Hidden Secrets on Depression: A Literature Review

Caitlin Cervantes
The University of Texas at El Paso

Caitlin Cervantes

Abstract

Depression is commonly misled and ignored by many people. Many ignore

depression because often they dont understand or care to know about the facts.
Depression can come in many forms and also lead into illnesses. The illnesses that
have formed from depression are a person taking their own life and committing
suicide. (The number of emergency department visits for self-inflicted injuries from
a National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2010 Emergency Department
Summary Tables,) states there are 713,000. The amount of self-inflicted injuries
goes up every year and is not slowing down. Many people have symptoms or
someone around them may have the symptoms and not even be aware of them. Not
only is depression found in adults but children as well. They are more likely to live
in a lifestyle they cannot do anything about. Depression coming from all ages, there
are ways to learn how to manage the feelings and symptoms.

Caitlin Cervantes

Introduction

Depression is a very serious subject in many lives that is most often ignored.
Of all major illnesses, mental and physical, depression has been one of the toughest
to subdue, (Richard A. Friedman mention in his New York Times article, A New
Focus on Depression, December 23, 2013.) Depression has a variety of definitions
and ways to describe the way depression feels to a person. Depression has become a
serious complication amongst the lives of adults and children and through this
paper; there will be a better understanding of the issue.
When depression comes to mind, automatically people will think of adults
having the problem. Research has shown that depression is not only found in adults
but in children as well. Children have also experienced depression because of many
reasons. Many reasons children are unaware there are possible resources to help
them. Children are often too scared or embarrassed to receive help on their
problems and also so are adults. These three research questions will help to better
understand the thoughts of citizens on the facts of depression. The questions are:

1. How does one differentiate between the notion of a bad day or a bad life?
2. How can one realize the effects of childhood neglect?
3. How can one manage the effects of depression?

How does one differentiate between the notion of a bad day or a bad life?

Caitlin Cervantes

In everyday life of a person one may not know the difference between one
bad day and having more bad days than the good ones. People have gained the
mental illness of being depressed; one that has been well known to the world is
celebrity Robin Williams. Evidence from neuroscience, genetics, and clinical
investigation demonstrate that depression is a disorder of the brain (Research on
Depression by James Hunter & NIMH). Depression can be caused many things, if
there are troubles within a relationship, at work, being mistreated or losing a family
member. If high depression is not cured, it can lead to serious self- inflicted injuries.
How one can differentiate in having a bad day or a bad life is looking around
and seeing the events occurring in ones personal life. It also depends how one will
determine how to handle certain situations. If a person doesnt know how to
overcome the situations, it becomes more difficult. When a person goes through
these situations, they dont know who to go to or are embarrassed to get help.
In the research conducted, there were three different questions asked to
random people, all anonymous. The first question asked was How does one
differentiate the notion of a bad day or a bad life? One of the answers answered,
anonymous, is I think you can differentiate between a bad day or a bad life by
something that affects just for a moment and never happening to something
happening to you and affecting you for your whole life. Another answer written in
the survey was bad days are more likely the result of normal circumstances seen in
a negative light which in turn affects more negativity. If bad life is a sense of terrible
reoccurring events. So long as things do not seem to dwell over to other days. For
example someone that has one drink for having a bad day and someone who has bad

Caitlin Cervantes

things happen to them on a daily due to drinking everyday, said by another

anonymous citizen. All the questions answered in the surveys on the first question
seem be similar. When there are bad days, they dont always necessarily mean that
they have a bad life.
How can one realize the effects of childhood neglect?
People dont want to believe of see that their child or a child can possibly be
depressed. Children can have many reasons why they are depressed and parents
may not even notice it. Causes of child depression most often occur due to home
living or at school. Children can become depressed due to the fact they are abused,
neglected or do not know where to find help or know that help is out there. Children
can be abused at home and no one will ever know because they are afraid to say
something to someone in fear of something worse happening.
Also with determining a child is in depression, can be the way they act or
interact with other friends and family members. If a child acts out in anger or reacts
to certain situations that are not normal, they can be leading signs something is
wrong. Child depression is also shown when they distance themselves socially with
others.
In the survey, the second question asked was, How can one realize the
effects of childhood neglect? The first answer to one of the surveys was you can
realize if his behavior is that of a bully. Having a short temper. The way he/she is
being dressed or hygiene. When a child gets bullied, often they dont tell anyone
because they are too embarrassed or dont feel the need to receive help because
they are too scared. From a second viewer, they believe that one can identify

Caitlin Cervantes

his/her irrational needs and try and trace them down to their root. If for example,
theyre overly lonely and are able to attribute this to their neglected childhood, they
can seek help on that basis and make people with their past. The last person to be
questioned answered, by the way the person acts/behavior on a daily basis. From
the surveys taken, people have different views on childhood neglect. When children
are neglected at young ages it can be for many reasons because they are either left
out by family members, peers and or at school.
The National Alliance of Mental Illness states that one and five children and
teens will go through depression. Children and teens will go through depression
because of school or home. Children and teens are at higher risk for depression
include those who have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct, learning
or anxiety disorders and oppositional defiance disorder, (states the National
Alliance of Mental Illness in Depression in Children and Teens Reviewed by Ken
Duckworth, M.D., May 2014.) The NAMI also stated that there are as twice as many
girls than boys are diagnosed with depression. Children can become depressed due
to traumatic experiences or through stress.

How can one manage the effects of depression?

When one learns to manage the effects of depression, it can sometimes be too
late. Only a third of parents with major depression will experience a full remission
after the first round of treatment, and successive treatments with different drugs
will give some relief to just 20 to 25 percent more, (said in the New York Times
Article A New Focus on Depression by Richard A. Friedman, M.D.) Depression is

Caitlin Cervantes

one of hem toughest mental and physical battles to overcome. If one can manage the
effects of depression then first they are to first accept the fact they have a problem.
Depression can be ignored because people do not want to admit having a problem.
Depression is a brain disorder that can lead to much emotional anguish. Changes in
how your brain functions also can have a big effect on your body, (explained in the
article How depression can affect you body Web MB.) Many people do not
understand that when one is depressed, it takes over the mind in the way one will
think and live their life. Going through depression causes a person to think in certain
ways. It does not only affect the mind but the health as well. Depression can affect
the immune system, making it harder for your body to fight infection. Vaccinations
are even less effective in people with depression, (described by the article How
depression can affect you body Web MB.) Effects on the body due to depression
can be a big health issue because it is not caught in time to be cured. The affects on
depression have caused many to hurt them selves in attempts to commit suicide.
There are around 713,000 self-inflicted injuries in America alone reported in
emergencies. People often attempt to hurt themselves because they are too upset
with either their own lives or what is happening that makes them unhappy. When
people attempt to hurt themselves and eventually try to commit suicide, they feel
like there is no other way out but to end their own lives. Often when there is a
suicide, it will come to a surprise because they try and hide it to the ones around
them. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adults between the ages of 15
and 64 years in the United States, (states the American Foundation For Suicide
Prevention.)

Caitlin Cervantes

When child or an adult is depressed, the signs can be notices by having

difficulties with relationships, has a short temper, have extreme sensibility to
rejection or failure, emotional, helplessness, concentration issues or have a dramatic
change in their eating habits. There are many signs that can lead to person that are
depressed. If signs are red flagged in the beginning stages, they have a higher ability
to cure and fix the problems before they get too serious. People will ignore the signs
of depression because they are in denial to the sickness.
With the research created to ask the community on how they felt or think
about the depression, the third question asked was How can one manage the effects
of depression? The first person answered anonymously, one should maintain a
healthy lifestyle, good hygiene, and have a stimulating social life with positive
people. Also, pursing a hobby helps one feel purposeful and defeat depression. The
second person thinks that seeing a counselor and figuring out how bad the
depression is. The last person to answer the question mentioned that always
staying happy/ think positive, always think happy thoughts, and know that life is too
short to be depressed. The answers that people came up with show that some are
unaware of the difficulty in seeing the true signs of one that is depressed.
Concluding the research on depression, depression is not a subject that
should be ignored. Depression comes in many different forms and can be shown in
adult and in children or teens. Depression has been leading causes or mental and
physical health resulting into self-injuries and also going as far as suicides.
Depression has become a serious complication amongst the lives of adults and
children and through this paper; there will be a better understanding of the issue.

Caitlin Cervantes

At any point in time, 3 to 5 percent of people suffer from major depression; the
lifetime risk is about 17%, (stated by the Anxiety and Depression Association of
America.)

Caitlin Cervantes

References

Barbee, J. G. (1998). Anxiety and Depression Asssociation of America Mixed

symptoms and syndromes of anxiety and depression: Diagnostic,
prognostic, and etiologic issues. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 10:1529.
Richard A. Friedman. (December 23, 2013 .). A New Focus on Depression Article.
The New York Times.
National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2010 Emergency Department
Summary Tables. Page 1.
James Hunter.(2013). Research on Depression. Psych Centeral.
Ken Duckworth. (May 2014). Depression in Children and Teens. National Alliance on
Mental Illness.
Suicide claims more lives than war, murder, and Natural disasters combined.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Joseph Goldberg, MD. (May 31,2014). How Depression Affects you Body. Web MD.

Caitlin Cervantes