Depression

By Taylor Peedin

Watching my father battle with depression for years was always a struggle and difficult situation for me to understand. Although it is a disease many people face worldwide, it is unfortunately not taken as seriously as it should be. When my father took his life several years ago, I knew that depression was no joke, and from that day I wanted to figure out what exactly this disease was all about.

Although I too have had my fair share in battling depression, I have learned how to cope with it, and have allowed it to help me grow into stronger individual.

Depression is a mood disorder that typically makes an individual feel sadness, hopelessness, and even worthless to others. Depression is usually caused through severe trauma (loss of loved ones, neglect, abuse) or through genetics (chemical imbalances). Depression is an illness that in the United States alone, up to 14 million of Americans are affected by each year.

There are 3 main ways of treating depression: pharmaceutical treatment, therapeutic treatment, and exercise. However, studies have proven that pharmaceutical treatment alone is less effective than therapy and exercise. Although pharmaceutical treatment can seem effective at first, studies show that many patients have a high risk of relapse, considering that an individual’s body can become immune.

It is proven that therapeutic treatment or the “talking cure” is “a safe and efficacious treatment for acute episodes of major depressive disorder” (DeRuBeis).  Because the patient can talk out there problems, they are more likely to address the root of the issue and are able to work through it, unlike pharmaceutical treatment, which just suppresses the depressive feelings for a short while.

Exercise can also benefit the patient when dealing with depression. When exercising, your body is releasing “feel-good” brain chemicals and reducing immune system chemicals, which is what makes you feel depressed. Exercise allows an individual to cope in a healthy way and also help build confidence by improving their appearance.

Ultimately, depression is an illness dealt with by many people, and is still something researchers are trying to figure out to this day. But as of now, the best solution is through therapeutic treatment and exercise. If more people would take this disease more seriously, then maybe researchers can find a cure for it and stop depression completely.

DeRuBeis, Robert, Greg Siegle, and Steven Hollon. “Cognitive Therapy vs. Medications for Depression: Treatment Outcomes and Neural Mechanisms.” PMC. September 11, 2008. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2748674/.