissatisfaction.

One of the findings emerging from this research is that the decline in happiness and in a sense of agency is concentrated among those on the left who stress matters of identity, social justice and the oppression of marginalized groups.

There is, in addition, a parallel phenomenon taking place on the right as Donald Trump and his MAGA loyalists angrily complain of oppression by liberals who engage in a relentless vendetta to keep Trump out of the White House.

There is a difference in the way the left and right react to frustration and grievance. Instead of despair, the contemporary right has responded with mounting anger, rejecting democratic institutions and norms.

In a 2021 Vox article, “ Trump and the Republican Revolt Against Democracy ,” Zack Beauchamp described in detail the emergence of destructive and aggressive discontent among conservatives.

Citing a wide range of polling data and academic studies, Beauchamp found:

More than twice as many Republicans (39 percent) as Democrats (17 percent) believed that “if elected leaders won’t protect America, the people must act — even if that means violence.”

Fifty-seven percent of Republicans considered Democrats to be “enemies,” compared with 41 percent of Democrats who viewed Republicans as “enemies.”

Among Republicans, support for “the use of force to defend our way of life,” as well as for the belief that “strong leaders bend rules” and that “sometimes you have to take the law in your own hands,” grows stronger in direct correlation with racial and ethnic hostility.

Trump has repeatedly warned of the potential for political violence. In January he predicted bedlam if the criminal charges filed in federal and state courts against him damaged his presidential campaign:

I think they feel this is the way they’re going to try and win, and that’s not the way it goes. It’ll be bedlam in the country. It’s a very bad thing. It’s a very bad precedent. As we said, it’s the opening of a Pandora’s box.

Before he was indicted in New York, Trump claimed there would be “potential death and destruction” if he was charged.

At an Ohio campaign rally in March, Trump declared, “If I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a blood bath for the whole country.”

In other words, Trump and his allies respond to adversity and what they see as attacks from the left with threats and anger, while a segment of the left often but not always responds to adversity and social inequity with dejection and sorrow.

There are significant consequences for this internalization.

Jamin Halberstadt , a professor of psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand and a co-author of “ Outgroup Threat and the Emergence of Cohesive Groups : A Cross-Cultural Examination,” argued in his emailed reply to my inquiry that because “a focus on injustice and victimhood is, by definition, disempowering (isn’t that why we talk of ‘survivors’ rather than ‘victims’?), loss of control is not good for self-esteem or happiness.”

But, he pointed out:

this focus, while no doubt a part of the most visible and influential side of progressive ideology, is still just a part. Liberalism is a big construct, and I’m reluctant to reduce it to a focus on social justice issues. Some liberals have this view, but I suspect their influence is outsized because (a) they have the social media megaphone and (b) we are in a climate in which freedom of expression and, in particular, challenges to the worldview you characterize have been curtailed.

Expanding on this line of argument, Halberstadt wrote:

I’m sure some self-described liberals have views that are counterproductive to their own happiness. One sub-ideology associated with liberalism is, as you describe, a sense of victimhood and grievance. But there is more than one way to respond to structural barriers. Within that group of the aggrieved, some probably see systemic problems that cannot be overcome, and that’s naturally demoralizing and depressing. But others see systemic problems as a challenge to overcome.

Taking Halberstadt’s assessment of the effects of grievance and victimhood a step farther, Timothy A. Judge , the chairman of the department of management and human resources at Notre Dame, wrote in a 2009 paper, “ Core Self-Evaluations and Work Success ”:

Core self-evaluations (C.S.E.) is a broad, integrative trait indicated by self-esteem, locus of control, generalized self-efficacy and (low) neuroticism (high emotional stability). Individuals with high levels of C.S.E. perform better on their jobs, are more successful in their careers, are more satisfied with their jobs and lives, report lower levels of stress and conflict, cope more effectively with setbacks and better capitalize on advantages and opportunities.

I asked Judge and other scholars a question: Have liberal pessimists fostered an outlook that spawns unhappiness as its adherents believe they face seemingly insurmountable structural barriers?

Judge replied by email:

I do share the perspective that a focus on status, hierarchies and institutions that reinforce privilege contributes to an external locus of control. And the reason is fairly straightforward. We can only change these things through collective and, often, policy initiatives — which tend to be complex, slow, often conflictual and outside our individual control. On the other hand, if I view “life’s chances” (Virginia Woolf’s term) to be mostly dependent on my own agency, this reflects an internal focus, which will often depend on enacting initiatives largely within my control.

Judge elaborated on his argument:

If our predominant focus in how we view the world is social inequities, status hierarchies, societal unfairness conferred by privilege, then everyone would agree that these things are not easy to fix, which means, in a sense, we must accept some unhappy premises: Life isn’t fair; outcomes are outside my control, often at the hands of bad, powerful actors; social change depends on collective action that may be conflictual; an individual may have limited power to control their own destiny, etc. These are not happy thoughts because they cause me to view the world as inherently unfair, oppressive, conflictual, etc. It may or may not be right, but I would argue that these are in fact viewpoints of how we view the world, and our place in it, that would undermine our happiness.

Last year, George Yancey , a professor of sociology at Baylor University, published “ Identity Politics, Political Ideology, and Well-Being : Is Identity Politics Good for Our Well-Being?”

Yancey argued that recent events “suggest that identity politics may correlate to a decrease in well-being, particularly among young progressives, and offer an explanation tied to internal elements within political progressiveness.”

By focusing on “political progressives, rather than political conservatives,” Yancey wrote, “a nuanced approach to understanding the relationship between political ideology and well-being begins to emerge.”

Identity politics, he continued, focuses “on external institutional forces that one cannot immediately alleviate.” It results in what scholars call the externalization of one’s locus of control, or viewing the inequities of society as a result of powerful if not insurmountable outside forces, including structural racism, patriarchy and capitalism, as opposed to believing that individuals can overcome such obstacles through hard work and collective effort.

As a result, Yancey wrote, “identity politics may be an important mechanism by which progressive political ideology can lead to lower levels of well-being.”

Conversely, Yancey pointed out, “a class-based progressive cognitive emphasis may focus less on the group identity, generating less of a need to rely on emotional narratives and dichotomous thinking and may be less likely to be detrimental to the well-being of a political progressive.”

Yancey tested this theory using data collected in the 2021 Baylor Religion Survey of 1,232 respondents.

“Certain types of political progressive ideology can have contrasting effects on well-being,” Yancey wrote. “It is plausible that identity politics may explain the recent increase well-being gap between conservatives and progressives.”

Oskari Lahtinen , a senior researcher in psychology at the University of Turku in Finland, published a study in March, “ Construction and Validation of a Scale for Assessing Critical Social Justice Attitudes ,” that reinforces Yancey’s argument.

Lahtinen conducted two surveys of a total of 5,878 men and women to determine the share of Finnish citizens who held “critical social justice attitudes” and how those who held such views differed from those who did not.

Critical social justice proponents, on Lahtinen’s scale,

point out varieties of oppression that cause privileged people (e.g., male, white, heterosexual, cisgender) to benefit over marginalized people (e.g., woman, Black, gay, transgender). In critical race theory, some of the core tenets include that (1) white supremacy and racism are omnipresent and colorblind policies are not enough to tackle them, (2) people of color have their own unique standpoint and (3) races are social constructs.

What did Lahtinen find?

The critical social justice propositions encountered

strong rejection from men. Women expressed more than twice as much support for the propositions. In both studies, critical social justice was correlated modestly with depression, anxiety, and (lack of) happiness, but not more so than being on the political left was.

In an email responding to my inquiries about his paper, Lahtinen wrote that one of the key findings in his research was that “there were large differences between genders in critical social justice advocacy: Three out of five women but only one out of seven men expressed support for the critical social justice claims.”

In addition, he pointed out, “there was one variable in the study that closely corresponded to external locus of control: ‘Other people or structures are more responsible for my well-being than I myself am.’”

The correlation between agreement with this statement and unhappiness was among the strongest in the survey:

People on the left endorsed this item (around 2 on a scale of 0 to 4) far more than people on the right (around 0.5). Endorsing the belief was determined by political party preference much more than by gender, for instance.

Such measures as locus of control, self-esteem, a belief in personal agency and optimism all play major roles in daily life.

In a December 2022 paper, “ The Politics of Depression : Diverging Trends in Internalizing Symptoms Among U.S. Adolescents by Political Beliefs,” Catherine Gimbrone , Lisa M. Bates , Seth Prins and Katherine M. Keyes , all at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, noted that “trends in adolescent internalizing symptoms diverged by political beliefs, sex and parental education over time, with female liberal adolescents experiencing the largest increases in depressive symptoms, especially in the context of demographic risk factors, including parental education.”

“These findings,” they added, “indicate a growing mental health disparity between adolescents who identify with certain political beliefs. It is therefore possible that the ideological lenses through which adolescents view the political climate differentially affect their mental well-being.”

Gimbrone and her co-authors based their work on studies of 85,000 teenagers from 2005 to 2018. They found that

while internalizing symptom scores worsened over time for all adolescents, they deteriorated most quickly for female liberal adolescents. Beginning in approximately 2010 and continuing through 2018, female liberal adolescents reported the largest changes in depressive affect, self-esteem, self-derogation and loneliness.

In conclusion, the authors wrote, “socially underprivileged liberals reported the worst internalizing symptom scores over time, likely indicating that the experiences and beliefs that inform a liberal political identity are ultimately less protective against poor mental health than those that inform a conservative political identity.”

From another vantage point, Nick Haslam , a professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne, argued in his 2020 paper “ Harm Inflation: Making Sense of Concept Creep ” that recent years have seen “a rising sensitivity to harm within at least some Western cultures, such that previously innocuous or unremarked phenomena were increasingly identified as harmful and that this rising sensitivity reflected a politically liberal moral agenda.”

As examples, Haslam wrote that the definition of “trauma” has been

progressively broadened to include adverse life events of decreasing severity and those experienced vicariously rather than directly. “Mental disorder” came to include a wider range of conditions, so that new forms of psychopathology were added in each revision of diagnostic manuals and the threshold for diagnosing some existing forms was lowered. “Abuse” extended from physical acts to verbal and emotional slights and incorporated forms of passive neglect in addition to active aggression.

Haslam described this process as concept creep and argued that “some examples of concept creep are surely the work of deliberate actors who might be called expansion entrepreneurs.”

Concept expansion, Haslam wrote, “can be used as a tactic to amplify the perceived seriousness of a movement’s chosen social problem.” In addition, “such expansion can be effective means of enhancing the perceived seriousness of a social problem or threat by increasing the perceived prevalence of both ‘victims’ and ‘perpetrators.’”

Haslam cited studies showing that strong “correlates of holding expansive concepts of harm were compassion-related trait values, left-liberal political attitudes and forms of morality associated with both.” Holding expansive concepts of harm was also “associated with affective and cognitive empathy orientation and most strongly of all with endorsement of harm- and fairness-based morality.” Many of these characteristics are associated with the political left.

“The expansion of harm-related concepts has implications for acceptable self-expression and free speech,” Haslam wrote. “Creeping concepts enlarge the range of expressions judged to be unacceptably harmful, thereby increasing calls for speech restrictions. Expansion of the harm-related concepts of hate and hate speech exemplifies this possibility.”

While much of the commentary on the progressive left has been critical, Haslam takes a more ambivalent position: “Sometimes concept creep is presented in an exclusively negative frame,” he wrote, but that fails to address the “positive implications. To that end, we offer three positive consequences of the phenomenon.”

The first is that expansionary definitions of harm “can be useful in drawing attention to harms previously overlooked. Consider the vertical expansion of abuse to include emotional abuse.”

Second, “concept creep can prevent harmful practices by modifying social norms.” For example, “changing definitions of bullying that include social exclusion and antagonistic acts expressed horizontally rather than only downward in organizational hierarchies may also entrench norms against the commission of destructive behavior.”

And finally:

The expansion of psychology’s negative concepts can motivate interventions aimed at preventing or reducing the harms associated with the newly categorized behaviors. For instance, the conceptual expansion of addiction to include behavioral addictions (e.g., gambling and internet addictions) has prompted a flurry of research into treatment options, which has found that a range of psychosocial treatments can be successfully used to treat gambling, internet and sexual addictions.

Judge suggested an approach to this line of inquiry that he believed might offer a way for liberalism to regain its footing:

I would like to think that there is a version of modern progressivism that accepts many of the premises of the problem and causes of inequality but does so in a way that also celebrates the power of individualism, of consensus and of common cause. I know this is perhaps naïve. But if we give in to cynicism (that consensus can’t be found), that’s self-reinforcing, isn’t it? I think about the progress on how society now views sexual orientation and the success stories. The change was too slow, painful for many, but was there any other way?

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here's our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Thomas B. Edsall has been a contributor to the Times Opinion section since 2011. His column on strategic and demographic trends in American politics appears every Wednesday. He previously covered politics for The Washington Post. @ edsall

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