Depression in Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Depression in Women - Essay Example THE symptoms may not seem overly serious at first. Perhaps a person suffers from fatigue, stomach cramps or chest pains. He may find himself waking up at wee hours of the morning for no apparent reason; or the trouble may be difficulty in getting to sleep. Possibly a change in appetite has led to weight loss; or maybe the problem is overweight due to a sudden splurge of eating. Fatigue, physical pains and change in eating or sleeping habits can constitute what doctors call the somatic mask of depression.(McClelland, 2008, 64) What is depression Why does it afflict people Everyone feels 'down in the dumps' on certain occasions. This should not cause alarm, for off days of this type are not what doctors mean when they speak of depression. According to studies, humans when they are afflicted with depression usually loose their essence and realization for the real reasons of living. It could be observed that many among the depressed ones are subjected to situations of failure, feeling of helplessness and the lost of physical energy to face life and enjoy life at the same time. (Amunts, 2008, 15) Loosing these particular elements in life, some depressed individuals resort to suicide simply to end the agony that they are experiencing. A depressed person finds it difficult to perform even the most routine tasks, such as getting dressed, brushing teeth, preparing breakfast and making routine decisions. The third level, where no one can doubt that you're dealing with depression says Yomasue (2008) "is when somebody literally sits in a corner-almost paralyzed-looking into space." (13) Doctors often speak of depression as either acute or chronic. (Wang, 2007, 65) Acute depression sets in from some external cause, such as the death of a loved one, divorce or some other severe loss. Depending on the seriousness of the cause, acute depression may last weeks or even months; but then it disappears. On the other hand, in chronic cases the crippling effects of depression persist month after month. (Amunts, 2008, 54) Another type of sufferer is the manic-depressive. This person seesaws between a "manic" (from manikos, Greek for "mad") state and one of depression. During a manic state, the individual becomes overactive, impulsive, often disorderly in speech and thinking.(Croissant, 2008, 34) Then follows a "normal" period, after which he plunges into depression. Some remain in the manic state most of the time, with only brief low periods. Others are just the opposite, remaining depressed most of the time. And there are those who, for the most part, remain on an even keel except for brief ups and downs.(Liu, 2008, 54) In this study, an understanding of the major issues concerning gender differences on depression occurrences among individuals shall be discussed carefully so as to understand or at least clarify the issues on the claim that women are actually experiencing depression twice as much as men. Explaining the key reasons for this particular matter is the focus of this particular literature-based understanding. Some Common Causes of Depression How widespread is serious depression According to Dr. Nathan S. Kline of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene, "it has been estimated that 15 per cent of the adult population of the United States has some degree of depression which is serious enough to be in need of treatment.(Yomasue,