Depression Treatment: An Outcry To Society

By Author: Bishop Chanakira
Total Articles: 54
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We all have times in our lives when we feel sad or lonely. However, people suffering from the psychological condition depression suffer these feelings more often and with a greater intensity. Many depression sufferers describe their state of mind as a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. It is defined as a psychiatric mood disorder that affects a person's functioning and causes them emotional distress. There can be a number of causes for this condition and it is more common that most people might think. The reason for so many people remaining ignorant to depression in society is due to the secrecy maintained by those who suffer. This is a problem normally associated with men who are less comfortable sharing their feelings with others.

The world health organisation (WHO) states that of the world's population, between 10 and 20 per cent of all people will experience indefinite depression in their life time. However the statistics also include that less than 25 percent of these people receive treatment. This may be a result of a lack in medical resources available to them or the inability to buy medication. However ...
... it is believed that a large part of the problem is the social stigma attached to depression. The WHO believes that in an attempt to increase the availability of treatment to depression sufferers, the social stigma must be detached. This can be done in a number of ways. It is important to increase the social awareness as well as an understanding of the mental illness. Once society has an adequate understanding and acceptance of the disease, people may become more comfortable with their depression and feel comfortable seeking treatment.

There are also calls to increase the amount off treatment available to those who cannot afford or do not have access to it. This may come with a greater social acceptance of depression by way of more government and medical focus.

There are currently many treatments available, both medication and through psychological therapy. The majority of medication available to depression sufferers is antidepressant drugs. Most of these aim to conduct a physical change in the brain, often by increasing the production of serotonin. While these medications are extremely effective at restraining the symptoms of depression, they do not cure the disease. The therapies available are able to help the person find ways to restrict their depressed thoughts and eliminate the causes for these thoughts. In many cases this is a long term cure for depression that provides the sufferer with methods to controlling their condition.

The most common of these are Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). CBT focuses on the person's thoughts and feelings about the world. While believing that negative thinking is a kind of habit, they logic is that all habits can be broken, allowing the sufferer to discover a more positive view of the world. Interpersonal Therapy works under the belief that depression is linked to social functioning. Therefore, how a person deals with social situations such as work, as well as their individual relationships with others. Due to the difference in core beliefs of these two common therapies, the decision between the two depends on the individual.

It is important that people are aware of this choice in treatments for their condition. Depression is treatable; however we now rely on society to improve the current understanding of the condition to allow these treatments to reach those that need them.
depression is a serious illness affecting millions of people worldwide. It is extremely important that society is more aware of this condition so that more effort will be made to provide depression treatment