MAJOR PROJECT 3

June 12, 2016

Case Study of a Depressed Mother

Omar Ijaz
ENGL 210

Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..3

2.0 Theory...3

3.0 Methodology.4

4.0 Findings.5

5.0 Conclusion6

References...7

1.0 Introduction
Everyone feels sad or low from time to time, it is considered normal, but if a person has been
experiencing intense sadness for weeks, months, or years they probably have depression. Despite
the extensive research on brain activity, it can still not be said with absolute certainty of what
causes depression. Previously, people believed that a tragic event such as the death of a family
member or a lover would cause depression. Recently it has been shown that this is not the case. It
is when these tragic events keep recurring in a persons life, such as long term unemployment,
uncaring relationships, or isolation that trigger the symptoms of this condition.
This report is a case study of a depressed mother of three. It contains the data obtained and the
methodology of collecting it. It will go in detail to try and convince people about the fact that
depression is indeed a mental health condition and also find a way in which these depressed
people can be made to feel better.

2.0 Theory
People often say that depression is not a real health condition. They say that it is just in your head and
you can get rid of it by pulling yourself together. They are completely wrong. Depression is, in fact, a
very real and serious health issue. It is not only the cause of severe emotional pain, it causes physical pain
as well. My mother has had depression for almost 25 years now, she started to experience the symptoms
of depression at the age of 22. Whenever she would be in pain and complain that there is something
wrong with her, she was either told to snap out of it or that there is no treatment for this disease. The
symptoms worsened with time and because she did not receive proper medical attention until long after
she got married, depression had become the biggest part of her life by the age of 30.
Depression is starting to be considered as a global epidemic by some researchers, it is especially prevalent
in women. The majority of normal population on the other hand believes that this is just a regular part of
being a women or a female weakness and that its just a phase that will eventually pass. This results in the
cries for help we so often hear being ignored, as was in this case study, and so people fall victim to
depression so badly that by the time they do get treatment, it does not actually free them from depression
but it merely slows down the process of getting affected by it.

3.0 Methodology
An interview of the depressed mother was conducted in which seven questions were to be
answered in detail so that a broad generalization can be made in order to familiarize myself with
how the patients feel and think. This particular interview was of a woman who started showing
symptoms of depression in her early 20s and was not given proper medical attention until she
was in her mid-30s. This led to her depression becoming a major part of her life even after
marriage. She was eventually clinically diagnosed with depression after giving birth to her
second born. This is a typical case of a women being diagnosed with depression when it is a little
too late for the treatment to be completely effective. A side from the interview, data from
renowned heath organizations such as WHO and MHA was gathered and organized as follows.

4.0 Findings

Text cloud of the Interview:

If someone has a parent or

Chances of Genetic Depression

sibling with major depression,

times greater risk of developing

depression compared with the
average person (or around 2030% instead of 10%). Levinson
and Nichols (2016)

30%

Percentage Chances (%)

that person probably has a 2 or 3

25%

25%

20%
15%
10%
5%
0%

10%

Approximately 12 million women in the United States experience clinical depression each year.
When you first look at the pie chart, it seems that only a small portion of the women population
of the US suffers from depression. In truth though, one in every ten women suffers from some
sort of depression. Among these deceivingly, small percentage of women with depression, half
of them are not even accounted for because the pie chart only considers the women who are
clinically diagnosed with depression.

Transcript of the interview:

How old were you when you first experienced the symptoms of Depression?
o 20 years old

How long did you go without proper medical attention?

o Almost 10 years

Is clinical treatment helpful in your case?

o It was not helpful in the beginning, but once I found the right doctor and
the proper medicine I started to feel much better and the random outbursts
of depression decreased considerably.

What is the duration of your treatment?

o The treatment itself has become less intense over the past few years, but I
have to take some of the medicines for the rest of my life

How often did you used to feel down/irritated/frustrated prior to the treatment?
o Almost all the time. A small problem would make me feel depressed
because of overthinking. The sadness would last quite a while.

How often do you feel down/irritated/frustrated after the treatment?

o Now it all depends on the severity of the incident. I have stopped
overthinking a lot and the sad times are never too prolonged.

What, besides medicine, makes you feel better when you feel depressed?
o Spending time with my family, feeling appreciated, and worthy.

Does anyone of your parents have depression or other mental health problem?
o Yes, my mother has also been suffering from depression since childhood
because of the loss of her mother and the abandoning of her father.

5.0 Conclusion
Depression is, in short, prolonged sadness. It is a major health issue that almost 121 million
people of the world suffer from. Depression is often mistreated and plainly ignored as it is not
believed to be a real health disorder. Women are twice as likely to get depression as men and has
been considered to be one of the most serious health risks to women. Depression rate worldwide
are exponentially on the rise and yet there is no solid cure to the problem. After studying my
mother, who is the case study of the report, it has to be concluded that as of now there is no sure
solution to the issue and that research should be more broad and extensive.

References
Major Depression and Genetics. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2016, from
http://depressiongenetics.stanford.edu/mddandgenes.html