The Dark Realm Of Depression

Is Depression a Disease or a State of Mind? 

Mostly everyone nowadays is aware of the existence of depression and how bad can it be for the ones who suffer from it, but not everyone knows what depression really is and how complex it may get for some. I agree upon the fact that depression can be either in some cases.

However, Neurologists have stated that an individual with

depression suffers from a chemical imbalance in their brains while having the potential of damaging physical structures in the brain. Taking into account the fact that depression can only be eased through medicine and medical treatments it shall be considered as a true disease. On the other hand, there is the belief that depression is the state of mind had after reacting to unpleasant or uncomfortable situations that can be fixed by changing the surroundings where the unpleasant situations can be met. 

When someone sees himself/herself affected by depression, it starts to interfere with routinary activities and life on a daily basis. Doctors call this condition “depressive disorder,” or “clinical depression”  and it is needed an specific treatment for the depressive people to eventually get better meaning that it is not a flaw or weakness that they can simply just get rid of. Everyone tends to believe that having depression is just being sad , but it is really not. Sadness is just one of the many symptoms that a depressive individual experiences. some of the various symptoms may include a persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood ,feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness decreased energy, fatigue,difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions,difficulty sleeping, oversleeping, appetite and/or weight changes.

Many factors may play a role in depression, including

genetics, brain biology and chemistry, and life events such as trauma, loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship, an early childhood experience, or any stressful situation. I truly believe that it is a disease due to the fact it goes beyond the control of the people whether they want to be depressed or not and it affects many physical structures in the body therefore it is not a choice for them.

Some claim that depression means a state of mind, in which one feels bad and anxious and finds the whole life desperate but is their choices what led them to that. That the main reason why they feel that way is due to situations with great changes in their lives and that people suffering from mental health disorders deserve to be ridiculed, or harassed due to their very “weak” characters. It is believed by some that people do wake up and decide to be depressed due to a lack of self esteem and how we have been brainwashed by the idea that it is a disease from the doctors that endorse these large pharmaceutical companies and get paid big amounts of money to promote their new medicines.

Despite of doctors having to promote their medicines, I strongly disagree with the idea that it is just a state of mind due to the fact that it still affects the brain structure and that cannot be fixed with routinary activities but with medicine. 

Thus, I consider that a chemical imbalance is not a choice

since is very unlikely that a person would like to enjoy being sad for absolutely no reason. A healthier diet and lifestyle can help prevent depression; however, depression can occur due to things you cannot control or be blamed for, and medicine has proven to help this condition because it is a mental disease that should be seen and treated like so.

By Daniela Yúnez, Step 10