The Dimensions of Depression

The human mind, as the most complex among all forms of life on planet earth, can experience a wide range of feelings, emotions and reactions. As such, it is perfectly normal for human beings to occasionally feel sad for a variety of reasons, ranging from the loss of a loved one to an unpleasant experience and the like. For some individuals, however, feelings of sadness never subside, or can intermittently incapacitate the individual for weeks, months, or years on end. This can be classified as clinical depression, which separates the normal cases of "the blues" from a serious psychological condition which can lead to suicide, homicide, or any other of a wide variety of horrible manifestations (Belsky, 2007). Because of the horrible power that depression has over some people, and the ability to better understand the condition as the result of modern research, depression will be the subject of this research from a variety of points of view, beginning with a classification of depression from a psychological vantage point and beyond.

It is important, as the research moves forward, to place the condition of depression within the proper sub-field of psychology. Strictly speaking, depression is within the sub-field of Abnormal Psychology, which is to say in this context that "abnormal" denotes the consistent inability on the part of the individual to adapt and function effectively in a variety of conditions or situations (Carr, 2001). It is with this categorization in mind that this research continues to expand upon various facets of depression in order to better understand the condition overall.

The Parameters of Depression

The Introduction to this research painted depression with a broad brush as a means of providing a sense of the extent of the research to follow. Having introduced depression in such a way, it is possible to take a closer look at the parameters of depression itself.

For the casual observer, depression is a universal term that is used to describe the condition that one is afflicted with when they are unable to overcome the emotions of sadness and distress. However, a thorough research of depression requires more discussion of the deeper aspects of the condition.

While no one has been able to definitively link depression to one specific cause, research in recent years has been able to associate depression with heart disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease as well as substance abuse because these diseases can cause physiological changes within the human body that can lead to the unnatural thought processes within the brain that trigger depression. Additionally, depression can be triggered by unusual levels of physical or mental trauma that an individual experiences, which will not allow them to be able to overcome the feelings of depression that they have been experiencing. Additionally, depression has been found to be associated with malfunctioning brain chemistry, although once again, there has not been any precise cause for the brain chemistry malfunction that triggers depression in millions of individuals from all walks of life and geographic areas of the world on a regular basis. However, it is interesting to note that research has indicated that depression does in fact run in families, suggesting a hereditary link to depression itself (Depression Examined).

Depression also varies in its manifestation in people at different stages of the life cycle. For children and adolescents, depression will often be exhibited as the person who pretends that they are ill to avoid school and other responsibilities, exhibit an abnormal fear that their parents or other elders close to them will soon die, or act out in terms of violent or destructive behavior. In adulthood, the depressed individual will often become lethargic, avoiding socializing with other people and in a step beyond that of the depressed child, will exhibit an abnormal fear that they themselves will die prematurely, even when there is no basis in fact for such emotions. Older individuals, coming to grips with their own mortality, often become profoundly depressed (Depression, A Multimedia Sourcebook, 1995). Thus, we can see that depression is unfortunately an equal opportunity disease.

The History of Depression

When discussing the history of depression, the terminology often leads to deception and confusion. More specifically, talking of a history of depression gives the impression that depression is something that can be attributed as having begun on a certain date in history, like some sort of event, when in fact, it is completely logical to assume that depression has likely existed as long as has the human species, although the nature of the understanding of the human psyche at the time prohibited the recognition of anything like depression, let alone to diagnose or attempt to treat it in any way. However, a look into the memoirs of some of history's most prominent figures does in fact hint that they may have suffered from depression, albeit unrecognized at the time in which they lived.

Perhaps one of the most prominent American historical figures who likely suffered from what we would today call clinical depression was president Abraham Lincoln, which can be concluded from reviews of his own memoirs and the impressions of people who were close to him in a personal way. For example, Lincoln, in his writings, often refers to what he calls "profound melancholy" and "the black dog", which is perfectly understandable given the fact that he led the United States during one of the most tragic, violent and chaotic times in the nation's history. Do profound was his depression, some claim, that Lincoln not only had bodyguards to ensure his safety from the harm of others, but also to prevent him from harming himself- the modern day equivalent of the suicide watch employed in modern treatment of mentally ill individuals (Callahan, et al, 2004).

While, once again, it is impossible to pinpoint a time in history when depression began, it is possible to define a time in psychological and medical history when what can fairly be called the modern era of the study of depression began. It is universally accepted that the modern age of the study and diagnosis of depression in fact started in the early 1940s due to both advances in psychological and medical knowledge, but also as a matter of necessity due to the huge numbers of individuals who were exhibiting the classic symptoms of depression in the years following World War I and as World War II began to grip the globe. It was also during this time period that the idea emerged that depression was in fact a chronic condition that needed treatment and therapies far beyond just telling the patient to cheer up or to pacify them with the adage that the condition would cease on its own, just like the individual who sometimes feels the regular cases of "the blues" (Callahan, et al, 2004).

Conclusion

With the passage of time and advances in medicine, while depression has not been able to be cured, it can be treated in most cases, giving hope to millions of individuals who, in generations past, would have had to suffer in silence due to a combination of stigma and a lack of treatment options given limitations on therapy and technology. Therefore, in closing, there are several key assertions that can fairly be made about depression: there are definite factors which can be used to help the depressed individual, being depressed is as much a disease as something like heart disease or cancer, but luckily, it does not have to be a fatal one. The challenge for organized psychology and medicine going forward will be to both increase the understanding of the disease and improve treatment options. In one humble opinion, that is the best way that the interests of afflicted individuals and society overall can be served, and this in fact is the noblest way for healthcare professionals to serve the world at large.

Works Cited

Belsky, J. (2007). Experiencing the Lifespan. New York: Worth Publishers.

Callahan, C. M., & Berrios, G. E. (2004). Reinventing Depression: A History of the Treatment of Depression in Primary Care, 1940-2004. New York: Oxford University Press.

Depression Examined. Retrieved December 7, 2008 from the Website of the National Institutes of Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/complete-publication.shtml

Carr, A. (2001). Abnormal Psychology. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Depression A Multimedia Sourcebook (1995). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.