solution for depression essay

Essays About Depression: Top 8 Examples Plus Prompts

Many people deal with mental health issues throughout their lives; if you are writing essays about depression, you can read essay examples to get started.

An occasional feeling of sadness is something that everyone experiences from time to time. Still, a persistent loss of interest, depressed mood, changes in energy levels, and sleeping problems can indicate mental illness. Thankfully, antidepressant medications, therapy, and other types of treatment can be largely helpful for people living with depression.

People suffering from depression or other mood disorders must work closely with a mental health professional to get the support they need to recover. While family members and other loved ones can help move forward after a depressive episode, it’s also important that people who have suffered from major depressive disorder work with a medical professional to get treatment for both the mental and physical problems that can accompany depression.

If you are writing an essay about depression, here are 8 essay examples to help you write an insightful essay. For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

• 1. My Best Friend Saved Me When I Attempted Suicide, But I Didn’t Save Her by Drusilla Moorhouse
• 2. How can I complain? by James Blake
• 3. What it’s like living with depression: A personal essay by Nadine Dirks
• 4. I Have Depression, and I’m Proof that You Never Know the Battle Someone is Waging Inside by Jac Gochoco
• 5. Essay: How I Survived Depression by Cameron Stout
• 6. I Can’t Get Out of My Sweat Pants: An Essay on Depression by Marisa McPeck-Stringham
• 7. This is what depression feels like by Courtenay Harris Bond

8. Opening Up About My Struggle with Recurring Depression by Nora Super

1. what is depression, 2. how is depression diagnosed, 3. causes of depression, 4. different types of depression, 5. who is at risk of depression, 6. can social media cause depression, 7. can anyone experience depression, the final word on essays about depression, is depression common, what are the most effective treatments for depression, top 8 examples, 1.  my best friend saved me when i attempted suicide, but i didn’t save her  by drusilla moorhouse.

“Just three months earlier, I had been a patient in another medical facility: a mental hospital. My best friend, Denise, had killed herself on Christmas, and days after the funeral, I told my mom that I wanted to die. I couldn’t forgive myself for the role I’d played in Denise’s death: Not only did I fail to save her, but I’m fairly certain I gave her the idea.”

Moorhouse makes painstaking personal confessions throughout this essay on depression, taking the reader along on the roller coaster of ups and downs that come with suicide attempts, dealing with the death of a loved one, and the difficulty of making it through major depressive disorder.

2.  How can I complain?  by James Blake

“I wanted people to know how I felt, but I didn’t have the vocabulary to tell them. I have gone into a bit of detail here not to make anyone feel sorry for me but to show how a privileged, relatively rich-and-famous-enough-for-zero-pity white man could become depressed against all societal expectations and allowances. If I can be writing this, clearly it isn’t only oppression that causes depression; for me it was largely repression.”

Musician James Blake shares his experience with depression and talks about his struggles with trying to grow up while dealing with existential crises just as he began to hit the peak of his fame. Blake talks about how he experienced guilt and shame around the idea that he had it all on the outside—and so many people deal with issues that he felt were larger than his.

3.  What it’s like living with depression: A personal essay   by Nadine Dirks

“In my early adulthood, I started to feel withdrawn, down, unmotivated, and constantly sad. What initially seemed like an off-day turned into weeks of painful feelings that seemed they would never let up. It was difficult to enjoy life with other people my age. Depression made typical, everyday tasks—like brushing my teeth—seem monumental. It felt like an invisible chain, keeping me in bed.”

Dirks shares her experience with depression and the struggle she faced to find treatment for mental health issues as a Black woman. Dirks discusses how even though she knew something about her mental health wasn’t quite right, she still struggled to get the diagnosis she needed to move forward and receive proper medical and psychological care.

4.  I Have Depression, and I’m Proof that You Never Know the Battle Someone is Waging Inside  by Jac Gochoco

“A few years later, at the age of 20, my smile had fallen, and I had given up. The thought of waking up the next morning was too much for me to handle. I was no longer anxious or sad; instead, I felt numb, and that’s when things took a turn for the worse. I called my dad, who lived across the country, and for the first time in my life, I told him everything. It was too late, though. I was not calling for help. I was calling to say goodbye.”

Gochoco describes the war that so many people with depression go through—trying to put on a brave face and a positive public persona while battling demons on the inside. The Olympic weightlifting coach and yoga instructor now work to share the importance of mental health with others.

5.  Essay: How I Survived Depression   by Cameron Stout

“In 1993, I saw a psychiatrist who prescribed an antidepressant. Within two months, the medication slowly gained traction. As the gray sludge of sadness and apathy washed away, I emerged from a spiral of impending tragedy. I helped raise two wonderful children, built a successful securities-litigation practice, and became an accomplished cyclist. I began to take my mental wellness for granted. “

Princeton alum Cameron Stout shared his experience with depression with his fellow Tigers in Princeton’s alumni magazine, proving that even the most brilliant and successful among us can be rendered powerless by a chemical imbalance. Stout shares his experience with treatment and how working with mental health professionals helped him to come out on the other side of depression.

6.  I Can’t Get Out of My Sweat Pants: An Essay on Depression  by Marisa McPeck-Stringham

“Sometimes, when the depression got really bad in junior high, I would come straight home from school and change into my pajamas. My dad caught on, and he said something to me at dinner time about being in my pajamas several days in a row way before bedtime. I learned it was better not to change into my pajamas until bedtime. People who are depressed like to hide their problematic behaviors because they are so ashamed of the way they feel. I was very ashamed and yet I didn’t have the words or life experience to voice what I was going through.”

McPeck-Stringham discusses her experience with depression and an eating disorder at a young age; both brought on by struggles to adjust to major life changes. The author experienced depression again in her adult life, and thankfully, she was able to fight through the illness using tried-and-true methods until she regained her mental health.

7.  This is what depression feels like  by Courtenay Harris Bond

“The smallest tasks seem insurmountable: paying a cell phone bill, lining up a household repair. Sometimes just taking a shower or arranging a play date feels like more than I can manage. My children’s squabbles make me want to scratch the walls. I want to claw out of my own skin. I feel like the light at the end of the tunnel is a solitary candle about to blow out at any moment. At the same time, I feel like the pain will never end.”

Bond does an excellent job of helping readers understand just how difficult depression can be, even for people who have never been through the difficulty of mental illness. Bond states that no matter what people believe the cause to be—chemical imbalance, childhood issues, a combination of the two—depression can make it nearly impossible to function.

“Once again, I spiraled downward. I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t work. I had thoughts of harming myself. This time, my husband urged me to start ECT much sooner in the cycle, and once again, it worked. Within a matter of weeks I was back at work, pretending nothing had happened. I kept pushing myself harder to show everyone that I was “normal.” I thought I had a pattern: I would function at a high level for many years, and then my depression would be triggered by a significant event. I thought I’d be healthy for another ten years.”

Super shares her experience with electroconvulsive therapy and how her depression recurred with a major life event despite several years of solid mental health. Thankfully, Super was able to recognize her symptoms and get help sooner rather than later.

7 Writing Prompts on Essays About Depression

When writing essays on depression, it can be challenging to think of essay ideas and questions. Here are six essay topics about depression that you can use in your essay.

Depression can be difficult to define and understand. Discuss the definition of depression, and delve into the signs, symptoms, and possible causes of this mental illness. Depression can result from trauma or personal circumstances, but it can also be a health condition due to genetics. In your essay, look at how depression can be spotted and how it can affect your day-to-day life. 

Depression diagnosis can be complicated; this essay topic will be interesting as you can look at the different aspects considered in a diagnosis. While a certain lab test can be conducted, depression can also be diagnosed by a psychiatrist. Research the different ways depression can be diagnosed and discuss the benefits of receiving a diagnosis in this essay.

There are many possible causes of depression; this essay discusses how depression can occur. Possible causes of depression can include trauma, grief, anxiety disorders, and some physical health conditions. Look at each cause and discuss how they can manifest as depression.

There are many different types of depression. This essay topic will investigate each type of depression and its symptoms and causes. Depression symptoms can vary in severity, depending on what is causing it. For example, depression can be linked to medical conditions such as bipolar disorder. This is a different type of depression than depression caused by grief. Discuss the details of the different types of depression and draw comparisons and similarities between them.

Certain genetic traits, socio-economic circumstances, or age can make people more prone to experiencing symptoms of depression. Depression is becoming more and more common amongst young adults and teenagers. Discuss the different groups at risk of experiencing depression and how their circumstances contribute to this risk.

Social media poses many challenges to today’s youth, such as unrealistic beauty standards, cyber-bullying, and only seeing the “highlights” of someone’s life. Can social media cause depression in teens? Delve into the negative impacts of social media when writing this essay. You could compare the positive and negative sides of social media and discuss whether social media causes mental health issues amongst young adults and teenagers.

This essay question poses the question, “can anyone experience depression?” Although those in lower-income households may be prone to experiencing depression, can the rich and famous also experience depression? This essay discusses whether the privileged and wealthy can experience their possible causes. This is a great argumentative essay topic, discuss both sides of this question and draw a conclusion with your final thoughts.

When writing about depression, it is important to study examples of essays to make a compelling essay. You can also use your own research by conducting interviews or pulling information from other sources. As this is a sensitive topic, it is important to approach it with care; you can also write about your own experiences with mental health issues.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

FAQs On Essays About Depression

According to the World Health Organization, about 5% of people under 60 live with depression. The rate is slightly higher—around 6%—for people over 60. Depression can strike at any age, and it’s important that people who are experiencing symptoms of depression receive treatment, no matter their age. 

Suppose you’re living with depression or are experiencing some of the symptoms of depression. In that case, it’s important to work closely with your doctor or another healthcare professional to develop a treatment plan that works for you. A combination of antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral therapy is a good fit for many people, but this isn’t necessarily the case for everyone who suffers from depression. Be sure to check in with your doctor regularly to ensure that you’re making progress toward improving your mental health.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

Amanda has an M.S.Ed degree from the University of Pennsylvania in School and Mental Health Counseling and is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer. She has experience writing magazine articles, newspaper articles, SEO-friendly web copy, and blog posts.

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How to Prevent and Manage Depression

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

No one is immune to depression. It can occur in those who are susceptible by virtue of family history or biology; chronic poverty, disease, or deprivation; or childhood experience that resets reactivity of the nervous system so that it overresponds to stress. It can settle in after a series of upsets or losses. But it can also catch people off guard.

Maintaining mental health is a task everyone faces. Just as most people have learned that it takes some work to stay in physical shape, so does mental health require some attention and upkeep. Most of us live fast lives in which insults and injuries accrue that need to be redressed. We may have a clever array of defenses that keep us from knowing what is roiling us below the surface—until it saps all our mental and even physical energy and starts to shut down our ability to function. As with physical health, maintaining mental health and building resilience may be more of a challenge for some than for others. But there are many measures that anyone can take to avoid or even reverse the shutdown cycle that depression imposes.

On This Page

• Can depression be prevented?
• Depression runs in my family—can I avoid it?
• What risk factors for depression can I control?
• What kinds of situations carry a special risk of depression?
• Can changing how I handle stress spare me from depression?
• How can I stop myself once I start slipping into negative thinking?
• Can meditation help ward off depression?
• Are there foods that help fight off depression?
• Are there actions I can take to ward off depresssion?
• Are there common triggers of depression that I can control?
• Is it possible to head off full-blown depression once my mood slips?
• How can I prevent a relapse of depression?

Studies consistently show that episodes of depression can be prevented even among people who have already suffered at least one episode of the disorder. Many factors contribute to bringing on a bout of depression, and it takes attention to many elements to depression-proof yourself. . There are lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, that play important biologic roles. Styles of emotion management and expression can contribute to susceptibility to depression or protect against it. Relationships carry great weight in mental life, and creating healthy relationships is one bulwark against depression. There are patterns of thinking and sets of beliefs that can pave the way for depression, and changing them—an aim of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—can put a brake on depression. Having meaningful goals in life is a powerful antidepressant, and taking practical steps towards them is an evidence-based way of not only preventing but reversing depression.

A family history of depression raises the risk of the disorder, but it does not make it inevitable or even likely. There are many steps that can be taken to minimize the risk or avoid depression . In most cases it isn’t clear exactly what it is that’s transmitted in a family that creates susceptibility. Yes, there may be patterns of genes that lower the threshold for disorder, but families also tend to transmit to their children many mental habits that later influence susceptibility to difficulty. For example, the adults may have pessimistic thinking styles and fatalistic beliefs that get transmitted with every explanation they provide; they may have a positive or negative orientation to the future, or they may have difficulty mounting an effective approach to problem-solving. So too, there might be habits of handling emotions, especially negative feelings, that could pose problems later on in life, especially in the face of difficult experiences. Of the many traits that families pass on, many can be examined and modified as needed.

There are situations and experiences that raise a person’s risk of depression. Chief among them are abusive or chronically conflicted relationships, loss of a relationship or job or anything of significance, and major setbacks or disappointments in any realm of life. While the death of a spouse or the loss of a job may not be under anyone’s control, such situations can be met with the recognition that extra self-protective measures are needed—a heavy dose of self-care, including adequate sleep and exercise; extra emotional support from others; even help with the chores of daily living. Relationships are almost always open to improvement, and professional counseling can be very helpful.

There are also individual traits that create risk for depression. Chief among them are patterns of negative thinking and coping with emotions, particularly in response to difficult experiences. All of them can be changed, with attention and practice, and doing so is one of the main goals of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy. While it may not be possible to change the amount of stress one is regularly subjected to, it is not only possible but desirable to change ways of perceiving and handling stress. Meditation has become a highly popular practice in Western countries for a reason—it is an effective way of lessening reactivity to stress.

Experiences of abuse, neglect, and loss can set the stage for depression, as can personal setbacks and disappointments, such as failure to achieve one’s goals. Any high-stress situation—conflict with the boss, financial problems—can lead to depression if it lasts for a long enough period of time, creates feelings of helplessness, and overwhelms the ability to cognitively and emotionally digest the experience. Because humans are fundamentally social creatures, relationship difficulties, social rejection, and divorce, even when it provides relief from conflict, can precipitate depression. Isolation and loneliness are major risk factors , and while they respect no age or stage of life, are special problems among the elderly. Any chronic illness carries a higher-than-normal risk of depression, and so does sudden life-threatening illness, such as a heart attack or cancer diagnosis. Any of them—or even the memory of them —can trigger the downward spiral of negativity, hopelessness, and immobility that typify depression, but depression is never inevitable in any situation.

Changing ways of handling stress can go a long way to minimizing the risk of depression. In relatively brief bursts, stress is good, fostering alertness, learning, and adaptation. Severe or prolonged stress, however, dysregulates the normal stress response and impairs memory, learning, and general brain functioning; depression is consistently associated with the number of stressors experienced in life. Because some stress is inevitable and not within human power to prevent, maintaining mental health requires a wide array of coping skills, from the ability to articulate feelings to the ability to stay focused.

In addition, it’s possible to cut stress off even before coping skills must be deployed. Attitude plays a major role in the perception of stress. People who see stress as a challenge rather than as a curse recruit positive rather than negative emotions and do not experience the harmful effects of stress hormones on body and brain. Further, learning any of various forms of meditation can enable people to interrupt the automatic response patterns to stress that prove so harmful. Changing perception of stress, curbing reactivity to it by meditation, acquiring an arsenal of coping skills—all are ways of lessening the burden of stress and protecting against depression.

It is possible to choose your thoughts, and the most effective treatment for depression, Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy, is based on that proven possibility. It itemizes the kinds of self-defeating and negative thoughts that appear to be almost automatic in the wake of stress or setback and offers a number of techniques for refuting and rechanneling them. There are many kinds of negative thoughts that destroy mental energy, from all-or-nothing thinking to discounting positives to catastrophizing. For example, after getting turned down for a job you tried hard for, you might get into a funk by concluding ”I’ll never get a job.” But that is an illogical conclusion from one piece of evidence and hardly the only possible outcome. Learning how to stop negative thinking does not require therapy, but therapy offers a well-tuned systematic approach, the opportunity to catch thinking errors, and support for correcting them.

Studies show that one factor consistently associated with depression is the number and degree of major stresses experienced in life. Meditation provides a way of reducing reactivity to the stressful thoughts, feelings, and situations that are a major precipitant of depression. There are many styles of meditation, and meditation has been incorporated into many behavioral therapies for depression. Meditation slows down reaction so that it is not automatic, and it trains people to recognize that, however troubling thoughts and feelings are in the moment, they are not facts, they are transient, and they can be acknowledged without needing to be acted upon. Mindfulness is a popular form of meditation that teaches people to focus on the rhythm of their breathing while letting thoughts and feelings come and go. The goal is to detach people from their thoughts so that they can choose what to pay attention to, rather than automatically buying the negative thoughts of depression and being dragged down by them.

Increasingly, diet is recognized as an important influence on susceptibility to depression, and a recent study shows that an overall healthy diet works against even severe depression . Essentially, any diet that’s good for the heart is also good for the brain, providing a number of nutrients that play key roles in the operations of the nervous system. Numerous studies link traditional Mediterranean-type and Japanese-style diets with low risk of depression. Both eating patterns involve lots of fruits and vegetables, fish more than meat, oils rather than solid fats, and moderate to minimal dairy consumption.

In addition to a generally heathy diet, specific nutrients have been shown to confer depression resistance. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in wild-caught fatty fish such as salmon, maintain cardiovascular integrity and combat inflammation. Normally found in the brain in high concentrations, they make up the membrane of nerve cells and facilitate efficient transmission of nerve signals. They also reverse the nerve cell degeneration that is an effect of depression. Colorful vegetables provide antioxidants, which are especially needed by brain cells and also counter inflammation. Vegetables are also good sources of B vitamins, which play multiple roles in maintaining brain health and, as cofactors for enzymes involved in production of neurotransmitters , directly influence mood. Studies show that berries, with their high antioxidant content, contribute to brain efficiency and protect against neurodegeneration. Olive oil is another food that aids brain function.

Exercise is one of the most effective antidotes to depression. Engaging in simple activity such as walking immediately stimulates the growth of new nerve cell connections—the exit ramp from depression. In addition, engaging in any form of exercise restores a sense of control over one’s life. Studies show that even 15 minutes of physical activity daily can have beneficial effects on mood, energy, and sleep, and it works even in those genetically predisposed to depression. Because depression robs people of motivation and energy, it is important to start somewhere —doing anything is better than doing nothing— and to start small, beginning with a few minutes of walking. Establishing a regular sleep routine helps, as sleep normalizes many body functions disrupted by depression. Depression causes people to shut down; they lose interest in doing things and their world contracts, robbing them of needed sources of stimulation and pleasure. Therefore, doing things, including maintaining social contact—even when it goes against all instincts —brings about benefits on many levels. Sunlight is another antidepressant, and adequate sunlight exposure helps sustain mood.

While stress is a common trigger for depression, exactly what people find stressful can be highly individualistic, as is the capacity to tolerate stress. Stress tolerance is to a large degree under personal control, and the ability to withstand stress can be deliberately cultivated—from knowing how to summon resources such as social support to accessing problem-solving skills. It is also possible to down-regulate another significant trip-switch for depression—negative reactivity to negative experiences, whether romantic rejection or job loss. Such experiences may not be avoidable in life, but the downwardly spiraling patterns of negative thinking they typically set in motion, while they feel automatic and inevitable, can in fact be interrupted and countered, once awareness is drawn to them.

Depression often starts surreptitiously—a disturbance in sleep patterns, feelings of apathy or irritability, withdrawal from friends—and because these shifts all tend to worsen mood, it is the nature of the beast to beget a downward spiral of thinking and feeling and reacting until hopelessness and immobility are all-consuming. It’s possible to intervene but only by becoming aware of the early signals. Then it’s important to quickly engage some countermeasures—which often means fighting the powerful desire to do as little as possible. That is one of t he paradoxes of depression: It pulls you away from the very things that will actually make you better. Here’s where reaching out to a support network can be critical. And forcing yourself to take a 10-minute walk. If you find your mood cratering often enough, you might want to make a list of things to do when that happens and stick it on the refrigerator door, or slip it into your sock drawer for ready access when you need it.

Without exception, one of the goals of treating depression is to prevent future episodes, and that is why Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy is so effective, even for those at high risk of relapse: It teaches ways of stopping the negative thought patterns that feed on themselves to drag people down into depression. The more episodes of depression a person has, the more that negative patterns of thinking take on a life of their own and become automatic. Significantly, the same techniques that therapists teach are available for anyone to deploy—the trick is being able to step out of the thoughts as they’re occurring, becoming aware of them and their oppressive effects, and then opposing them. Studies consistently show that stopping negative rumination is one of the most powerful tools for relapse prevention . So is taking steps to resolve situations that can engender despair, such as chronically conflicted relationships.

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Travel can be a trigger for mood episodes in individuals living with mental health conditions. Here are 5 strategies for maintaining your wellness while traveling.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
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• United States
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• Los Angeles, CA
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How To Write A Strong Essay On Depression?

Table of Contents

Looking for useful information that will help you write a powerful essay on depression? You’ve come to the right place, then!

Depression is a worldwide spread disease that negatively affects how people feel, the way they think, and how they act. It is also the leading cause of disability. There are estimates that more than 300 million people are affected by depression globally, and this condition is also one of the most common mental disorders in the USA.

No wonder depression essay is a typical assignment for high school and college students. The goal of writing about this mental condition is to increase awareness among young people about mental health and help them find solutions to this problem.

In this guide, you will find all the necessary information for writing the best essays on this topic.

Depression essay: what’s the deal?

At some point in our lives, we all may experience symptoms like sadness, loss of interest, lack of pleasure from performing daily activities, etc.

For most people, these symptoms are a completely normal response to unpleasant or stressful events that they experience, for example, romantic relationships failures or financial issues.

Negative feelings are usually painful and overwhelming, but as time goes by, they become less intense and disappear.

But if these feelings persist, they may affect people’s life substantially and result in depression.

In recent decades, clinical depression has reached epidemic proportions and is widespread in the suburbs inner cities, farms, refugee camps, boardrooms, and classrooms, and women are more likely to be depressed than man.

Recent research reveals that the United States is the most depressed country in the world.

When writing an essay about this mental illness, you need to examine different aspects. For example, you may write a postpartum depression essay or explore how this mental condition affects the brain, personality, and physical health.

The choice of topics is endless, but you should follow standard writing requirements when working on your projects. Let’s discuss some important steps of writing an essay about mental disorders in detail.

Depression research paper outline: a brief how-to

Many students skip this stage in the writing process and as a result, may waste a lot of time when doing research and actually writing.

Creating a working outline for your project is an essential step that will help you stay focused and increase your overall productivity. Never skip this crucial step if you want to succeed.

Here are some tips on how you can do it right.

• Choose a topic for your research and do some preliminary reading. Search for some interesting facts and try to think about new ways to address your topic. Scan some articles and look for knowledge gaps.
• Take notes when you see an interesting quote and create a list of your sources. You can use them as references in your essay. Keep all the information you have gathered in one place.
• Write down the objective of your essay in one sentence. Think about the outcome you want to achieve when other people read your essay.
• Look through your notes and make a list of all the important points you want to make. Use brainstorming techniques and write down all ideas that pop into your head.
• Review the points and create a thesis statement for depression research paper or essay.
• Organize the list of points to create a structure of your essay . Put the points in a logical order. Check all aspects to make sure that each of them is relevant to your objective.
• Revise all your points and try to put your outline in a standard format: numbered or bulleted list.

Depression essay introduction: how to start?

The introduction of your essay should provide some context and prepare your readers for the arguments you would present next.

Start your introduction with an attention grabber to engage your audience. It can be a provocative question, statistics, an anecdote, an interesting fact, etc.

Introduce your specific topic and provide some context to help your readers understand your paper. For example, you can define some key terms.

Finish your introduction with a strong thesis statement that clearly and concisely states the central argument or the purpose of your paper.

e.g., Students who drop out of a high school before graduation are more susceptible to depression and anxiety and have a higher risk of facing mental and physical health problems later in life.

You may also briefly outline the major points of your paper to help your audience follow your argument.

Depression essay conclusion: what should be included?

The conclusion is the last chance to impress your readers so it can be the most challenging part of an essay to write.

It should give your paper a sense of completeness and answer the question, “so what?”

You need to restate your main claim and tie that claim to a larger discussion. Don’t introduce any new ideas or subtopics here.

You can conclude your paper using one of the following strategies:

• Call for a specific action.
• Outline next steps for other researchers.
• Speak about future implications.
• Compare different situations or issues.
• Use a quotation.
• Ask a provocative question.

The use of depression essay example

A good essay example may help you understand how your project must be written. You can find a lot of essay examples online or order a well-written example from a professional writer.

You should read it and analyze what strategies and techniques are used to convey the main ideas and make an impression on readers.

Besides, you can get a better understanding of how you can structure your paper and what transitions you can use to ensure a logical flow of ideas.

Essay on depression: what to cover?

Writing about depression in college essay can involve a lot of different topics, especially those connected with the epidemic of mental disorders in teens.

For example, you may write causes of teenage depression essay and discuss multiple factors that create chemical imbalances in the human brain which may result in mental disorders and lead to such symptoms like anger, irritability, and agitation:

• Biological factors – family history of mental disorders.
• Social factors – loneliness and isolation, lack of meaningful relationships with family or peers.
• Behavioral factors – alcohol or drug abuse.
• Psychological factors – early childhood trauma, recent stressful experiences like a death in the family.

TOP-10 depression essay topics

• Effects of mood disorders on physical health.
• Causes of depression among teens.
• Compare depression and bipolar disorder.
• Neurodegenerative effects of long-term depression.
• Mental disorders and personality changes in adults.
• Impact of psychological stress on mental disorders.
• Teen depression and suicide.
• Depression symptoms in children and adults.
• Are we witnessing an epidemic of serious mood disorders?
• Digital media and mental disorders in children.

Argumentative essay on depression: how to prove you’re right?

Argumentative essay on depression is a more complex task because you need to take a stance and create a convincing argument to persuade your readers and make them accept your point of view or take a specific action.

You need compelling evidence to support your claims and main points.

Consult credible online sources, for example, a website of the American Psychiatric Association, to find some facts or statistics about mental disorders or news about current research on the topic.

Review some statistics which you can use to support your argument.

• According to estimates, about 15% of adults experience depressive episodes in their lifetime.
• About 5% of the US population experience seasonal depression every year.
• The most “depressed” countries in the world are the USA, France, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Colombia.
• Japan has one of the lowest depression rates in the world, but it has one of the highest suicide rates, which is one of the leading causes of death among Japanese teens.
• 4.8% of men and 8.5% of women suffer from depression in the USA.
• The median age of people experiencing a major depressive episode is 32.
• More than 44,000 American commit suicide each year and it’s the 2nd leading cause of death for young people aged from 15 to 24.

Argumentative essay topics about depression

• Is there any correlation between burnout, depression, and anxiety?
• How to deal with a crisis when living with mental disorders?
• Is it common to have both anxiety and depression at the same time?
• Can sleep deprivation cause mental disorders?
• Is there any relationship between the consumption of certain food and mental disorders?
• Can food help with overcoming anxiety?
• Social media obsession and mental health issues.
• Why do a lot of teens struggle with mental disorders?
• Can exercise treat mental health issues?
• How can we tell the difference between grief and depression?

Feel free to choose any of these interesting topics and write your own depression essay.

Although mental disorders are a complicated thing to write about, you are much likely to successfully cope with this challenging task if you follow our easy guidelines.

Depressed with the task to write depression? Forget the anxiety! Order your paper within three clicks and enjoy the bright side of life!

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• It's Not Just You

Allie Brosh on Her New Book and the Trouble With Solutions

( SUBSCRIBE here to have It’s Not Just You, a new newsletter by Susanna Schrobsdorff, TIME Editor at Large, delivered to your inbox weekly. A version of this article appeared in this week’s It’s Not Just You.)

🌞 Well hello! I’m so glad you’re here. We have an interview with the fierce and funny author and artist, Allie Brosh , plus advice on recognizing if someone you love is struggling with depression even if they’re not physically near you, and dogs, lots of dogs.

ALLIE BROSH AND THE TROUBLE WITH SOLUTIONS

This week, instead of an essay I wanted to share the art and words of Allie Brosh , author of the brilliant graphic memoirs, Hyperbole and a Half , and her most recent bestseller, Solutions and Other Problems .

We’re entering a particularly isolating and daunting winter for those already struggling with mental health issues, so I thought it would be soul-edifying to hear from Allie, who’s been so open and wise about all the hard stuff—depression, anxiety, and loneliness. For those who don’t know her comedic stories, Allie draws herself as a little creature with froggy eyes and a flying yellow ponytail. And she describes the tone of Solutions and Other Problems , as:

A wildlife documentary about one really weird animal, which was written and directed by the animal.

Hyperbole and a Half , Allie’s first book, came out seven years ago and inspired a million memes. Between then and now, she basically disappeared from the Internet, leaving her fans worried and longing for her return. In that time, she navigated the loss of her younger sister Kaiti to suicide, the end of a marriage, and serious medical issues.

It’s all in Solutions and Other Problems, along with goofy tales of childhood and hilarious takes on modern inanities including tyrannical and invasive smart devices like a car stereo that “will not stop until it is certain that I am adequately interacted with and all my needs have been met, forcibly if necessary.”

In a section called “The Serious Part,” Allie writes about her family after her sister died. And because I’m also someone who lost a sibling to suicide, I can say that Allie’s words about how complex this kind of grief can be are as real and true as any I’ve read.

She writes of her sister: We’d always had a strange relationship and I wasn’t prepared for it to be over. I don’t think either of us understood how much I loved her. It seemed like there’d be enough time to sort it out. But we’ll never get to sort it out. And I’ll never get to say sorry. And I’ll never know why.”

🌺 THE INTERVIEW

Here’s Allie’s take on everything from self-help culture to things about severe depression that might surprise you if you haven’t experienced it, and why solutions are often the start of problems.

Susanna Schrobsdorff: Solutions and Other Problems is a genius title—what does it mean to you?

Allie Brosh : So, you know that thing where you have a problem, and in trying to solve the problem you generate a brand new type of problem? It’s sort of about that. How the solutions themselves become the next generation of problems. Because no solution is perfect.

You had a chapter about trying to practice loving-kindness, joking that you’d always thought you’d be one of the greats at that. It was so funny, but it was deeper than that too.

Among other things, that chapter was secretly about intentions. You can have good intentions, and end up causing weird things to happen, but you’ve still got to try, you know?

It was also about the one-way grocery-store friendships I have. Grocery-store people are my people. There have been years where going to the grocery store was my main form of socialization. It felt comforting to go to the grocery store. Because that’s where my friends were. They didn’t know they were my friends, but I like it that way. There’s no pressure. I see them, they see me, and that’s enough.

What do you think about our self-improvement culture generally?

I think self-improvement itself is a good thing, but sometimes the message gets a little muddled. Like, it sort of feels like self-help books are designed more to sell books than to offer practical help. There’s not a lot of realism in there. A realistic self-help book wouldn ’ t sound like “Easily banish your anxiety with these simple tricks!” It would sound like “Moderately improve your anxiety over a span of many years by continuously choosing to do the hard thing instead of the easy thing, and there’s no real end point—you have to keep going indefinitely if you want to keep improving. ” And I think that really holds self-help back—the promise of easy results.

If I’ve ever managed to improve myself, it took a very long time, and it definitely wasn’t easy. And going in expecting the type of dramatic results being promised was actually pretty confusing.

When my depression or anxiety was still there months later, it felt like failing, instead of what should be expected with persistent psychological issues like anxiety and depression .

If you’re expecting it to be easy, you’re probably going to feel disappointed. You won’t even notice the improvements, probably. Because they’re very small. In my experience, it’s far more helpful to go in expecting to work hard to make gradual, realistic improvements on your overall strategy. It’s definitely possible to improve, but I don’t trust anything that promises to make it easy.

Do you feel the book has particular resonance during this pandemic when so many people are feeling alone?

As far as the resonance it has for this time, I didn’t know quarantine was going to happen when I wrote the material, but I do hope that the last chapter in particular—the one about being your own friend—could be helpful for people feeling a similar type of loneliness to what I was feeling when I wrote it. It was a deep, new kind of loneliness that I’d never felt before, and I really empathize with anybody going through something like that, whether because of quarantine, or something else, or both. Loneliness is hard, and sometimes there aren’t very many external things you can do to change it. At the very least, I hoped that talking about loneliness openly would help make it less scary.

How have people responded to your writing about hard stuff: depression, loneliness and anxiety?

The response has been very warm and supportive. People will reach out to me, saying those sections helped them feel less alone in their struggles, and then they ask how I’m doing, and if I’m O.K. It’s beautiful.

Sometimes I feel scared to be vulnerable, but I don’t think I’ve ever regretted it. I think it’s good to be vulnerable; it shows people that it’s safe to be vulnerable too. And, for the most part, I think people appreciate that. Actually, one of the comments I have saved in my special folder is somebody who said, “Thank you for going first.” I’ve probably read that one a hundred times. It helps me remember that I don’t need to feel scared.

You write for the first time about losing your younger sister Kaitlin, who died by suicide in 2013. Can you talk a little bit about her and what it meant to bring her into your book?

As children, Kaiti and I didn’t really know what to make of each other. In some ways, we were close; in others, we were rivals.

We shared a bedroom until I was 17, and we were both introverts, and we were both kind of weird and sensitive, and some days it was tense. But there were also days where we’d go to the lake to look for snakes. She’s the only person I’ve ever known who felt as enthusiastic about finding snakes as me. There aren’t a lot of little girls who like to do that, but she did. She was my snake-finding buddy.

There’s a type of understanding between siblings that you don’t get anywhere else. You grew up together. You were raised by the same people. There are quirks you share that nobody else has. It can be hard to see them, but they’re there.

When I was finishing the book, it was very painful to relive the happy memories, but also cathartic. In a way, drawing those memories for the book allowed me to feel connected to her again. Because when you’re drawing, it feels like interacting with the subject. And I was surprised by how therapeutic that was.

What advice would you give to a person who loves someone who is depressed?

As always, there’s the caveat that different people experience depression slightly differently, and what works for one person might not work for the next, but for me what has been most helpful is when somebody shows a willingness to understand, and also a willingness to just quietly be there if that’s what I need. Sometimes it feels good to talk about it; sometimes it’s too overwhelming, and it feels helpful when somebody lets me know that it’s O.K. to not feel O.K. right away. Because it isn’t always possible to feel O.K. right away—sometimes I don’t feel O.K. for a very long time—and it takes a lot of the extra stress out of the experience to know the other person understands that.

In general, understanding is good.

There are a lot of weird aspects [of depression] that are difficult to explain—like the fact that even a deeply depressed person doesn’t SEEM depressed all the time.

A couple years ago, I noticed that I was kind of restraining myself during those fleeting moments of levity, because I was self-conscious about how confusing it would be. And that’s just silly! I mean, how rare and valuable are those happy little moments, when you’re depressed? And I was trying to suppress them!

I don’t really know what somebody could say or do to help with that, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to understand that it’s a part of the experience for some folks. 💌

✨ Check out Allie’s books and her blog here.

Coping kit ⛱️.

⛑️ What To Do If You’re Worried About a Loved One’s Mental Health This important piece from the Washington Post has advice on how to spot signs that someone’s struggling even if you can’t see them in person, as well as how to help.

' You mean so much to me,' or, 'I love you.' Those are lifesaving words that only loved ones can say that are incredibly connecting and powerful for people who are feeling desperate and alone.

–John Draper, executive director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

🎙 You and Me Both With Hillary Clinton: A Conversation About Mental Health In a recent episode of her podcast , Clinton talks with three people who have spoken openly about their mental health struggles: Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald, veterans advocate Jason Kander, and author Allie Brosh.

NEW to It’s Not Just You? Subscribe here to get a weekly dose of empathy in your mailbox.

A Million ❤️s Connected

This Sunday, December 13, you’ll get to meet some of our inspiring friends at Pandemic of Love when CNN features this grassroots volunteer-run aid organization in their 2020 CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute broadcast at 8pm ET. The timing is perfect. POL founder Shelly Tygielski (pictured above) reports that as of this week, the group has matched one million people–givers and those in need–since March 14.

It all started with Shelly’s belief that if you could find a way to match good-hearted donors directly with individuals, people would step up. And hundreds of thousands have.

And for more evidence of human kindness, check out this CBS video report about Beth Eiglarsh, a mom from Hollywood, Florida (and Pandemic of Love) patron who was paired with Sean Noriega, a former New York City school teacher who left work after being diagnosed with throat cancer. Beth helped Sean with food, finances, and more. Sean describes what her outreach meant like this:

When I use the word angel (to describe Beth), I don't use it lightly. I really do mean that word literally because this lady saved my life.

Guardians of the Year

Check out TIME’s Guardians of the Year cover story which includes Dr. Anthony Fauci and the frontline healthcare workers who’ve been battling this pandemic for almost a year.

Many of you sent me notes nominating healthcare workers, some of you named persons of the year that you know personally: a nursing home aide who has become your essential connection to a parent, a “porch angel” who dropped off groceries and meals for weeks when your whole family was sick, the person who sent you care packages when you were isolated. So to all of those persons of the year, we send our collective gratitude: You are what’s holding the country together.

MESSAGE OF THE MOMENT 🦋

The social messages brands promote are both a reflection of the zeitgeist and a driver of the culture. So it’s worth noting that several are launching overt calls for kindness this year. We sure hope that we can find empathy in our hearts without an external prompt in this time of need, but it sure can’t hurt to spread the word.

🌈 Kind Little Monsters

Lady Gaga and Oreo have partnered to promote musical messages of kindness and connection with a special line of pink and green cookies inspired by her 2020 album “Chromatica.” Starting December 15th, fans can record a personal message for a loved one on the “Sing It With Oreo” website which transforms the recording into a song to share on social.

The cookie maker is also pledging to donate to Born This Way Foundation , which Lady Gaga founded with her mom, Cynthia Germanotta, in 2012 to support youth mental health programs and promote kindness.

📗 And if you want to support Born This Way Foundation directly and support gorgeous stories of empathy and connection this holiday, gift a copy of Channel Kindness, a book of stories about creating safe spaces for LBBTQ+ youth, embracing kindness and “helping others without the expectation of anything in return.”

💐 Kindness In the Aerie

Aerie has set up a kindness hotline through Christmas that allows callers to choose different messages: kindness for yourself, for others, for the world, and online. Influential voices delivering those words of comfort include Aly Raisman , Storm Reid , and Iskra Lawrence . Iskra, an #AerieREAL Role Model, says she got involved because this turbulent year “has impacted the mental and physical health of so many people. So, being understanding of what others are going through is vital.” Aerie’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Stacey McCormick adds: “It’s been overwhelming to experience so many people sharing kindness with themselves, others, and the world – and we hope it doesn’t end with the season, but continues 24/7, 365 days a year.”

👉To call the #AerieREAL Kind hotline dial: 1-844-KIND-365

COMFORT DOGS 🐕🐕

Our weekly acknowledgment of the creatures that help us make it through the storm.

🌟More ‘curious and about to get into mischief’, than ‘comfort’ dogs, but sweet all the same. Meet Otis & Beatrice, shared by Jeannie in Brooklyn, NY

🎈Send questions, requests, or your comfort animal pix to me at [email protected]

🌺 Did someone forward you this newsletter? SUBSCRIBE to It’s Not Just You here.

More Must-Reads From TIME

• Exclusive: Google Workers Revolt Over $1.2 Billion Contract With Israel
• Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
• Stop Looking for Your Forever Home
• The Sympathizer Counters 50 Years of Hollywood Vietnam War Narratives
• The Bliss of Seeing the Eclipse From Cleveland
• Hormonal Birth Control Doesn’t Deserve Its Bad Reputation
• The Best TV Shows to Watch on Peacock
• Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Contact us at [email protected]

Parent’s Guide to Teen Depression

Are you feeling suicidal, coping with depression.

• Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD): How to Cope with Severe PMS
• I Feel Depressed: 9 Ways to Deal with Depression
• Depression Types and Causes: Clinical, Major, and Others
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): How it Works and What to Expect

Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs

• Online Therapy: Is it Right for You?
• Mental Health
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• Children & Family
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Are you or someone you know in crisis?

• Bipolar Disorder
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What is teen depression?

Signs and symptoms of teen depression, coping with suicidal thoughts, why am i depressed, overcoming teen depression tip 1: talk to an adult you trust, tip 2: try not to isolate yourself—it makes depression worse, tip 3: adopt healthy habits, tip 4: manage stress and anxiety, how to help a depressed teen friend, dealing with teen depression.

No matter how despondent life seems right now, there are many things you can do to start feeling better today. Use these tools to help yourself or a friend.

The teenage years can be really tough and it’s perfectly normal to feel sad or irritable every now and then. But if these feelings don’t go away or become so intense that you feel overwhelmingly hopeless and helpless, you may be suffering from depression.

Teen depression is much more than feeling temporarily sad or down in the dumps. It’s a serious and debilitating mood disorder that can change the way you think, feel, and function in your daily life, causing problems at home, school, and in your social life. When you’re depressed, you may feel hopeless and isolated and it can seem like no one understands. But depression is far more common in teens than you may think. The increased academic pressures, social challenges, and hormonal changes of the teenage years mean that about one in five of us suffer with depression in our teens. You’re not alone and your depression is not a sign of weakness or a character flaw.

Even though it can feel like the black cloud of depression will never lift, there are plenty of things you can do to help yourself deal with symptoms, regain your balance and feel more positive, energetic, and hopeful again.

If you’re a parent or guardian worried about your child…

While it isn’t always easy to differentiate from normal teenage growing pains, teen depression is a serious health problem that goes beyond moodiness. As a parent, your love, guidance, and support can go a long way toward helping your teen overcome depression and get their life back on track. Read Parent’s Guide to Teen Depression .

It can be hard to put into words exactly how depression feels—and we don’t all experience it the same way. For some teens, depression is characterized by feelings of bleakness and despair. For others, it’s a persistent anger or agitation, or simply an overwhelming sense of “emptiness.” However depression affects you, though, there are some common symptoms that you may experience:

• You constantly feel irritable, sad, or angry.
• Nothing seems fun anymore—even the activities you used to love—and you just don’t see the point of forcing yourself to do them.
• You feel bad about yourself—worthless, guilty, or just “wrong” in some way.
• You sleep too much or not enough.
• You’ve turned to alcohol or drugs to try to change the way you feel .
• You have frequent, unexplained headaches or other physical pains or problems.
• Anything and everything makes you cry.
• You’re extremely sensitive to criticism.
• You’ve gained or lost weight without consciously trying to.
• You’re having trouble concentrating, thinking straight, or remembering things. Your grades may be plummeting because of it.
• You feel helpless and hopeless.
• You’re thinking about death or suicide. (If so, talk to someone right away!)

If your negative feelings caused by depression become so overwhelming that you can’t see any solution besides harming yourself or others, you need to get help right away . Asking for help when you’re in the midst of such strong emotions can be really difficult, but it’s vital you reach out to someone you trust—a friend, family member, or teacher, for example. If you don’t feel that you have anyone to talk to, or think that talking to a stranger might be easier, call a suicide helpline . You’ll be able to speak in confidence to someone who understands what you’re going through and can help you deal with your feelings.

Whatever your situation, it takes real courage to face death and step back from the brink. You can use that courage to help you keep going and overcome depression.

There is ALWAYS another solution, even if you can’t see it right now. Many people who have survived a suicide attempt say that they did it because they mistakenly felt there was no other solution to a problem they were experiencing. At the time, they couldn’t see another way out, but in truth, they didn’t really want to die. Remember that no matter how badly you feel, these emotions will pass.

Having thoughts of hurting yourself or others does not make you a bad person. Depression can make you think and feel things that are out of character. No one should judge you or condemn you for these feelings if you are brave enough to talk about them.

If your feelings are uncontrollable, tell yourself to wait 24 hours before you take any action. This can give you time to really think things through and give yourself some distance from the strong emotions that are plaguing you. During this 24-hour period, try to talk to someone—anyone—as long as they are not another suicidal or depressed person. Call a hotline or talk to a friend. What do you have to lose?

If you’re afraid you can’t control yourself, make sure you are never alone. Even if you can’t verbalize your feelings, just stay in public places, hang out with friends or family members, or go to a movie—anything to keep from being by yourself and in danger.

If you're thinking about suicide…

Please read Are You Feeling Suicidal? or call a helpline:

• In the U.S.: 988
• UK: 116 123
• Australia: 13 11 14
• To find a helpline in other countries, visit IASP or Suicide.org .

Remember, suicide is a “permanent solution to a temporary problem.” Please take that first step and reach out now.

Despite what you may have been told, depression is not simply caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain that can be cured with medication. Rather, depression is caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors . Since the teenage years can be a time of great turmoil and uncertainty, you’re likely facing a host of pressures that could contribute to your depression symptoms. These can range from hormonal changes to problems at home or school or questions about who you are and where you fit in.

As a teen, you’re more likely to suffer from depression if you have a family history of depression or have experienced early childhood trauma, such as the loss of a parent or physical or emotional abuse .

Risk factors for teen depression

Risk factors that can trigger or exacerbate depression in teens include:

• Serious illness, chronic pain, or physical disability .
• Having other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, an eating disorder , learning disorder , or ADHD.
• Alcohol or drug abuse.
• Academic or family problems.
• Trauma from violence or abuse.
• Recent stressful life experiences, such as parental divorce or the death of a loved one.
• Coping with your sexual identity in an unsupportive environment.
• Loneliness and lack of social support.
• Spending too much time on social media .

If you’re being bullied…

The stress of bullying—whether it’s online, at school, or elsewhere—is very difficult to live with. It can make you feel helpless, hopeless, and ashamed: the perfect recipe for depression.

If you’re being bullied, know that it’s not your fault. No matter what a bully says or does, you should not be ashamed of who you are or what you feel. Bullying is abuse and you don’t have to put up with it . You deserve to feel safe, but you’ll most likely need help. Find support from friends who don’t bully and turn to an adult you trust—whether it’s a parent, teacher, counselor, pastor, coach, or the parent of a friend.

Whatever the causes of your depression, the following tips can help you overcome your symptoms, change how you feel, and regain your sense of hope and enthusiasm.

Depression is not your fault, and you didn’t do anything to cause it. However, you do have some control over feeling better. The first step is to ask for help.

Speak to a Licensed Therapist

BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more. Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours.

Talking to someone about depression

It may seem like there’s no way your parents will be able to help, especially if they are always nagging you or getting angry about your behavior. The truth is, parents hate to see their kids hurting. They may feel frustrated because they don’t understand what is going on with you or know how to help.

• If your parents are abusive in any way, or if they have problems of their own that makes it difficult for them to take care of you, find another adult you trust (such as a relative, teacher, counselor, or coach). This person can either help you approach your parents, or direct you toward the support you need.
• If you truly don’t have anyone you can talk to, there are many hotlines, services, and support groups that can help.
• No matter what, talk to someone, especially if you are having any thoughts of harming yourself or others. Asking for help is the bravest thing you can do, and the first step on your way to feeling better.

The importance of accepting and sharing your feelings

It can be hard to open up about how you’re feeling—especially when you’re feeling depressed, ashamed, or worthless. It’s important to remember that many people struggle with feelings like these at one time or another—it doesn’t mean that you’re weak, fundamentally flawed, or no good. Accepting your feelings and opening up about them with someone you trust will help you feel less alone.

Even though it may not feel like it at the moment, people do love and care about you. If you can muster the courage to talk about your depression, it can—and will—be resolved. Some people think that talking about sad feelings will make them worse, but the opposite is almost always true. It is very helpful to share your worries with someone who will listen and care about what you say. They don’t need to be able to “fix” you; they just need to be good listeners.

Depression causes many of us to withdraw into our shells. You may not feel like seeing anybody or doing anything and some days just getting out of bed in the morning can be difficult. But isolating yourself only makes depression worse. So even if it’s the last thing you want to do, try to force yourself to stay social. As you get out into the world and connect with others, you’ll likely find yourself starting to feel better.

Spend time face-to-face with friends who make you feel good —especially those who are active, upbeat, and understanding. Avoid hanging out with those who abuse drugs or alcohol, get you into trouble, or make you feel judged or insecure.

Get involved in activities you enjoy (or used to). Getting involved in extracurricular activities seem like a daunting prospect when you’re depressed, but you’ll feel better if you do. Choose something you’ve enjoyed in the past, whether it be a sport, an art, dance or music class, or an after-school club. You might not feel motivated at first, but as you start to participate again, your mood and enthusiasm will begin to lift.

Volunteer. Doing things for others is a powerful antidepressant and happiness booster. Volunteering for a cause you believe in can help you feel reconnected to others and the world, and give you the satisfaction of knowing you’re making a difference.

Cut back on your social media use. While it may seem that losing yourself online will temporarily ease depression symptoms, it can actually make you feel even worse. Comparing yourself unfavorably with your peers on social media , for example, only promotes feelings of depression and isolation. Remember: people always exaggerate the positive aspects of their lives online, brushing over the doubts and disappointments that we all experience. And even if you’re just interacting with friends online, it’s no replacement for in-person contact. Eye-to-eye contact, a hug, or even a simple touch on the arm from a friend can make all the difference to how you’re feeling.

Making healthy lifestyle choices can do wonders for your mood. Things like eating right, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep have been shown to make a huge difference when it comes to depression.

Get moving! Ever heard of a “runner’s high”? You actually get a rush of endorphins from exercising, which makes you feel instantly happier. Physical activity can be as effective as medications or therapy for depression, so get involved in sports, ride your bike, or take a dance class. Any activity helps! If you’re not feeling up to much, start with a short daily walk, and build from there.

Be smart about what you eat. An unhealthy diet can make you feel sluggish and tired, which worsens depression symptoms. Junk food , refined carbs, and sugary snacks are the worst culprits! They may give you a quick boost, but they’ll leave you feeling worse in the long run. Make sure you’re feeding your mind with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Talk to your parents, doctor, or school nurse about how to ensure your diet is adequately nutritious.

Avoid alcohol and drugs. You may be tempted to drink or use drugs in an effort to escape from your feelings and get a “mood boost,” even if just for a short time. However, as well as causing depression in the first place, substance use will only make depression worse in the long run. Alcohol and drug use can also increase suicidal feelings. If you’re addicted to alcohol or drugs , seek help. You will need special treatment for your substance problem on top of whatever treatment you’re receiving for your depression.

Aim for eight hours of sleep each night.  Feeling depressed as a teenager typically disrupts your sleep. Whether you’re sleeping too little or too much, your mood will suffer. But you can get on a better sleep schedule  by adopting healthy sleep habits.

For many teens, stress and anxiety can go hand-in-hand with depression. Unrelenting stress, doubts, or fears can sap your emotional energy, affect your physical health, send your anxiety levels soaring, and trigger or exacerbate depression.

If you’re suffering from an anxiety disorder , it can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Perhaps you endure intense anxiety attacks that strike without warning, get panicky at the thought of speaking in class, experience uncontrollable, intrusive thoughts, or live in a constant state of worry. Since anxiety makes depression worse (and vice versa), it’s important to get help for both conditions.

Tips for managing stress

Managing the stress in your life starts with identifying the sources of that stress:

• If exams or classes seem overwhelming, for example, talk to a teacher or school counselor, or find ways of improving how you manage your time.
• If you have a health concern you feel you can’t talk to your parents about—such as a pregnancy scare or drug problem —seek medical attention at a clinic or see a doctor. A health professional can guide you towards appropriate treatment (and help you approach your parents if that’s necessary).
• If you’re struggling to fit in or dealing with relationship, friendship, or family difficulties, talk your problems over with your school counselor or a professional therapist. Exercise, meditation , muscle relaxation, and breathing exercises are other good ways to cope with stress.
• If your own negative thoughts and chronic worrying are contributing to your everyday stress levels, you can take steps to break the habit and regain control of your worrying mind.

If you’re a teenager with a friend who seems down or troubled, you may suspect depression. But how do you know it’s not just a passing phase or a bad mood? Look for common warning signs of teen depression:

• Your friend doesn’t want to do the things you guys used to love to do.
• Your friend starts using alcohol or drugs or hanging with a bad crowd.
• Your friend stops going to classes and after-school activities.
• Your friend talks about being bad, ugly, stupid, or worthless.
• Your friend starts talking about death or suicide.

Teens typically rely on their friends more than their parents or other adults, so you may find yourself in the position of being the first—or only—person that your depressed friend confides in. While this might seem like a huge responsibility, there are many things you can do to help :

Get your friend to talk to you. Starting a conversation about depression can be daunting, but you can say something simple: “You seem like you are really down, and not yourself. I really want to help you. Is there anything I can do?”

You don’t need to have the answers. Your friend just needs someone to listen and be supportive. By listening and responding in a non-judgmental and reassuring manner, you are helping in a major way.

Encourage your friend to get help. Urge your depressed friend to talk to a parent, teacher, or counselor. It might be scary for your friend to admit to an authority figure that they have a problem. Having you there might help, so offer to go along for support.

Stick with your friend through the hard times. Depression can make people do and say things that are hurtful or strange. But your friend is going through a very difficult time, so try not to take it personally. Once your friend gets help, they will go back to being the person you know and love. In the meantime, make sure you have other friends or family taking care of you. Your feelings are important and need to be respected, too.

Speak up if your friend is suicidal. If your friend is joking or talking about suicide, giving possessions away, or saying goodbye, tell a trusted adult immediately. Your only responsibility at this point is to get your friend help , and get it fast. Even if you promised not to tell, your friend needs your help. It’s better to have a friend who is temporarily angry at you than one who is no longer alive.

Depression support, suicide prevention help

Depression support.

Find  DBSA Chapters/Support Groups  or call the  NAMI Helpline  for support and referrals at 1-800-950-6264

Find  Depression support groups  in-person and online or call the  Mind Infoline  at 0300 123 3393

Call the  SANE Help Centre  at 1800 18 7263

Call  Mood Disorders Society of Canada  at 519-824-5565

Call the Vandrevala Foundation  Helpline (India)  at 1860 2662 345 or 1800 2333 330

Suicide prevention help

Call  988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline  at 988

Call  Samaritans UK  at 116 123

Call  Lifeline Australia  at 13 11 14

Visit  IASP  or  Suicide.org  to find a helpline near you

More Information

• Depression: What You Need to Know - Depression in teenagers, including symptoms, remedies, and how to talk to your parents. (TeensHealth)
• Depression in Teens - Recognizing and treating adolescent depression. (Mental Health America)
• How to Talk to Your Parents About Getting Help - Speaking up for yourself is the first step to getting better. (Child Mind Institute)
• Petito, A., Pop, T. L., Namazova-Baranova, L., Mestrovic, J., Nigri, L., Vural, M., Sacco, M., Giardino, I., Ferrara, P., & Pettoello-Mantovani, M. (2020). The Burden of Depression in Adolescents and the Importance of Early Recognition. The Journal of Pediatrics, 218, 265-267.e1. Link
• Hallfors, D. D., Waller, M. W., Ford, C. A., Halpern, C. T., Brodish, P. H., & Iritani, B. (2004). Adolescent depression and suicide risk: Association with sex and drug behavior. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 27(3), 224–231. Link
• Merikangas, K. R., He, J., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., Benjet, C., Georgiades, K., & Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders in U.S. Adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10), 980–989. Link
• Bhatia, S. K., & Bhatia, S. C. (2007). Childhood and Adolescent Depression. American Family Physician, 75(1), 73–80. Link
• NIMH » Major Depression. (n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2021, from Link
• Depressive Disorders. (2013). In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association. Link

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434 Depression Essay Titles & Research Topics: Argumentative, Controversial, and More

Depression is undeniably one of the most prevalent mental health conditions globally, affecting approximately 5% of adults worldwide. It often manifests as intense feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and a loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities. Many also experience physical symptoms like fatigue, sleep disturbances, and appetite changes. Recognizing and addressing this mental disorder is extremely important to save lives and treat the condition.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to write an essay about depression and introduce depression essay topics and research titles for students that may be inspirational.

• 🔝 Top Depression Essay Titles
• ✅ Essay Prompts
• 💡 Research Topics
• 🔎 Essay Titles
• 💭 Speech Topics
• 📝 Essay Structure

🔗 References

🔝 top 12 research titles about depression.

• How is depression treated?
• Depression: Risk factors.
• The symptoms of depression.
• What types of depression exist?
• Depression in young people.
• Differences between anxiety and depression.
• The parents’ role in depression therapy.
• Drugs as the root cause of depression.
• Dangerous consequences of untreated depression.
• Effect of long-term depression.
• Different stages of depression.
• Treatment for depression.

✅ Prompts for Essay about Depression

Struggling to find inspiration for your essay? Look no further! We’ve put together some valuable essay prompts on depression just for you!

Prompt for Personal Essay about Depression

Sharing your own experience with depression in a paper can be a good idea. Others may feel more motivated to overcome their situation after reading your story. You can also share valuable advice by discussing things or methods that have personally helped you deal with the condition.

For example, in your essay about depression, you can:

• Tell about the time you felt anxious, hopeless, or depressed;
• Express your opinion on depression based on the experiences from your life;
• Suggest a way of dealing with the initial symptoms of depression ;
• Share your ideas on how to protect mental health at a young age.

How to Overcome Depression: Essay Prompt

Sadness is a common human emotion, but depression encompasses more than just sadness. As reported by the National Institute of Mental Health, around 21 million adults in the United States, roughly 8.4% of the total adult population , faced at least one significant episode of depression in 2020. When crafting your essay about overcoming depression, consider exploring the following aspects:

• Depression in young people and adolescents;
• The main causes of depression;
• The symptoms of depression;
• Ways to treat depression;
• Help from a psychologist (cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy ).

Postpartum Depression: Essay Prompt

The birth of a child often evokes a spectrum of powerful emotions, spanning from exhilaration and happiness to apprehension and unease. It can also trigger the onset of depression. Following childbirth, many new mothers experience postpartum “baby blues,” marked by shifts in mood, bouts of tears, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. To shed light on the subject of postpartum depression, explore the following questions:

• What factors may increase the risk of postpartum depression?
• Is postpartum depression predictable?
• How to prevent postpartum depression?
• What are the symptoms of postpartum depression?
• What kinds of postpartum depression treatments exist?

Prompt for Essay about Teenage Depression

Teenage depression is a mental health condition characterized by sadness and diminishing interest in daily activities. It can significantly impact a teenager’s thoughts, emotions, and behavior, often requiring long-term treatment and support.

By discussing the primary symptoms of teenage depression in your paper, you can raise awareness of the issue and encourage those in need to seek assistance. You can pay attention to the following aspects:

• Emotional changes (feelings of sadness, anger, hopelessness, guilt, etc.);
• Behavioral changes (loss of energy and appetite , less attention to personal hygiene, self-harm, etc.);
• New addictions (drugs, alcohol, computer games, etc.).

💡 Research Topics about Depression

• The role of genetics in depression development.
• The effectiveness of different psychotherapeutic interventions for depression.
• Anti-depression non-pharmacological and medication treatment .
• The impact of childhood trauma on the onset of depression later in life.
• Exploring the efficacy of antidepressant medication in different populations.
• The impact of exercise on depression symptoms and treatment outcomes.
• Mild depression: pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy .
• The relationship between sleep disturbances and depression.
• The role of gut microbiota in depression and potential implications for treatment.
• Investigating the impact of social media on depression rates in adolescents.
• Depression, dementia, and delirium in older people .
• The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy in preventing depression relapse.
• The influence of hormonal changes on depression risk.
• Assessing the effectiveness of self-help and digital interventions for depression.
• Herbal and complementary therapies for depression .
• The relationship between personality traits and vulnerability to depression.
• Investigating the long-term consequences of untreated depression on physical health.
• Exploring the link between chronic pain and depression.
• Depression in the elderly male .
• The impact of childhood experiences on depression outcomes in adulthood.
• The use of ketamine and other novel treatments for depression.
• The effect of stigma on depression diagnosis and treatment.
• The conducted family assessment: cases of depression .
• The role of social support in depression recovery.
• The effectiveness of online support groups for individuals with depression.
• Depression and cognitive decline in adults.
• Depression: PICOT question component exploration .
• Exploring the impact of nutrition and dietary patterns on depression symptoms.
• Investigating the efficacy of art-based therapies in depression treatment.
• The role of neuroplasticity in the development and treatment of depression.
• Depression among HIV-positive women .
• The influence of gender on depression prevalence and symptomatology.
• Investigating the impact of workplace factors on depression rates and outcomes.
• The efficacy of family-based interventions in reducing depression symptoms in teenagers.
• Frontline nurses’ burnout, anxiety, depression, and fear statuses .
• The role of early-life stress and adversity in depression vulnerability.
• The impact of various environmental factors on depression rates.
• Exploring the link between depression and cardiovascular health .
• Depression detection in adults in nursing practice .
• Virtual reality as a therapeutic tool for depression treatment.
• Investigating the impact of childhood bullying on depression outcomes.
• The benefits of animal-assisted interventions in depression management.
• Depression and physical exercise .
• The relationship between depression and suicidal behavior .
• The influence of cultural factors on depression symptom expression.
• Investigating the role of epigenetics in depression susceptibility.
• Depression associated with cognitive dysfunction .
• Exploring the impact of adverse trauma on the course of depression.
• The efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy in treating depression.
• The relationship between depression and substance use disorders .
• Depression and anxiety among college students .
• Investigating the effectiveness of group therapy for depression.
• Depression and chronic medical conditions .

Psychology Research Topics on Depression

• The influence of early attachment experiences on the development of depression.
• The impact of negative cognitive biases on depression symptomatology.
• Depression treatment plan for a queer patient .
• Examining the relationship between perfectionism and depression.
• The role of self-esteem in depression vulnerability and recovery.
• Exploring the link between maladaptive thinking styles (e.g., rumination, catastrophizing) and depression.
• Investigating the impact of social support on depression outcomes and resilience.
• Identifying depression in young adults at an early stage .
• The influence of parenting styles on the risk of depression in children and adolescents.
• The role of self-criticism and self-compassion in depression treatment.
• Exploring the relationship between identity development and depression in emerging adulthood.
• The role of learned helplessness in understanding depression and its treatment.
• Depression in the elderly .
• Examining the connection between self-efficacy beliefs and depression symptoms.
• The influence of social comparison processes on depression and body image dissatisfaction .
• Exploring the impact of trauma-related disorders on depression.
• The role of resilience factors in buffering against the development of depression.
• Investigating the relationship between personality traits and depression.
• Depression and workplace violence .
• The impact of cultural factors on depression prevalence and symptom presentation.
• Investigating the effects of chronic stress on depression risk.
• The role of coping strategies in depression management and recovery.
• The correlation between discrimination/prejudice and depression/anxiety .
• Exploring the influence of gender norms and societal expectations on depression rates.
• The impact of adverse workplace conditions on employee depression.
• Investigating the effectiveness of narrative therapy in treating depression.
• Cognitive behavior and depression in adolescents .
• Childhood emotional neglect and adult depression.
• The influence of perceived social support on treatment outcomes in depression.
• The effects of childhood bullying on the development of depression.
• The impact of intergenerational transmission of depression within families.
• Depression in children: symptoms and treatments .
• Investigating the link between body dissatisfaction and depression in adolescence.
• The influence of adverse life events and chronic stressors on depression risk.
• The effects of peer victimization on the development of depression in adolescence.
• Counselling clients with depression and addiction .
• The role of experiential avoidance in depression and its treatment.
• The impact of social media use and online interactions on depression rates.
• Depression management in adolescent .
• Exploring the relationship between emotional intelligence and depression symptomatology.
• Investigating the influence of cultural values and norms on depression stigma and help-seeking behavior.
• The effects of childhood maltreatment on neurobiological markers of depression.
• Psychological and emotional conditions of suicide and depression .
• Exploring the relationship between body dissatisfaction and depression.
• The influence of self-worth contingencies on depression vulnerability and treatment response.
• The impact of social isolation and loneliness on depression rates.
• Psychology of depression among college students .
• The effects of perfectionistic self-presentation on depression in college students.
• The role of mindfulness skills in depression prevention and relapse prevention.
• Investigating the influence of adverse neighborhood conditions on depression risk.
• Personality psychology and depression .
• The impact of attachment insecurity on depression symptomatology.

Postpartum Depression Research Topics

• Identifying risk factors for postpartum depression.
• Exploring the role of hormonal changes in postpartum depression.
• “Baby blues” or postpartum depression and evidence-based care .
• The impact of social support on postpartum depression.
• The effectiveness of screening tools for early detection of postpartum depression.
• The relationship between postpartum depression and maternal-infant bonding .
• Postpartum depression educational program results .
• Identifying effective interventions for preventing and treating postpartum depression.
• Examining the impact of cultural factors on postpartum depression rates.
• Investigating the role of sleep disturbances in postpartum depression.
• Depression and postpartum depression relationship .
• Exploring the impact of a traumatic birth experience on postpartum depression.
• Assessing the impact of breastfeeding difficulties on postpartum depression.
• Understanding the role of genetic factors in postpartum depression.
• Postpartum depression: consequences .
• Investigating the impact of previous psychiatric history on postpartum depression risk.
• The potential benefits of exercise on postpartum depression symptoms.
• The efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions for postpartum depression.
• Postpartum depression in the twenty-first century .
• The influence of partner support on postpartum depression outcomes.
• Examining the relationship between postpartum depression and maternal self-esteem.
• The impact of postpartum depression on infant development and well-being.
• Maternal mood symptoms in pregnancy and postpartum depression .
• The effectiveness of group therapy for postpartum depression management.
• Identifying the role of inflammation and immune dysregulation in postpartum depression.
• Investigating the impact of childcare stress on postpartum depression.
• Postpartum depression among low-income US mothers .
• The role of postnatal anxiety symptoms in postpartum depression.
• The impact of postpartum depression on the marital relationship.
• The influence of postpartum depression on parenting practices and parental stress.
• Postpartum depression: symptoms, role of cultural factors, and ways to support .
• Investigating the efficacy of pharmacological treatments for postpartum depression.
• The impact of postpartum depression on breastfeeding initiation and continuation.
• The relationship between postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder .
• Postpartum depression and its identification .
• The impact of postpartum depression on cognitive functioning and decision-making.
• Investigating the influence of cultural norms and expectations on postpartum depression rates.
• The impact of maternal guilt and shame on postpartum depression symptoms.
• Beck’s postpartum depression theory: purpose, concepts, and significance .
• Understanding the role of attachment styles in postpartum depression vulnerability.
• Investigating the effectiveness of online support groups for women with postpartum depression.
• The impact of socioeconomic factors on postpartum depression prevalence.
• Perinatal depression: research study and design .
• The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions for postpartum depression.
• Investigating the influence of birth spacing on postpartum depression risk.
• The role of trauma history in postpartum depression development.
• The link between the birth experience and postnatal depression .
• How does postpartum depression affect the mother-infant interaction and bonding ?
• The effectiveness of home visiting programs in preventing and managing postpartum depression.
• Assessing the influence of work-related stress on postpartum depression.
• The relationship between postpartum depression and pregnancy-related complications.
• The role of personality traits in postpartum depression vulnerability.

🔎 Depression Essay Titles

Depression essay topics: cause & effect.

• The effects of childhood trauma on the development of depression in adults.
• The impact of social media usage on the prevalence of depression in adolescents.
• “Predictors of Postpartum Depression” by Katon et al.
• The effects of environmental factors on depression rates.
• The relationship between academic pressure and depression among college students.
• The relationship between financial stress and depression.
• The best solution to predict depression because of bullying .
• How does long-term unemployment affect mental health ?
• The effects of unemployment on mental health, particularly the risk of depression.
• The impact of genetics and family history of depression on an individual’s likelihood of developing depression.
• The relationship between depression and substance abuse .
• Child abuse and depression .
• The role of gender in the manifestation and treatment of depression.
• The effects of chronic stress on the development of depression.
• The link between substance abuse and depression.
• Depression among students at Elon University .
• The influence of early attachment styles on an individual’s vulnerability to depression.
• The effects of sleep disturbances on the severity of depression.
• Chronic illness and the risk of developing depression.
• Depression: symptoms and treatment .
• Adverse childhood experiences and the likelihood of experiencing depression in adulthood.
• The relationship between chronic illness and depression.
• The role of negative thinking patterns in the development of depression.
• Effects of depression among adolescents .
• The effects of poor body image and low self-esteem on the prevalence of depression.
• The influence of social support systems on preventing symptoms of depression.
• The effects of child neglect on adult depression rates.
• Depression caused by hormonal imbalance .
• The link between perfectionism and the risk of developing depression.
• The effects of a lack of sleep on depression symptoms.
• The effects of childhood abuse and neglect on the risk of depression.
• Social aspects of depression and anxiety .
• The impact of bullying on the likelihood of experiencing depression.
• The role of serotonin and neurotransmitter imbalances in the development of depression.
• The impact of a poor diet on depression rates.
• Depression and anxiety run in the family .
• The effects of childhood poverty and socioeconomic status on depression rates in adults.
• The impact of divorce on depression rates.
• The relationship between traumatic life events and the risk of developing depression.
• The influence of personality traits on susceptibility to depression.
• The impact of workplace stress on depression rates.
• Depression in older adults: causes and treatment .
• The impact of parental depression on children’s mental health outcomes.
• The effects of social isolation on the prevalence and severity of depression.
• The role of cultural factors in the manifestation and treatment of depression.
• The relationship between childhood bullying victimization and future depressive symptoms.
• The impact of early intervention and prevention programs on reducing the risk of postpartum depression.
• Treating mood disorders and depression .
• How do hormonal changes during pregnancy contribute to the development of depression?
• The effects of sleep deprivation on the onset and severity of postpartum depression.
• The impact of social media on depression rates among teenagers.
• The role of genetics in the development of depression.
• The impact of bullying on adolescent depression rates.
• Mental illness, depression, and wellness issues .
• The effects of a sedentary lifestyle on depression symptoms.
• The correlation between academic pressure and depression in students.
• The relationship between perfectionism and depression.
• The correlation between trauma and depression in military veterans.
• Anxiety and depression during childhood and adolescence .
• The impact of racial discrimination on depression rates among minorities.
• The relationship between chronic pain and depression.
• The impact of social comparison on depression rates among young adults.
• The effects of childhood abuse on adult depression rates.

Depression Argumentative Essay Topics

• The role of social media in contributing to depression among teenagers.
• The effectiveness of antidepressant medication: an ongoing debate.
• Depression treatment: therapy or medications ?
• Should depression screening be mandatory in schools and colleges?
• Is there a genetic predisposition to depression?
• The stigma surrounding depression: addressing misconceptions and promoting understanding.
• Implementation of depression screening in primary care .
• Is psychotherapy more effective than medication in treating depression?
• Is teenage depression overdiagnosed or underdiagnosed: a critical analysis.
• The connection between depression and substance abuse: untangling the relationship.
• Humanistic therapy of depression .
• Should ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) be a treatment option for severe depression?
• Where is depression more prevalent: in urban or rural communities? Analyzing the disparities.
• Is depression a result of chemical imbalance in the brain? Debunking the myth.
• Depression: a serious mental and behavioral problem .
• Should depression medication be prescribed for children and adolescents?
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in managing depression.
• Should depression in the elderly be considered a normal part of aging?
• Is depression hereditary? Investigating the role of genetics in depression risk.
• Different types of training in managing the symptoms of depression .
• The effectiveness of online therapy platforms in treating depression.
• Should psychedelic therapy be explored as an alternative treatment for depression?
• The connection between depression and cardiovascular health: Is there a link?
• The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in preventing depression relapse.
• Depression as a bad a clinical condition .
• Should mind-body interventions (e.g., yoga , meditation) be integrated into depression treatment?
• Should emotional support animals be prescribed for individuals with depression?
• The effectiveness of peer support groups in decreasing depression symptoms.
• The use of antidepressants: are they overprescribed or necessary for treating depression?
• Adult depression and anxiety as a complex problem .
• The effectiveness of therapy versus medication in treating depression.
• The stigma surrounding depression and mental illness: how can we reduce it?
• The debate over the legalization of psychedelic drugs for treating depression.
• The relationship between creativity and depression: does one cause the other?
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder and depression .
• The role of childhood trauma in shaping adult depression: Is it always a causal factor?
• The debate over the medicalization of sadness and grief as forms of depression.
• Alternative therapies, such as acupuncture or meditation, are effective in treating depression.
• Depression as a widespread mental condition .

Controversial Topics about Depression

• The existence of “chemical imbalance” in depression: fact or fiction?
• The over-reliance on medication in treating depression: are alternatives neglected?
• Is depression overdiagnosed and overmedicated in Western society?
• Measurement of an individual’s level of depression .
• The role of Big Pharma in shaping the narrative and treatment of depression.
• Should antidepressant advertisements be banned?
• The inadequacy of current diagnostic criteria for depression: rethinking the DSM-5.
• Is depression a biological illness or a product of societal factors?
• Literature review on depression .
• The overemphasis on biological factors in depression treatment: ignoring environmental factors.
• Is depression a normal reaction to an abnormal society?
• The influence of cultural norms on the perception and treatment of depression.
• Should children and adolescents be routinely prescribed antidepressants?
• The role of family in depression treatment .
• The connection between depression and creative genius: does depression enhance artistic abilities?
• The ethics of using placebo treatment for depression studies.
• The impact of social and economic inequalities on depression rates.
• Is depression primarily a mental health issue or a social justice issue?
• Depression disassembling and treating .
• Should depression screening be mandatory in the workplace?
• The influence of gender bias in the diagnosis and treatment of depression.
• The controversial role of religion and spirituality in managing depression.
• Is depression a result of individual weakness or societal factors?
• Abnormal psychology: anxiety and depression case .
• The link between depression and obesity: examining the bidirectional relationship.
• The connection between depression and academic performance : causation or correlation?
• Should depression medication be available over the counter?
• The impact of internet and social media use on depression rates: harmful or beneficial?
• Interacting in the workplace: depression .
• Is depression a modern epidemic or simply better diagnosed and identified?
• The ethical considerations of using animals in depression research.
• The effectiveness of psychedelic therapies for treatment-resistant depression.
• Is depression a disability? The debate on workplace accommodations.
• Polysubstance abuse among adolescent males with depression .
• The link between depression and intimate partner violence : exploring the relationship.
• The controversy surrounding “happy” pills and the pursuit of happiness.
• Is depression a choice? Examining the role of personal responsibility.

Good Titles for Depression Essays

• The poetic depictions of depression: exploring its representation in literature.
• The melancholic symphony: the influence of depression on classical music.
• Moderate depression symptoms and treatment .
• Depression in modern music: analyzing its themes and expressions.
• Cultural perspectives on depression: a comparative analysis of attitudes in different countries.
• Contrasting cultural views on depression in Eastern and Western societies.
• Diagnosing depression in the older population .
• The influence of social media on attitudes and perceptions of depression in global contexts.
• Countries with progressive approaches to mental health awareness.
• From taboo to acceptance: the evolution of attitudes towards depression.
• Depression screening tool in acute settings .
• The Bell Jar : analyzing Sylvia Plath’s iconic tale of depression .
• The art of despair: examining Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits as a window into depression.
• The Catcher in the Rye : Holden Caulfield’s battle with adolescent depression.
• Music as therapy: how jazz artists turned depression into art.
• Depression screening tool for a primary care center .
• The Nordic paradox: high depression rates in Scandinavian countries despite high-quality healthcare.
• The Stoic East: how Eastern philosophies approach and manage depression.
• From solitude to solidarity: collective approaches to depression in collectivist cultures.
• The portrayal of depression in popular culture: a critical analysis of movies and TV shows.
• The depression screening training in primary care .
• The impact of social media influencers on depression rates among young adults.
• The role of music in coping with depression: can specific genres or songs help alleviate depressive symptoms?
• The representation of depression in literature: a comparative analysis of classic and contemporary works.
• The use of art as a form of self-expression and therapy for individuals with depression.
• Depression management guidelines implementation .
• The role of religion in coping with depression: Christian and Buddhist practices.
• The representation of depression in the video game Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice .
• The role of nature in coping with depression: can spending time outdoors help alleviate depressive symptoms?
• The effectiveness of dance/movement therapy in treating depression among older adults.
• The National Institute for Health: depression management .
• The portrayal of depression in stand-up comedy: a study of comedians like Maria Bamford and Chris Gethard.
• The role of spirituality in coping with depression: Islamic and Hindu practices .
• The portrayal of depression in animated movies : an analysis of Inside Out and The Lion King .
• The representation of depression by fashion designers like Alexander McQueen and Rick Owens.
• Depression screening in primary care .
• The portrayal of depression in documentaries: an analysis of films like The Bridge and Happy Valley .
• The effectiveness of wilderness therapy in treating depression among adolescents.
• The connection between creativity and depression: how art can help heal.
• The role of Buddhist and Taoist practices in coping with depression.
• Mild depression treatment research funding sources .
• The portrayal of depression in podcasts: an analysis of the show The Hilarious World of Depression .
• The effectiveness of drama therapy in treating depression among children and adolescents.
• The representation of depression in the works of Vincent van Gogh and Edvard Munch.
• Depression in young people: articles review .
• The impact of social media on political polarization and its relationship with depression.
• The role of humor in coping with depression: a study of comedians like Ellen DeGeneres.
• The portrayal of depression in webcomics: an analysis of the comics Hyperbole and a Half .
• The effect of social media on mental health stigma and its relationship with depression.
• Depression and the impact of human services workers .
• The masked faces: hiding depression in highly individualistic societies.

💭 Depression Speech Topics

Informative speech topics about depression.

• Different types of depression and their symptoms.
• The causes of depression: biological, psychological, and environmental factors.
• How depression and physical issues are connected .
• The prevalence of depression in different age groups and demographics.
• The link between depression and anxiety disorders .
• Physical health: The effects of untreated depression.
• The role of genetics in predisposing individuals to depression.
• What you need to know about depression .
• How necessary is early intervention in treating depression?
• The effectiveness of medication in treating depression.
• The role of exercise in managing depressive symptoms.
• Depression in later life: overview .
• The relationship between substance abuse and depression.
• The impact of trauma on depression rates and treatment.
• The effectiveness of mindfulness meditation in managing depressive symptoms.
• Enzymes conversion and metabolites in major depression .
• The benefits and drawbacks of electroconvulsive therapy for severe depression.
• The effect of gender and cultural norms on depression rates and treatment.
• The effectiveness of alternative therapies for depression, such as acupuncture and herbal remedies .
• The importance of self-care in managing depression.
• Symptoms of anxiety, depression, and peritraumatic dissociation .
• The role of support systems in managing depression.
• The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating depression.
• The benefits and drawbacks of online therapy for depression.
• The role of spirituality in managing depression.
• Depression among minority groups .
• The benefits and drawbacks of residential treatment for severe depression.
• What is the relationship between childhood trauma and adult depression?
• How effective is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression?
• The benefits and drawbacks of art therapy for depression.
• Mood disorder: depression and bipolar .
• The impact of social media on depression rates.
• The effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in treating depression.
• Depression in older people .
• The impact of seasonal changes on depression rates and treatment options.
• The impact of depression on daily life and relationships, and strategies for coping with the condition.
• The stigma around depression and the importance of seeking help.

Persuasive Speech Topics about Depression

• How important is it to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression ?
• How do you support a loved one who is struggling with depression?
• The importance of mental health education in schools to prevent and manage depression.
• Social media: the rise of depression and anxiety .
• Is there a need to increase funding for mental health research to develop better treatments for depression?
• Addressing depression in minority communities: overcoming barriers and disparities.
• The benefits of including alternative therapies , such as yoga and meditation, in depression treatment plans.
• Challenging media portrayals of depression: promoting accurate representations.
• Two sides of depression disease .
• How social media affects mental health: the need for responsible use to prevent depression.
• The importance of early intervention: addressing depression in schools and colleges.
• The benefits of seeking professional help for depression.
• There is a need for better access to mental health care, including therapy and medication, for those suffering from depression.
• Depression in adolescents and suitable interventions .
• How do you manage depression while in college or university?
• The role of family and friends in supporting loved ones with depression and encouraging them to seek help.
• The benefits of mindfulness and meditation for depression.
• The link between sleep and depression, and how to improve sleep habits.
• How do you manage depression while working a high-stress job?
• Approaches to treating depression .
• How do you manage depression during pregnancy and postpartum?
• The importance of prioritizing employee mental health and providing resources for managing depression in the workplace.
• How should you manage depression while caring for a loved one with a chronic illness?
• How to manage depression while dealing with infertility or pregnancy loss.
• Andrew Solomon: why we can’t talk about depression .
• Destigmatizing depression: promoting mental health awareness and understanding.
• Raising funds for depression research: investing in mental health advances.
• The power of peer support: establishing peer-led programs for depression.
• Accessible mental health services: ensuring treatment for all affected by depression.
• Evidence-based screening for depression in acute care .
• The benefits of journaling for mental health: putting your thoughts on paper to heal.
• The power of positivity: changing your mindset to fight depression .
• The healing power of gratitude in fighting depression.
• The connection between diet and depression: eating well can improve your mood.
• Teen depression and suicide in Soto’s The Afterlife .
• The benefits of therapy for depression: finding professional help to heal.
• The importance of setting realistic expectations when living with depression.

📝 How to Write about Depression: Essay Structure

We’ve prepared some tips and examples to help you structure your essay and communicate your ideas.

Essay about Depression: Introduction

An introduction is the first paragraph of an essay. It plays a crucial role in engaging the reader, offering the context, and presenting the central theme.

A good introduction typically consists of 3 components:

• Hook. The hook captures readers’ attention and encourages them to continue reading.
• Background information. Background information provides context for the essay.
• Thesis statement. A thesis statement expresses the essay’s primary idea or central argument.

Hook : Depression is a widespread mental illness affecting millions worldwide.

Background information : Depression affects your emotions, thoughts, and behavior. If you suffer from depression, engaging in everyday tasks might become arduous, and life may appear devoid of purpose or joy.

Depression Essay Thesis Statement

A good thesis statement serves as an essay’s road map. It expresses the author’s point of view on the issue in 1 or 2 sentences and presents the main argument.

Thesis statement : The stigma surrounding depression and other mental health conditions can discourage people from seeking help, only worsening their symptoms.

Essays on Depression: Body Paragraphs

The main body of the essay is where you present your arguments. An essay paragraph includes the following:

• a topic sentence,
• evidence to back up your claim,
• explanation of why the point is essential to the argument;
• a link to the next paragraph.

Topic sentence : Depression is a complex disorder that requires a personalized treatment approach, comprising both medication and therapy.

Evidence : Medication can be prescribed by a healthcare provider or a psychiatrist to relieve the symptoms. Additionally, practical strategies for managing depression encompass building a support system, setting achievable goals, and practicing self-care.

Depression Essay: Conclusion

The conclusion is the last part of your essay. It helps you leave a favorable impression on the reader.

The perfect conclusion includes 3 elements:

• Rephrased thesis statement.
• Summary of the main points.
• Final opinion on the topic.

Rephrased thesis: In conclusion, overcoming depression is challenging because it involves a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and environmental factors that affect an individual’s mental well-being.

Summary: Untreated depression heightens the risk of engaging in harmful behaviors such as substance abuse and can also result in negative thought patterns, diminished self-esteem, and distorted perceptions of reality.

We hope you’ve found our article helpful and learned some new information. If so, feel free to share it with your friends. You can also try our free online topic generator !

• Pain, anxiety, and depression – Harvard Health | Harvard Health Publishing
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Challenges and Solutions for Depression Prevention Research: Methodology for a Depression Prevention Trial for Older Adults with Knee Arthritis and Emotional Distress

To describe the methodology, challenges, and baseline characteristics of a prevention development trial entitled “Reducing Pain, Preventing Depression”.

Sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) comparing sequences of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and physical therapy for knee pain and prevention of depression and anxiety. Participants were followed for 12 months for new episode depression or anxiety.

Late-Life Depression Research Clinic.

Participants

Individuals 60 and older with knee osteoarthritis and subsyndromal depression, defined as PHQ-9 score of at least “1” (which included the endorsement of one of the cardinal symptoms of depression [low mood or anhedonia]), and no diagnosis of MDD per SCID.

Intervention

Sequential randomization to CBT, physical therapy, or enhanced usual care.

Measurements

Depression and anxiety severity and characterization of new episodes were assessed with the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and the PRIME-MD. Knee pain was characterized with the Western Ontario McMaster Arthritis Index. Response was defined as at least “Very Much Better” on a Patient Global Impression of Change.

At baseline (n=99), average age=71, 61.62% are female, and 81.8% are Caucasian. The average PHQ-9 = 5.6 and average GAD7= 3.2. The majority were satisfied with the interventions and study procedures. We describe the challenges and our solutions which will be used in a confirmatory clinical trial of efficacy.

Conclusions

A SMART design for depression and anxiety prevention, utilizing both CBT and physical therapy, appears to be feasible and acceptable to participants. The methodological innovations of this project may advance the field of late-life depression and anxiety prevention.

Introduction

Medical illness, functional disability, family and personal histories of mood disorders, social isolation, life stressors, bereavement, and neurodegenerative disorders are all putative risk factors for new onset major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders in older adults. Osteoarthritis (OA) pain and associated disability are risk factors for a major depressive episode and possibly anxiety disorders, 1 and treating OA pain and disability may reduce the severity of comorbid MDD and anxiety. 2 Indeed, among older adults with MDD, a significantly higher proportion report pain that is disabling compared to those without MDD. 3 Patients living with both conditions also have significantly worse health-related quality of life, greater somatic symptom severity, and higher prevalence of other pain disorders than chronic pain patients without depression. 4 It is plausible that reducing pain and disability could actually prevent new onset cases of MDD and anxiety disorders, although this has not yet been tested. Since anxiety disorders increase risk for MDD 5 and both conditions worsen comorbid medical burden and disability 6 , prevention interventions should aim to reduce the risk of developing both depression and anxiety in late-life.

Learning-based interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) 13 or a knee-specific physical therapy (Manual Therapy and Supervised Exercise 14 ; EXERCISE) are routinely prescribed along with analgesics for both pain control and improved functioning. Both CBT and EXERCISE are behaviorally activating, improve self-efficacy, and reduce learned helplessness. 15 These qualities make them rational choices for a prevention study of new episode MDD and anxiety disorders.

The order effect of these interventions on preventing MDD and anxiety disorders is also not known. Initial exposure to CBT may enhance attention to psychological health, motivation, and problem solving, thus enabling individuals who are first exposed to CBT to make better use of EXERCISE (compared with those exposed to EXERCISE followed by CBT). This order effect, however, is not established. Indeed, exposure to EXERCISE before CBT may engage participants who are otherwise not psychologically minded, preparing them to be more open to a psycho-behavioral intervention such as CBT. Since the clinical approach for non-responders to an intervention usually involves continued exposure or a switch, testing sequences of interventions is indicated to inform care.

Implementing and testing such complex interventions entails substantial methodological and logistic challenges; this is especially the case among older adults in whom individual variability is high and, often intervention tolerance may be low because of frailty or other geriatric-specific syndromes. Using a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) 16 approach, we are attempting to address this set of unique methodological challenges as we seek to prevent new onset depression and anxiety in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. In order to guide future protocols, we describe here the trial methodology, intervention development, and procedural challenges and solutions experienced during the course of this study.

Overall Study Design and Specific Aims

This is a two-stage adaptive treatment design project. Stage 1 compares the relative effectiveness of 8 sessions of CBT, 8 sessions of EXERCISE, and Enhanced Usual Care (EUC 17 , 18 ; the control condition) ( Figure 1 ). Non-responders to stage 1 then proceed to stage 2 in which they may be randomized to 8 sessions of the alternative intervention or 4 additional sessions of the intervention received during stage 1. All participants are then followed for 12 months after the end of their final intervention for new episodes of MDD and anxiety disorders. The overarching aims are to 1) develop a patient-centered new onset depression and anxiety prevention intervention for older adults living with knee osteoarthritis (CBT), 2) explore if improving pain and disability prevents new onset MDD and anxiety disorders during one-year follow-up among at-risk seniors with knee OA, and 3) permit an estimation of relative effectiveness of CBT, EXERCISE, and EUC as well as order-effects of the active prevention interventions. We also plan to follow participants receiving EUC to obtain benchmark estimates of new episode MDD and anxiety disorders.

Study Design

CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pain

EUC: Enhanced Usual Care

Our target enrollment was 135 participants > 65 years old. While pain and associated disability are risks for depression, the majority of individuals living with these problems do not become depressed or anxious. This led us to a blended selective/indicated approach to depression and anxiety prevention by including individuals most at risk of new onset depression and anxiety disorders – those with subthreshold symptoms. Thus, in addition to having knee arthritis, participants also endorsed symptoms of subthreshold depression as determined by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) 19 scores of at least “1” (with one of the cardinal symptoms of depression [low mood or anhedonia] endorsed for at least several days for the past 2 weeks, and no diagnosis of current or partial remission MDD as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) 20 interview). Participants could have a history of major depression and anxiety disorders, but not within the past 12 months. Including subjects with recent disorders would confuse the prevention of a new episode from the treatment of a partially remitted earlier episode.

Sources of recruitment include primary care, online, print, and radio advertisements, and university-affiliated research registries. After recruiting the first four participants for iterative development of CBT (see below), we began recruitment of the next 131 participants for Stage 1 of the adaptive prevention study. The inclusion and exclusion criteria and rationale for each entry criterion are listed in Table 1 .

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria and Rationale for These Decisions

Interventions

Randomization and sequence of interventions.

We use permuted block randomization with the list of consented participants maintained by the data manager. Participants are randomized using a 2:2:1 allocation (i.e., 2 participants randomized to either CBT or EXERCISE for every 1 subject randomized to EUC). As this is treatment development work, our reason for this allocation procedure is to gain more clinical experience with CBT and EXERCISE. Stage 1 for participants randomized to prevention interventions: Simultaneous to receiving EUC (which is provided for all participants, see below), participants are randomized to receive 8 weeks of either CBT or EXERCISE. Each session lasts 45–60 minutes. CBT is delivered at the PCP’s office, the offices of the Late-Life Depression Prevention Center, in the participant’s home, or via SKYPE or telephone. The location of where CBT is delivered is documented, as these data inform feasibility and scalability. EXERCISE is delivered at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute for Physical Therapy, a state-of-the art rehabilitation facility staffed with master’s and doctoral-level physical therapists. Stage 2: Stage 1 non-responders (defined below) are randomized to an additional 4 sessions of the same intervention or 8 sessions of the alternative intervention ( Figure 1 ). This will allow us to explore if switching to a full dose of the alternative intervention or extending the current intervention is more efficacious for prevention. All participants, regardless of response status, are followed for 12 months for new onset MDD or anxiety disorder after completion of prevention interventions in Stage 1 or Stage 2, or for those randomized to EUC alone.

Enhanced Usual Care (EUC)

All participants, including those randomized to EUC, have information mailed to their PCP describing the best practice approach for providing analgesia for knee osteoarthritis. 21 For all participants, incidental findings during scheduled blinded assessments (i.e., new onset depression or anxiety or worsened pain or cognition) are relayed to their PCP. We acknowledge that while the choice and dosing of analgesics are not standardized, this approach reflects the array of medication regimens required for analgesia and provided in primary care, and is consistent with a collaborative care approach. 22 We track the type and dosage of both scheduled and as-needed medications (opioids and non-opioids) and other somatic interventions (e.g., acupuncture, injections).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pain (CBT)

Training the interventionists.

Clinicians experienced in providing manualized psychotherapy to older adults (supervised weekly by JQM) provide CBT. The intervention modules are: 1) combating demoralization; 2) teaching coping skills and problem solving techniques; 3) shifting self-view to that of an active, resourceful, and competent person and encouraging behavioral activation; 4) learning to alter associations between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that do not promote analgesia and identifying how to change automatic, maladaptive thoughts; 5) learning relaxation skills; and 6) facilitating maintenance and generalization of skills. As insomnia is prevalent in older adults and those with pain, a modified version of Brief Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia (BBTI) 23 is included if participants score > 5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline. 24 The inclusion of modified BBTI has not increased the number of sessions or exposure to CBT. Participants can decide to focus on BBTI instead of one of the other modules, in the spirit of a personalized intervention. All CBT sessions are audiotaped and 20% then randomly selected for fidelity ratings by JQM to assure maintenance of treatment specificity and integrity.

Adapting and Revising the Intervention

To ensure intervention fidelity, we use group supervision and one-on-one feedback using evaluations of randomly selected 20% of audiotapes of CBT sessions. CBT adherence ratings assessing quality are completed by the intervention supervisor, using two sessions for each case — an early session (1–3) and a later session (4–8). Following a batch of ratings, corrective feedback is provided. We also developed a treatment fidelity scale to document the absence of intervention contamination effects. Using this scale, ratings are completed on seven consecutive minutes of the session starting five minutes into the session. Sessions are rated independently by two raters for the presence of CBT elements.

The content and ordering of the modules, components of the manual, and appearance and content of participant handouts were all reviewed and modified on a weekly basis over the course of the first 3 months of the project. Since this is an intervention development project, we assumed there would continue to be adjustments to the intervention as we continued to elicit feedback from the participants and clinicians. Indeed, during the course of the project, adjustments to CBT have been made to account for degrees of cognitive impairment, difficulty with movement, insomnia, and transportation. The principles of each module were articulated to the participants. Also, we developed graphics to communicate the content of and connections between modules and the gate control theory of pain 26 as well as the proposed mechanism via which each module may reduce pain and stress and improve functioning.

The EXERCISE intervention is a combination of supervised exercise therapy and manual therapy techniques. The supervised exercise component represents state-of-the-art evidence-based practice guidelines 14 , 27 , 28 and combines aerobic and strengthening exercises. 14 , 27 , 28 The manual therapy techniques involve the application of manual force from the therapist. 29 These techniques include a series of motions of the tibia with respect to the femur that are needed for normal knee flexion and extension. The manual therapy techniques also include lower extremity stretching exercises delivered by the therapist. Detailed descriptions of the manual therapy techniques and intervention philosophy utilized in this study are available in manual therapy textbooks. 30 In addition, all participants are instructed in a home exercise program with the goal to be independent in the home exercise program by week 8.

Schedule of Assessments, Criteria for Response and Booster Sessions

Independent evaluators assess participants by phone or in person. Participants are assessed at six time points (T1-T6) ( Table 2 ). We defined clinically significant response to the active interventions (unique from the primary aim of prevention of MDD and anxiety disorders as diagnosed with the blended PRIME-MD/MINI Neuropsychiatric interview) as 1) much better or 2) very much better on a Patient Global Impression of Change (P-GIC) that ranged from 1–7. The wording of the P-GIC is: “Check the circle that best describes how you have felt overall since you began participating in this research study.” We selected the P-GIC as criteria for response because since participants endorsed both knee pain and mild emotional distress, only using percent improvement of pain as the response criterion could miss other improvements valued by participants, such as improvement in insomnia, psychological stress, or self-efficacy. Pain, stiffness, depression, anxiety, and the Western Ontario and McMaster University Arthritis Index are also assessed at these time points. We plan to calculate degree of correlation between the P-GIC and each of these measures to learn more about whether these variables change in concordant directions.

Baseline and Follow-up Assessments (T1 – T6): Self-report or blinded Independent Assessors

Responders to Stages 1 and 2 are followed for 12 months (from the end of the intervention) for conversion to new onset MDD or anxiety disorder. Based on work by Rovner, 31 responders receive booster sessions at 6 and 9 months following the end of the prevention intervention(s). If participants receive both interventions, then they can select the booster session they prefer. Stage 2 non-responders are referred to their PCP with pain treatment recommendations (based on expert guidelines). Non-responders are also followed for 12 months for the development of new onset MDD or anxiety disorder.

Planned analysis

Cox regression models will be used to assess whether study groups differ reliably on risk of the outcome events (MDD and anxiety disorders), adjusting for participant characteristics as needed. We also plan to estimate the number needed to prevent, with a 95% confidence interval, comparing CBT, EXERCISE, and controls who received EUC. Since the actual number of “events” (e.g., incident syndromal depression or anxiety) may be few, we will also explore changes in symptoms severity, using continuous measures of depression and anxiety. To assess a difference in reduction in pain, we will use Kaplan-Meier methods to report the estimated percentage of participants achieving the endpoint over time, defined as at least a 30% improvement on the pain subscale of the WOMAC. The log-rank test will be used to test the primary event across the three groups (CBT-P, EXERCISE, and EUC).

Considering that we are using SMART methodology, 16 we will also use statistical methods for dynamic treatment regime (also known as adaptive treatment strategy) to compare sequenced interventions. Specifically, we will estimate the effect of treatment sequence “Treat with CBT-P for 8 weeks, if does not respond, use EXERCISE intervention” in reducing pain compared to other sequences. For these comparisons, we will use inverse-probability-weighting and g-estimation. 33 , 34

Early Results

Recruitment.

As of December 2014, we have recruited 73% (n=99) of our expected sample ( Figure 2 ). Because of a delayed start, the need for 12 months of follow-up, and the fact that this is a treatment development and not efficacy testing experiment, we halted recruitment at this time. Forty-seven percent of screened participants have been recruited from direct-to- consumer advertisements (radio, newspaper, and advertisements on public transportation), university-affiliated late-life research registry (32%), primary care (8%), and other sources (13%). These sources of recruitment are different from our recently completed depression prevention study of older adults living with high emotional stress in which 45% were recruited from primary care and approximately 20% were recruited from community outreach endeavors. 35 The percentage of individuals who phoned in and were screened over the phone found to be ineligible for further evaluation was 74%. The primary reasons for ineligibility were knee pain not severe enough (28%), items 1 or 2 on the PHQ-9 (depressed mood or anhedonia) not endorsed (21%), PHQ-9 score = 0 (18%), and currently taking an antidepressant and not willing to discontinue it (11%). Table 3 lists descriptive characteristics of participants at baseline.

Consort Diagram

Baseline Characteristics (n = 99)

Participant Satisfaction

Following T6 (12 months), participants are asked to complete a brief satisfaction survey. The survey questions, rated on a scale from highly dissatisfied to highly satisfied, were created to inform the success of future studies by assuring the interventions are patient-centered and that participants are satisfied with: 1) flexibility in scheduling appointments; 2) helpfulness of the therapist; 3) frequency of appointments; 4) usefulness in managing pain; and 5) usefulness in managing stress. The survey also includes a free text box where participants can share their thoughts about how the project can be improved. Table 4 summarizes these data to date.

Satisfaction Survey Results of 46 Participants Who Exited the Study After 1 Year of Participation.

While in general the responses were positive, the results indicated there may be room for improvement in management of pain. However, the average score ranged between satisfied to highly satisfied, and given the challenge of treating chronic pain, this is encouraging. The free text responses suggest varying degrees of satisfaction with the project. We have used these responses to: 1) be more direct about the mental illness prevention goals of the study, since at least one subject felt we were using knee pain as a “hook” to enroll participants; and 2) during the consent process, more explicitly describe how we think CBT may help with both pain control and prevention of both MDD and anxiety disorders.

Lessons Learned and Adjustments Made During the Course of the Project

Since this prevention intervention development project is a blend of public health (prevention of depression) and clinical care (improving knee pain and disability) and is being conducted in preparation for a confirmatory R01, we expected that many changes to the protocol would be required during the project. Table 5 lists the many challenges to the successful implementation and completion of the protocol and how we resolved these challenges without compromising internal validity. Our multidisciplinary team meets on a weekly basis during which methodological and procedural issues from ongoing trials are discussed. Solutions to challenges are discussed among the staff (who usually bring the challenges to the meeting), the principal investigator, and biostatistician. Using this approach we address the feasibility and burden concerns of staff while assuring the specific aims of the PI are being met and that any adjustments to the protocol will not interfere with the analytic plan. Many of the challenges described in Table 5 can be categorized as: 1) minimizing subject burden; 2) optimizing retention and minimizing early attrition; 3) minimizing missing data and adding assessments; 4) adjusting time frames during which data may be collected; 5) assuring participant safety; and 6) addressing threats to internal validity of the study such as assuring entry criteria are met before randomization.

Methodological Challenges Experienced During the Study and Solutions

Two unique qualities of this depression prevention project deserve highlighting. First, this may be the only study of depression prevention to utilize formal SMART methodology. Such trials are individually tailored interventions that specify how the intensity or type of treatment should change depending on the participant’s needs. For example, this project will guide our understanding of how such interventions for prevention of depression and anxiety disorders can: 1) Adapt treatment to a patient’s chronic and/or changing course; 2) Deliver appropriate treatment when needed most; 3) React to non-adherence or side-effect profiles; 4) Reduce treatment burden and deliver only what is necessary; 5) Deliver early treatments with positive and durable downstream prevention effects; and 6) Sift through available treatment options. 16 This may lead to more personalized prevention care over time.

The second characteristic which distinguishes this prevention project from others is the utilization of a unique multidisciplinary team approach. Our clinical research group is comprised of geriatric psychiatrists and other types of clinical mental health professionals, physical and occupational therapists, a geriatrician, an epidemiologist, an expert in community behavioral health, biostatisticians, and a geropsychologist. Given the complex etiology and natural history of depression and anxiety disorders, a team with expertise in these varied disciplines is needed to guide effective prevention efforts. Unlike other depression prevention work in at-risk older adult populations such as post-stroke 36 , macular degeneration 37 , and high psychological stress 35 all of which focused on improving problem solving skills, our project compared a behaviorally activating but non-psychological intervention (EXERCISE) with a pain-specific psychosocial intervention (CBT). This type of work, which may have greater generalizability and acceptability by a subsample of our at-risk group, can only be done well with expertise from relevant disciplines.

A lesson learned in this treatment development trial is that older adults with knee arthritis and subsyndromal depression are interested in efforts to maintain their independence and improve their mental health. Engaging patients in an intervention that may both treat a nuisance condition (like pain) but also has mental health-promoting qualities (like CBT and EXERCISE) appears to be an efficient approach to optimizing both physical and mental health. A related lesson learned from this project with relevance for the field of prevention research is where and how participants may be most efficiently recruited. Unlike many of our treatment trials in which we rely heavily of community-based primary care physicians to refer symptomatic patients, in this prevention trial our recruitment succeeded because of direct-to-consumer advertising. Given the challenges of recruitment for all types of studies (both treatment and prevention), effective implementation of recruitment initiatives early on in the trial is critical for achieving recruitment milestones.

Perhaps the greatest limitation to our project is the fact that follow-up is limited to one year. Our study follows participants for a similar length of time as most other prevention protocols. For example, a recent meta-analysis of 32 randomized controlled trials examining the effects of preventive interventions in participants without diagnosed depression described a 21% decrease in incidence over 1–2 years in prevention groups compared to control groups. 38 This is a substantial reduction in incidence, and the field is now poised to assess participants for longer periods of follow-up. This is important, because in a three year observational study of incident depression, Schoevers et al described that in older adults, subsyndromal symptoms of depression were associated with a risk of almost 40% of developing a depressive episode. 39 Pending the results of this protocol, in our next depression and anxiety prevention program, we plan to monitor participants for at least 3 years.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Jacqueline Stack, MS for study coordination and Amy E. Begley, MS for data analyses.

Funding : This study was funded by NIH P30 MH090333, AG033575, UL1RR024153 and UL1TR000005.

Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Conflicts of Interest : Receipt of medication supplies for investigator-initiated studies from Pfizer and Reckitt Benckiser. Dr. Butters served as a consultant for GlaxoSmithKline from whom she received remuneration for participating in cognitive diagnostic consensus conferences for a clinical trial; the remaining authors report no disclosures.

227 Depression Research Topics & Essay Titles + Examples

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• Impact of Depression on a Family
• Depression as It Relates to Obesity
• Depression and Solutions in Psychiatry
• Depression: Case Conceptualization and Treatment Planning
• The Concept of Postpartum Depression
• Teenage Depression: Causes and Symptoms
• Depression in the Contemporary Society
• Major Types of Depression This paper will review and analyze two scholarly articles concerning depression, its sings in male and female patients, and its connection and similarity to other disorders.
• Depression in the Elderly Depression can be defined as a state of anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. It can affect people across all ages, who present with diverse signs and symptoms
• Geriatric Depression Scale, Clock Drawing Test and Mini-Mental Status Examination Depression is a common condition among geriatric patients. Around 5 million older adults in the US experience significant morbidity from depression.
• History and Treatment of Depression Depression is currently one of the most common medical conditions among the adult population in the US. The paper aims to investigate the history and treatment of depression.
• Components of the Treatment of Depression The most effective ways of treating people with depression include pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy or a combination of both.
• Depression and Depressive Disorders Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the world. Symptoms are feelings of sadness and guilt, changes in sleeping patterns changes in appetite, and other.
• Transition Phase of Depression and Its’ Challenges Providing psychoeducation to people with mild to moderate depression, strategies for recognizing and addressing conflict and reluctance are discussed in this paper
• Adolescent Mental Health: Depression This paper includes depression background discussion, including its signs, prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment, and a plan of treatment with three interventions to address this chronic health disease.
• “Yoga for Depression” Article by The Minded Institute One can say that depression is both the biological and mental Black Death of modern humanity in terms of prevalence and negative impact on global health.
• The Rise of Depression in the Era of the Internet Understanding how the Internet affects human lives is essential in ascertaining the reasons for the growing loneliness in the intrinsically connected world.
• Action Research in Treating Depression With Physical Exercise Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. The latest statistics showed that depression does not discriminate against age.
• Social Media as a Cause of Anxiety and Depression Anxiety and depression are considerable problems for world society. Numerous studies have linked high social media use with high levels of anxiety and depression.
• Predicting Barriers to Treatment for Depression Mental health issues such as depression and drug abuse are the most frequent among teenagers and young adults. In this age range, both disorders tend to co-occur.
• Depression: Psychoeducational Intervention This paper considers the peculiarities of the application of psychoeducation in depression, including advantages, limitations, and ethical aspects.
• Depression in Hispanic Culture There are different ways in which culture or ethnicity can impact the treatment of the development of mental health disorders.
• Depression and Anxiety in Mental Health Nurses Depression and anxiety are the most common mental diseases in humans. Nurses who work in mental health are at significant risk of getting psychiatric illnesses.
• Post-operative Breast Cancer Patients With Depression: Annotated Bibliography This paper is an annotated bibliography about risk reduction strategies at the point of care: Post-operative breast cancer patients who are experiencing depression.
• Is Creativity A Modern Panacea From Boredom and Depression? Communication, daily life, and working patterns become nothing but fixed mechanisms that are deprived of any additional thoughts and perspectives.
• Application of Analysis of Variance in the Analysis of HIV/AIDS-Related Depression Cases Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a commonly used approach in the testing of the equality of various means using variance.
• Depression and Other Antecedents of Obesity Defeating the inertia about taking up a regular programme of sports and exercise can be a challenging goal. Hence, more advocacy campaigns focus on doing something about obesity with a more prudent diet.
• Baby Blues: What We Know About Postpartum Depression The term Postpartum Depression describes a wide variety of physical and emotional adjustments experienced by a significant number of new mothers.
• Self-Esteem and Depression in Quantitative Research The topic that has been proposed for quantitative research pertains to the problem of the relationship between self-esteem and depression.
• Treating Mild Depression: Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy The project intends to investigate the comparative effectiveness of the treatments that are currently used for mild depression.
• Smoking Cessation and Depression It was estimated that nicotine affects the human’s reward system. As a result, smoking cessation might lead to depression and other mental disorder.
• Major Depression’ Symptoms and Treatment – Psychology A continuous sense of tiredness, unhappiness, and hopelessness are key signs of clinical or major depression. Such mood changes alter the daily life programs of an individual for sometimes.
• Depression and Anxiety: Mary’s Case Mary’s husband’s death precipitated her depression and anxiety diagnosis. She feels lonely and miserable as she struggles with her daily endeavors with limited emotional support.
• African American Children Suffering From Anxiety and Depression Depression and anxiety are common among African American children and adolescents, and they face significant barriers to receiving care and treatment.
• What Are the Characteristics and Causes of Depression?
• Why Are Athletes Vulnerable to Depression?
• Why and How Adolescents Are Affected by Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Clinical Depression?
• Does Depression Assist Eating Disorders?
• What Should You Know About Depression?
• How Can Mother Nature Lower Depression and Anxiety?
• How Can Video Games Relieve Stress and Reduce Depression?
• When Does Teacher Support Reduce Depression in Students?
• Why Are Teenagers Affected by Depression?
• How Teens and Depression Today?
• Are Mental Health Issues Like Depression Related to Race?
• What Does Depression Mean?
• How Did the Depression Affect France?
• How Does Depression Stop?
• When Postpartum Depression Leads to Psychosis?
• How Do Medication and Therapy Combat Depression?
• What Are the Leading Causes of Depression?
• What About Drugs for Anxiety and Depression?
• What’s the Big Deal About Anxiety and Depression in Students?
• How Should Childhood Depression and Anxiety Be?
• How Do Gender Stereotypes Warp Our View of Depression?
• What Are the Signs of Teenage Depression?
• Are Testosterone Levels and Depression Risk Linked Based on Partnering and Parenting?
• How Psychology Helps People With Depression?
• How Should Childhood Depression and Anxiety Be Treated or Dealt With?
• Relation Between the COVID-19 Pandemic and Depression The paper is to share an insight into the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of thousands of people and provide advice on how to reduce its impact.
• Mitigating Postnatal Depression in New Mothers: A Recreational Program Plan Post-natal depression is a popular form of depression in women. This paper presents an activity plan for the use of leisure as a therapeutic response to post-natal depression.
• Effects of Music Therapy on Depressed Elderly People Music therapy has been shown to have positive effects among people, and thus the aim was to assess the validity of such claims using elderly people.
• Does Social Media Use Contribute to Depression? Social media is a relatively new concept in a modern world. It combines technology and social tendencies to enhance interaction through Internet-based gadgets and applications.
• Physiological Psychology. Postpartum Depression Depression is a focal public health question. In the childbearing period, it is commoner in females than in males with a 2:1 ratio.
• Adolescent Depression: Modern Issues and Resources Teenagers encounter many challenging health-related issues; mental health conditions are one of them. This paper presents the aspects of depression in adolescents.
• Depression Among Rich People Analysis Among the myriad differences between rich and poor people is the manner in which they are influenced by and respond to depression.
• Theories in Depression Treatment This study analyzes the theories pertinent to depression treatment, reviews relevant evidence, defines key concepts of the project, and explains the framework chosen for it.
• Depression and Cognitive Psychotherapy Approaches Cognitive psychotherapy offers various techniques to cope with emotional problems. This paper discusses the most effective cognitive approaches.
• Anxiety, Depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Currently, many people experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder that affect their general health.
• Women’s Mental Health Disorder: Major Depression The mental health disorder paper aims to explore major depression, its symptoms, assessment, and intervention strategies appropriate for women.
• Early Diagnosis of Depression Among Young Adults The purpose of this study was to discover sociodemographic and health traits related to depression sufferers’ usage of various mental health services.
• Depression in Middle-Aged African Women The research study investigates depression in middle-aged African women because the mental health of the population is a serious concern of the modern healthcare sector.
• Early Diagnosis of Depression Among Young Adults The paper shows a need for early identification of depression symptoms in primary care practice. PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 are useful tools for portraying symptoms.
• Early Diagnosis of Depression: Public Health Depression in young adults has become a significant health problem across the US. It causes persistent feelings of loss of interest in activities and sadness.
• Depression and Social Media in Scientific vs. Popular Articles The damage can come in the form of misinformation, which can result in an unjustified and unnecessary self-restriction of social media.
• Depression in Adolescence: Causes and Treatment Depression amongst young adults at the puberty stage comes in hand with several causes that one cannot imagine, and depression happens or is triggered by various reasons.
• Addressing Depression Among Native Youths The current paper aims to utilize a Medicine Wheel model and a social work paradigm to manage depression among Native American Indian youths.
• Psychological Assessments and Intervention Strategies for Depression The article presents two case studies highlighting the importance of psychological assessments and intervention strategies for individuals experiencing depression.
• The Impact of Postpartum Maternal Depression on Postnatal Attachment This paper examines the influence of postpartum maternal depression on postnatal infant attachment, discusses the adverse effects of depression on attachment.
• Marijuana Effects on Risk of Anxiety and Depression The current paper aims to find out whether medical cannabis can positively affect anxiety and depression and the process of their treatment.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression Cognitive behavioral therapy analyzes the unconscious processes influencing the normal functioning of the human body, causing different pathologies.
• Hypnotherapy as an Effective Method for Treating Depression This paper explores the use of hypnotherapy as a treatment for depression and highlights the advantages of hypnosis in addressing depressive symptoms.
• Postpartum Depression in Women and Men The focus of the paper is health problems that affect women after giving birth to a child, such as depression. The author proposes that men also experience postpartum depression.
• Repression and Depression in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author highlighted the connection between repression and depression.
• Men and Depression: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Depression in men and women has several incompatibilities as males suffer from health problems more often than women as they rarely express their emotions.
• Promotion of Change Regarding Adolescent Depression In the essay, the author describes the methods to evaluate the symptoms of a patient who has been referred for counseling with depression.
• Interventions to Cope With Depression Depression is characterized by sadness, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, and helplessness. These feelings do not necessarily relate to life events.
• Bipolar Depression and Bipolar Mania Although all bipolar disorders are characterized by periods of extreme mood, the main difference between them is the severity of the condition itself.
• Post-Stroke Anxiety and Depression The purpose of the given study is to ascertain how cognitive behavior therapy affects individuals with post-stroke ischemia in terms of depression reduction.
• Depression and Anxiety Management The medical staff will investigate the treatment modalities currently being utilized for the large population of patients experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
• Impacts of Stress of Low Income on the Risk of Depression in Children Socioeconomic hardships lead to a decline in the quality of parenting and the development of psychological and behavioral problems in children.
• The Causes of Depression and How to Overcome It In this self-reflection essay, the author describes the causes of his depression and the steps he is taking to overcome it.
• Depression: Diagnostics and Treatment Depression, when it remains unchecked, can cause detrimental effects to individuals, such as suicide, which will eventually equate to mental disorders.
• Is depression a biological condition or a result of unrealistic expectations?
• Should employers be legally required to provide support to workers with depression?
• Do the media portrayals of depression accurately reflect people’s experiences?
• Social media contributes to depression rates by eliciting the feeling of loneliness.
• Should mental health screening be mandatory in schools?
• Should depression be reclassified as a neurological disorder?
• Antidepressants are an overused quick-fix solution to depression.
• Should non-pharmacological treatments for depression be prioritized?
• Should depression be considered a disability?
• The use of electroconvulsive therapy for depression should be banned.
• Psychedelics in Depression and Anxiety Treatment Mental illnesses have become an essential part of health in the last few decades, with sufficient attention being devoted to interventions that resolve them.
• Depression and Anxiety Among African-American Children Depression and anxiety are common among African-American children and adolescents, but they face significant barriers to receiving care and treatment due to their age and race.
• Why Are Physical Activities Treatments for Depression? In this paper, the connection between physical activities and depression will be analyzed, and the common counterargument will be discussed.
• Depression in the Older Population The paper discusses depression is an actual clinical disorder for older people with specific reasons related to their age.
• Nutrition and Depression: A Psychological Perspective When discussing nutrition in toddlers and certain behavioral patterns, one of the first standpoints to pay attention to is the humanistic perspective.
• Social Media and Depression in Adolescents: The Causative Link This paper explores how social media causes depression in adolescents during the social-emotional stage of life.
• Physical Activities as Treatment for Depression This paper will discuss what factors are improved via physical exercise and how they help with treating depression.
• Therapeutic Interventions for the Older Adult With Depression and Dementia The paper researches the therapeutic interventions which relevant for the older people with depression and dementia nowadays.
• Depression Among Patients With Psoriasis Considering psoriasis as the cause of the development of depressive disorders, many researchers assign a decisive role to the severe skin itching that accompanies psoriasis.
• Qi Gong Practices’ Effects on Depression Qi Gong is a set of physical and spiritual practices aimed at the balance of mind, body, and soul and the article demonstrates whether it is good or not at treating depression.
• The Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Depression for Women The study analyzes the impact of forgiveness therapy on the emotional state of women who have experienced emotional abuse.
• How Covid-19 Isolation Contributed to Depression and Adolescent Suicide The pandemic affected adolescents because of stringent isolation measures, which resulted in mental challenges such as depression and anxiety, hence suicidal thoughts.
• Depression and Anxiety in Older Generation Depression and anxiety represent severe mental disorders that require immediate and prolonged treatment for patients of different ages.
• Coping with Depression After Loss of Loved Ones This case is about a 60-year-old man of African American origin. He suffered from depression after his wife’s death, which made him feel lonely and isolated.
• Postpartum Depression Screening Program Evaluation In order to manage the depression of mothers who have just delivered, it is important to introduce a routine postpartum depression-screening program in all public hospitals.
• Depression: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment Depression interferes with daily routine, wasting valuable time and lowering production. Persistent downs or blues, sadness, and anger may be signs of depression.
• Adolescent Males With Depression: Poly-Substance Abuse Depression is the most crucial aspect that makes young males indulge in poly-substance abuse. There are various ways in which male adolescents express their depression.
• The Health of the Elderly: Depression and Severe Emotional Disturbance This study is intended for males and females over the age of 50 years who are likely to suffer from depression and severe emotional disturbance.
• Suicidal Ideation & Depression in Elderly Living in Nursing Home vs. With Family This paper attempts to compare the incidence of suicidal ideation and depression among elderly individuals living in nursing homes and those living with family in the community.
• Major Depression: Symptoms and Treatment Major depression is known as clinical depression, which is characterized by several symptoms. There are biological, psychological, social, and evolutionary causes of depression.
• Health Disparity Advocacy: Clinical Depression in the U.S. Recent statistics show that approximately more than 10 million people suffer from severe depression each year in the U.S..
• Serum Neurotrophic Factors in Adolescent Depression by Pallavi et al. The research hypothesis of the article is to compare the serum concentration of neurotrophic factors in depression patients and healthy control.
• The Treatment of Anxiety and Depression The meta-analysis provides ample evidence, which indicates that CES is not only effective but also safe in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
• Depression Intervention Among Diabetes Patients The research examines the communication patterns used by depression care specialist nurses when communicating with patients suffering from diabetes.
• Postnatal Depression in New Mothers and Its Prevention Leisure activities keep new mothers suffering from postnatal depression busy and enable them to interact with other members of the society.
• Literature Evaluation on the Depression Illness The evaluation considers the articles that study such medical illness as depression from different planes of its perception.
• Treatment of Major Depression The purpose of the paper is to identify the etiology and the treatment of major depression from a psychoanalytic and cognitive perspective.
• Edinburgh Depression Screen for Treating Depression Edinburgh Depression screen is also known as Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale which is used to screen pregnant and postnatal women for emotional distress.
• Depression Treatment Variants in the US There is a debate regarding the best formula for depression treatment whereby some argue for using drugs, whereas others are advocating for therapy.
• Depression in the Elderly: Treatment Options Professionals may recommend various treatment options, including the use of antidepressants, psychotherapy such as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
• Depression Treatments and Therapeutic Strategies This article examines the effectiveness of different depression treatments and reviews the therapeutic strategies, which can be helpful if the initial treatment fails.
• Depression and the Nervous System Depression is a broad condition that is associated with failures in many parts of the nervous system. It can be both the cause and the effect of this imbalance.
• Depression: Types, Symptoms, Etiology & Management Depression differs from other disorders, connected with mood swings, and it may present a serious threat to the individual’s health condition.
• The Effect of Music Therapy on Depression One major finding of study is that music therapy alleviates depression among the elderly. Music therapy could alleviate depression.
• Can physical exercise alone effectively treat depression?
• Art therapy as a complementary treatment for depression.
• Is there a link between perfectionism and depression?
• The influence of sleep patterns on depression treatment outcomes.
• Can exposure to nature and green spaces decrease depression rates in cities?
• The relationship between diet and depression symptoms.
• The potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy in treating depression.
• The role of outdoor experiences in alleviating depression symptoms.
• The relationship between depression and physical health in older adults.
• The role of workplace culture in preventing employee depression.
• Post-Natal Depression as an Affective Disorder Postpartum or post-natal depression (PPD) is a serious issue that can potentially be destructive to both infant and mother.
• “Neighborhood Racial Discrimination and the Development of Major Depression” by Russell The study investigates how neighborhood racial discrimination influences this severe mental disorder among African American Women.
• Adolescent Depression and Physical Health Depression in adolescents and young people under 24 is a factor that affects their physical health negatively and requires intervention from various stakeholders.
• Family Support to a Veteran With Depression Even the strongest soldiers become vulnerable to multiple health risks and behavioral changes, and depression is one of the problems military families face.
• Alcohol and Depression Article by Churchill and Farrell The selected article for this discussion is “Alcohol and Depression: Evidence From the 2014 Health Survey for England” by Sefa Awaworyi Churchill and Lisa Farrell.
• Negative Effects of Depression in Adolescents on Their Physical Health Mental disorders affect sleep patterns, physical activity, digestive and cardiac system. The purpose of the paper to provide information about adverse impacts of depression on health.
• Elderly Depression: Symptoms, Consequences, Behavior, and Therapy The paper aims to identify symptoms, behavioral inclinations of older adults, consequences of depression, and treatment ways.
• Depression in Feminist Literature of the 1890s The aim of the work is to analyze the cause of female sickness, which is their inability to express themselves and the pitiful place of a female in the society of that time.
• Major Depression Disorder: Causes and Treatment Loss in weight and appetite are some of the symptoms that a patient diagnosed with Major Depression Disorder could manifest.
• Mood Disorders: Depression Concepts Description The essay describes the nature of depression, its causes, characteristics, consequences, and possible ways of treatment.
• Geriatric Depression Diagnostics Study Protocol The research question is: how does the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines affect the accuracy of diagnosing of depression?
• Mental Health Association of Depression and Alzheimer’s in the Elderly Depression can be a part of Alzheimer’s disease. Elderly people may have episodes of depression, but these episodes cannot be always linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
• Protective Factors Against Youthful Depression Several iterations of multiple correlation, step-wise and hierarchical regression yielded inconclusive results about the antecedents of youthful depression.
• Depression and Related Psychological Issues Depression as any mental disorder can be ascribed, regarding the use of psychoanalysis, to a person`s inability to control his destructive or sexual instincts or impulses.
• Television Habituation and Adolescent Depression The paper investigates the theory that there is a link between heavy TV viewing and adolescent depression and assess the strength of association.
• Occupational Psychology: Depression Counselling The case involves a 28-year-old employee at Data Analytics Ltd. A traumatic event affected his mental health, causing depression and reduced performance.
• Psychotherapeutic Group: Treatment of Mild-To-Moderate Depression The aim of this manual is to provide direction and employ high-quality sources dedicated to mild-to-moderate depression and group therapy to justify the choices made for the group.
• “Depression and Ways of Coping With Stress” by Orzechowska et al. The study “Depression and Ways of Coping With Stress” by Orzechowska et al. aimed the solve an issue pertinent to nursing since depression can influence any patient.
• Postpartum Depression: Evidence-Based Practice Postpartum or postnatal depression refers to a mood disorder that can manifest in a large variety of symptoms and can range from one person to another.
• Effectiveness of Telenursing in Reducing Readmission, Depression, and Anxiety The project is dedicated to testing the effectiveness of telenursing in reducing readmission, depression, and anxiety, as well as improving general health outcomes.
• Adult Depression Treatment in the United States This study characterizes the treatment of adult depression in the US. It is prompted by the findings of earlier studies, which discover the lack of efficient depression care.
• Nurses’ Interventions in Postnatal Depression Treatment This investigation evaluates the effect of nurses’ interventions on the level of women’s postnatal depression and their emotional state.
• Postpartum Depression: Evidence-Based Care Outcomes In this evidence-based study, the instances of potassium depression should be viewed as the key dependent variable that will have to be monitored in the course of the analysis.
• Postpartum Depression: Diagnosis and Treatment This paper aims to discuss the peculiarities of five one-hour classes on depression awareness, to implement this intervention among first-year mothers, and to evaluate its worth during the first year after giving birth.
• Homelessness and Depression Among Illiterate People There are various myths people have about homelessness and depression. For example, many people believe that only illiterate people can be homeless.
• Postpartum Depression In First-time Mothers The most common mental health problem associated with childbirth remains postpartum depression, which can affect both sexes, and negatively influences the newborn child.
• The Diagnosis and Treatment of Postpartum Depression Postpartum depression has many explanations, but the usual way of referring to this disease is linked to psychological problems.
• What Is Postpartum Depression? Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment The prevalence of postpartum depression is quite high as one in seven new American mothers develops this health issue.
• Depression in Adolescence as a Contemporary Issue Depression in adolescents is not medically different from adult depression but is caused by developmental and social challenges young people encounter.
• Predictors of Postpartum Depression The phenomenon of postpartum depression affects the quality of women’s lives, as well as their self-esteem and relationships with their child.
• Depression and Self-Esteem: Research Problem Apart from descriptively studying the relationship between depression and self-esteem, a more practical approach can be used to check how interventions for enhancing self-esteem might affect depression.
• The Relationship Between Depression and Self-Esteem The topic which is proposed to be studied is the relationship between depression and self-esteem. Self-esteem can be defined as individual’s subjective evaluation of his or her worth.
• The Impact of Depression on Motherhood This work studies the impact of depression screening on prenatal and posts natal motherhood and effects on early interventions using a literature review.
• Depression and Workplace Violence The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis how can workplace violence and verbal aggression be reduced or dealt with by employees.
• Depression in Female Cancer Patients and Survivors Depression is often associated with fatigue and sleep disturbances that prevent females from thinking positively and focusing on the treatment and its outcomes.
• Depression in Cardiac or Diabetic Patients The paper develops a framework through which risk factors associated with the development of MDD among adult patients with heart disease or diabetes can be easily identified.
• The Geriatric Population’s Depression This paper discusses how does the implementation of National Institute for Health and Care guidelines affect the accuracy of diagnosing of depression in the geriatric population.
• Problem of Depression: Recognition and Management Depression is a major health concern, which is relatively prevalent in the modern world. Indeed, in the US, 6.7 % of adults experienced an episode of the Major Depressive Disorder in 2015.
• Health and Care Excellence in Depression Management The introduction of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines can affect the accuracy of diagnosing and quality of managing depression.
• Impact of COVID-19 on Depression and Suicide Rates among Adolescents and Young People The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of coronavirus on these tragic numbers.
• Mild Depression: Psychotherapy or Pharmacotherapy The research question in this paper is: in psychiatric patients with mild depression, what is the effect of psychotherapy on health compared with pharmacotherapy?
• Postpartum Bipolar Disorder and Depression The results of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire screening of a postpartum patient suggest a bipolar disorder caused by hormonal issues and a major depressive episode.
• Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depression Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by unusual mood changes that shift from manic to depressive extremes. In the medical field, it`s called manic depression.
• The Improvement of Depression Management The present paper summarizes the context analysis that was prepared for a change project aimed at the improvement of depression management.
• Depression Management in US National Guidelines The project offers the VEGA medical center to implement the guidelines for depression management developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
• Women’s Health and Major Depression Symptoms The client’s complaints refer to sleep problems, frequent mood swings (she gets sad a lot), and the desire to stay away from social interactions.
• Predictors of Postpartum Depression: Who Is at Risk? The article “Predictors of Postpartum Depression” by Katon, Russo, and Gavin focuses on the identification of risk factors related to postnatal depression.
• Depression and Its Treatment: Racial and Ethnic Disparities The racial and ethnic disparities in depression treatment can be used for the development of quality improvement initiatives aimed at the advancement of patient outcomes.
• Lamotrigine for Bipolar Depression Management Lamotrigine sold as Lamictal is considered an effective medication helping to reduce some symptoms that significantly affect epileptic and bipolar patients’ quality of life.
• Citalopram, Methylphenidate in Geriatric Depression Citalopram typically ranges among 10-20 antidepressants for its cost-effectiveness and positive effect on patients being even more effective than reboxetine and paroxetine.
• Depression and Self-Esteem Relationship Self-esteem can be defined as an “individual’s subjective evaluation of his or her worth as a person”; it does not necessarily describe one’s real talents.
• Postpartum Depression: Methods for the Prevention Postpartum depression is a pressing clinical problem that affects new mothers, infants, and other family members. The prevalence of postpartum depression ranges between 13 and 19 percent.
• Anxiety and Depression Among Females with Cancer The study investigated the prevalence of and the potential factors of risk for anxiety and/or depression among females with early breast cancer during the first 5 years.
• Post-Partum Depression and Perinatal Dyadic Psychotherapy Post-partum depression affects more than ten percent of young mothers, and a method Perinatal Dyadic Psychotherapy is widely used to reduce anxiety.
• VEGA Medical Center: Detection of Depression Practice guidelines for the psychiatric evaluation of adults, and they can be employed to solve the meso-level problem of the VEGA medical center and its nurses.
• The Postnatal (Postpartum) Depression’ Concept Postnatal or postpartum depression (PPD) is a subtype of depression which is experienced by women within the first half a year after giving birth.
• Depression in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Research This essay analyzes a clinical research article “Improving care for depression in obstetrics and gynecology: A randomized controlled trial” by Melville et al.
• Postpartum Depression, Prevention and Treatment Postpartum depression is a common psychiatric condition in women of the childbearing age. They are most likely to develop the disease within a year after childbirth.
• Smoking Cessation and Depression Problem The aim of the study is to scrutinize the issues inherent in the process of smoking cessation and align them with the occurrence of depression in an extensive sample of individuals.
• Evidence-Based Pharmacology: Major Depression In this paper, a certain attention to different treatment approaches that can be offered to patients with depression will be paid, including the evaluation of age implications.
• The Efficacy of Medication in Depression’ Treatment This paper attempts to provide a substantial material for the participation in an argument concerning the clinical effectiveness of antidepressant medications.
• Treatment of Depression in Lesbians The aim of this paper is to review a case study of 45 years old lesbian woman who seeks treatment for depression and to discuss the biophysical, psychological, sociocultural, health system.
• Women’s Health: Predictors of Postpartum Depression The article written by Katon, Russo, and Gavin is focused on women’s health. It discusses predictors of postpartum depression (PPD), including sociodemographic and clinic risk factors.
• Depression Treatment and Management Treatment could be started only after patient is checked whether he has an allergy to the prescribed pills or not. If he is not allergic, he should also maintain clinical tests for depression.
• Depression and Thyroid Issues in Young Woman Young people are busy at studies or at work and do not pay much attention to primary symptoms unless they influence the quality of life.
• Counseling Depression: Ethical Aspects This paper explores the ethical aspects required to work with a widower who diminished passion for food, secluding himself in the house, portraying signs of depression.
• Postpartum Depression as Serious Mental Health Problem The research study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a two-step behavioral and educational intervention on the symptoms of postpartum depression in young mothers.
• European Alliances, Wars, Dictatorships and Depression The decades leading to World War I had unusual alignments. The European nations were still scrambling for Asia, Africa and parts of undeveloped Europe.
• Women’s Health: Depression as a Psychological Factor Women who identify themselves as lesbian are likely to experience depression. Biophysical, psychological, sociocultural, behavioral, and health system factors should be taken into consideration.
• Childhood Obesity and Depression Intervention The main intervention to combat depressive moods in adolescents should be linked to improving the psychological health of young people in cooperation with schools.
• Postnatal Depression Prevalence and Effects The paper analyzes the prevalence and risk factors of Postnatal (Postpartum) Depression as well as investigates the effect on the newborns whose mothers suffer from this condition.
• Depression in Older Adults Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. Evidence-based holistic intervention would provide more effective treatment for elderly patients with depression.
• Placebo and Treatments for Depression Natural alternative treatments for depression actually work better than the biochemical alternatives like antidepressants.
• Care for Depression in Obstetrics and Gynecology This work analyzes the article developed by Melville et al. in which discusses the theme of depression in obstetrics and gynecology and improving care for it.
• Depression Screening in Primary Care Screening for depression in patients suffering from long term conditions (LTCs) or persistent health problems of the body, could largely be erroneous.
• Patients with Depression’ Care: Betty Case Betty, a 45 years old woman, is referred to a local clinic because of feeling depressed. She has a history of three divorces and thinks that she is tired of living the old way.
• Clinical Depression Treatment: Issues and Solvings The paper describes and justifies the design selected for research on depression treatment. It also identifies ethical issues and proposes ways of addressing them.
• Depression in Older Persons – Psychology This article presents the research findings of a study conducted in Iran to assess how effective integrative and instrumental therapies are in the management of depression in older persons.
• Depression in the Elderly – Psychology This paper discusses how a person would know whether a relative had clinical depression or was sad due to specific changes or losses in life.
• Postnatal Depression: Prevalence of Postnatal Depression in Bahrain The study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of postnatal depression among 237 Bahraini women who attended checkups in 20 clinical centres over a period of 2 months.

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StudyCorgi . "227 Depression Research Topics & Essay Titles + Examples." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/depression-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2021. "227 Depression Research Topics & Essay Titles + Examples." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/depression-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Depression were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 22, 2024 .

Depression: Helping Students in the Classroom Essay

Symptoms of depression, depression and suicide, causes of depression, interventions.

Michael is a 14-year-old boy in the eighth grade from an intact, professional family. He has a 16-year-old brother and a 10-year-old sister who do very well in school and demonstrate no problems. Michael is considered to be very bright, as shown by past grades and achievement test scores. Over the past few months, however, teachers have reported that Michael will not complete his homework or may complete it and not turn it in.

He has a history of inconsistent performance over the past 2–3 years, which seems to have worsened these past few months. In the classroom he sits in the back, does not participate, doodles on his papers, and shows little interest in the activities. He is not disruptive or attention-seeking and seems to want to avoid interacting with others.

When asked why he is not doing his work, he says that, “I don’t know,” “I don’t care,” “It’s not important,” or “No one cares, anyway.” Other students view him as “odd” and a “geek,” and report that they do not want to be around him. Over time, he becomes more socially isolated. Now, he has only one or two friends who are not part of the social mainstream. He does show occasional irritability or anger when pushed, but he is not aggressive or overtly noncompliant. Most of the teachers describe him as “lazy” and “unmotivated” and show little interest in trying to help him.

Michael’s story is based on a real student and reflects characteristics of some children who are depressed. These behaviors are not unique to depression, and some students with depression may have some different characteristics. Teachers often have depressed students in their classrooms, and they have difflculty recognizing them or knowing what to do to increase performance. These students often are seen as lazy and they do not respond to typical methods of discipline, including suspensions, penalties, or encouragements. Most depressed children are not being deliberately deflant and uncooperative, but cannot muster the personal resources to perform as well as they are able.

They may think in non-productive ways, such as, “I did poorly on a test because I am a stupid person,” rather than, “I did poorly because I did not study hard enough” or in all-or-none, “I am terrible at everything,” rather than, “I am good at some things and not as good at other things.” Working with depressed children and adolescents requires that educators know about depression, its characteristics and effects on school performance, and what can be done to help these students in the classroom.

Depression in the classroom

Depression is a term we are hearing more often regarding children and adolescents. For many years, it was believed that young people could not experience depression, but we now know that they can and do become depressed, sometimes to a serious level. With sufflcient information, teachers can detect depression and are in a good position to identify it and seek help for the student. In the classroom, depressed students may appear unmotivated and uncaring about their work when, in fact, they are unable to function to their level of ability. Often, they have difflculty with sustaining attention, effort, performance, and social relationships. Coaxing, cajoling, punishment, and reinforcement typically have little effect on behavior and achievement.

Left untreated, depression can lead to continued academic and social problems, substance abuse, social alienation, risk-taking behavior, and suicidal thinking and behavior, perhaps into adulthood. Although students with depression may need counseling and therapy, teachers, school psychologists, counselors, and administrators in collaboration with parents can do much to help them in the classroom by knowing what to look for and learning how to be helpful.

Depression is one of the most common, but unrecognized, conditions of childhood and adolescence, and often is mistaken as a motivation or behavior problem. It is estimated that 8–10% of students experience depression serious enough to require intervention, and up to 20% of all adults may have a depressive disorder at some time in their lives. Adolescent girls and women are twice as likely to develop depression as are adolescent boys and men. However, there is no difference in frequency of depression between pre-adolescent girls and boys. A teacher in a middle school or high school may have as many as 3 students in a class of 30 who have mild to serious depression, with most of them likely to be girls.

Depression is not the same as the occasional adolescent mood swings or feelings of frustration and anger that accompany daily hassles, such as arguments with friends or complaints about school. Those events usually do not last long and do not affect social and school performance. Depression, on the other hand, is a constant mood of feeling down, blue, sad, or down in the dumps that impairs the ability to function. Moreover, the student does not seem to be able to do much to change the mood and does not respond to suggestions to snap out of it.

No two people with depression show it in the same way. Different circumstances and problems cause or contribute to it. However, there are some behaviors that may be signs of depression:

• Depressed mood for more than 2 weeks
• Loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
• Irritability or anger
• Changes in appetite or weight (weight loss not due to dieting or exercise)
• Sleeping too much or too little (sometimes, people seek help for sleeping problems that turn out to be signs of depression)
• Decreased energy or physical activity; even small tasks seem overwhelming and require too much effort (e.g., students may complete homework at a level less than they can do and/or may not turn in completed work)
• Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and low self-esteem
• Difflculty thinking, concentrating, or remembering
• Difflculty getting necessary things done, such as homework
• Difflculty making decisions, often unable to make relatively minor decisions
• Negative thoughts about self, the world, or the future
• Repeated thoughts of suicide, including planning or attempting
• Tired and listless
• Feeling blah and seeming to have no feelings at all (i.e., feeling empty)
• Reports “Not caring about anything”
• Increased or decreased appetite
• Interpret minor day-to-day events as personal failures or defects
• Blaming self for things that are not his or her fault
• Statements that others would be better off if he or she were dead
• Believes that he or she is ugly and unattractive
• Decreased personal hygiene and self-care efforts
• Excessive crying or weepiness over relatively small things

Not all depressed people will show all of these signs or to the same degree. If you see several of them in a student, however, they may indicate depression.

A frequent concern about depression is the increased risk of suicide. A small proportion of depressed students show serious thoughts of planning or attempting it. Although depressed youth are at higher risk for thinking about suicide, the vast majority do not attempt it. Most people considering suicide give several indications of their plans, but others may not pick up on them. Some attempters do not show obvious signs of depression, making detection difflcult.

Predicting suicide is challenging because of its relatively low frequency and the lack of an accurate proflle of potential attempters. Thoughts of suicide occur more often when the person begins to feel that nothing will help to improve the situation. Feelings of hopelessness that things will never change and the pain will not end may lead to an increased risk of suicide. Behavioral signs of suicidal planning may include giving away personal or prized possessions, making statements like, “I won’t be around,” visiting friends and family not seen in a while, taking care of personal matters (e.g., repaying debts, completing unflnished tasks), and talking about how he or she will like to be remembered.

The causes of depression are complex. Some people have a greater likelihood of developing depression, such as those who have first-degree relatives with depression (e.g., parent), living in highly stressful and demanding environments, or suffer traumatic events (e.g., loss of a loved one). Depression may be a long-term condition that has persisted over several weeks, months, or years or it may be of recent onset, such as in trauma. Long-term depression is more difficult to treat and most often requires professional help. Recent or sudden onset depression may subside more quickly, but may require professional help to show the best improvement. Most experts agree that depression is associated with changes in the chemistry of some neurotransmitters in the brain, and this can be chronic.

Some evidence indicates that children who believe that others do not view them as competent are more likely to develop depression. This view has particular salience in schools. That is, if teachers and peers view a student as not being academically or socially capable, there may be a greater risk of development of depression. Similarly, because schools can be stressful places for children who are not successful, they can be at increased risk for depression. Many children who have not been successful at school relate feelings of sadness and depression because they do not do well or fit in.

Depression is associated with other conditions seen in children and youth. For example, approximately 50% of children with depression also have problems with anxiety. Some of the same symptoms are shown in anxiety and depression, which makes it difficult to identify the primary problem. Perhaps surprisingly, depression co-occurs with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and substance abuse problems at levels ranging from 17 to 79% of cases. Therefore, many students who have acting out problems also may be depressed, requiring intervention for both affective and behavior problems. As depression worsens in children and youth, there is an increased likelihood of developing some of these behaviors.

Depression is complex, particularly when it co-exists with other emotional and behavioral problems. Often, there are family problems, making a difficult situation even more challenging. The good news is that, with proper intervention, most children and youth can overcome depression and lead happy and productive lives. In some cases professional therapy and medications may be needed, which may be beyond the purview of the school. Although a student might need some direct counseling or therapy, there are many things that teachers and others can do to help the depressed student. Some suggestions include:

Develop a relationship

Approach the depressed student and try to develop a working and collaborative relationship. Do not be afraid to talk with the student. Many times, depressed students are seeking someone who cares about them, although it might not seem that way. Above all, don’t give up on them. Use positive approaches. Do not use punishment, sarcasm, disparagement, punishment, or other negative techniques. They are not effective and likely will only further reinforce feelings of incompetence and low self-esteem, which may deepen the depression.

Remember that these students are not choosing to be depressed

They want to feel better and to do well just as you want them to do well. When depressed, they lack the personal resources to do their best work. As an analogy, we would not expect someone with a reading disability to read at grade level. Punitive approaches are not recommended in these cases and, instead, it is best to give extra help or support. The student with depression needs to receive extra support and caring, as well, not criticism, punishment, or indifference. Consider ways to give the extra support and attention they need, while recognizing that the student may be doing the best he or she can do at the time.

Consider making adjustments or accommodations in assignments or tasks

This approach does not mean that expectations are lowered or that the student with depression should be given unearned grades. However, give more time, break assignments into smaller pieces, offer extra help in setting up schedules or study habits, or pair the student with others who express an interest in helping. Accommodations like these are provided often for students with learning disabilities. There is no reason that the student with depression cannot receive similar considerations.

Provide opportunities for success

To the extent possible, arrange experiences so that the student can be successful and be recognized for successes. Schedule pleasant activities and provide opportunities for successful leadership. It is very important that depressed students feel accepted as a part of the school and that teachers believe in their competence.

Seek help from support personnel

Consult with your school psychologist, counselor, or social worker to get suggestions of what to do for specific students. Each case is different and requires individual planning.

School personnel can have significant, positive impacts on improving the academic, social, and emotional development of children with depression without being professional therapists. Learning about depression and implementing methods to help can make the difference between a student’s success or continuing down a path of underachievement.

Koplewicz, H. S. (2002). More than moody: Recognizing and treating adolescent depression. New York: Putnam. ISBN: 039914918X.

Merrell, K. (2001). Helping students overcome depression and anxiety: A practical guide. New York: Guilford. ISBN: 1572306173.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Depression — Depression And Its Main Causes

Depression and Its Main Causes

• Categories: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Depression Mental Health

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Published: Jan 28, 2021

Words: 1373 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

• Beyondblue. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/depression/treatments-for-depression/psychological-treatments-for-depression
• Hannibal, J. (2012). Psychology for the IB diploma. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 149-61.
• Harvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). What causes depression? Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression
• Lyness, D. (Ed.). (2016, August). Why Do People Get Depressed? (for Teens). Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/why-depressed.html
• Morin, A., & Lcsw. (n.d.). How Many People Are Actually Affected by Depression Every Year? Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/depression-statistics-everyone-should-know-4159056
• Schimelpfening, N., & Gans, S. (n.d.). Why Some People Are More Prone to Depression Than Others. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/why-are-some-people-more-prone-to-depression-1067622

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Essay On Depression: Causes, Symptoms And Effects

Our life is full of emotional ups and downs, but when the time of down lasts too long or influences our ability to function, in this case, probably, you suffer from common serious illness, which is called depression. Clinical depression affects your mood, thinking process, your body and behaviour. According to the researches, in the United States about 19 million people, i.e. one in ten adults, annually suffer from depression, and about 2/3 of them do not get necessary help. An appropriate treatment can alleviate symptoms of depression in more than 80% of such cases. However, since depression is usually not recognized, it continues to cause unnecessary suffering.

Depression is a disease that dominates you and weakens your body, it influences men as well as women, but women experience depression about two times more often than men.

Since this issue is very urgent nowadays, we decided to write this cause and effect essay on depression to attract the public attention one more time to this problem. I hope it will be informative and instructive for you. If you are interested in reading essays on similar or any other topic, you should visit our website . There you will find not only various essays, but also you can get help in essay writing . All you need is to contact our team, and everything else we will do for you.

Depression is a strong psychological disorder, from which usually suffers not only a patients, but also his / hers family, relatives, friends etc.

General information

More often depression develops on the basis of stress or prolonged traumatic situation. Frequently depressive disorders hide under the guise of a bad mood or temper features. In order to prevent severe consequences it is important to figure out how and why depression begins.

Symptoms and causes of depression

As a rule, depression develops slowly and insensibly for a person and for his close ones. At the initial stage most of people are not aware about their illness, because they think that many symptoms are just the features of their personality. Experiencing inner discomfort, which can be difficult to express in words, people do not ask for professional help, as a rule. They usually go to doctor at the moment, when the disease is already firmly holds the patient causing unbearable suffering.

Risk factors for depression:

• being female;
• the presence of depression in family anamnesis;
• early depression in anamnesis;
• early loss of parents;
• the experience of violence in anamnesis;
• personal features;
• stressors (parting, guilt);
• alcohol / drug addiction;
• neurological diseases (Parkinson's disease, apoplexy).

Signs of depression

Depression influences negatively all the aspects of human life. Inadequate psychological defense mechanisms, in their turn, affect destructively not only psychological, but also biological processes.

The first signs of depression are apathy, not depending on the circumstances, indifference to everything what is going on, weakening of motor activity; these are the main clinical symptoms of depression . If their combination is observed for more than two weeks, urgent professional help is required.

Psychological symptoms:

• depressed mood, unhappiness;
• loss of interest, reduced motivation, loss of energy;
• self-doubt, guilt, inner emptiness;
• decrease in speed of thinking, inability to make decisions;
• anxiety, fear and pessimism about the future;
• daily fluctuations;
• possible delirium;
• suicidal thoughts.

Somatic symptoms:

• vital disorders;
• disturbed sleep (early waking, oversleeping);
• eating disorders;
• constipation;
• feeling of tightness of the skull, dizziness, feeling of compression;
• vegetative symptoms.

Causes of depression

It is accepted to think in modern psychiatry that the development of depression, as well as most of other mental disorders, requires the combined effect of three factors: psychological, biological and social.

Psychological factor (“Personality structure”)

There are three types of personality especially prone to depression:

1) “Statothymic personality” that is characterized by exaggerated conscientiousness, diligence, accuracy;

2) Melancholic personality type with its desire for order, constancy, pedantry, exessive demands on itself;

3) Hyperthymic type of personality that is characterized by self-doubt, frequent worries, with obviously low self-esteem.

People, whose organism biologically tends to depression development, due to education and other social environmental factors form such personality features, which in adverse social situations, especially while chronic stress, cause failure of psychological adaptation mechanisms, skills to deal with stress or lack of coping strategies.

Such people are characterized by:

• lack of confidence in their own abilities;
• excessive secrecy and isolation;
• excessive self-critical attitude towards yourself;
• waiting for the support of the close ones;
• developed pessimism;
• inability to resist stress situations;
• emotional expressiveness.

Biological factor:

• the presence of unfavorable heredity;
• somatic and neurological head injury that violated brain activity;
• changes in the hormonal system;
• chronobiological factors: seasonal depressive disorders, daily fluctuations, shortening of REM sleep;
• side effects of some medications.
• Heredity and family tendency to depression play significant role in predisposition to this disease. It is noticed that relatives of those who suffer from depression usually have different psychosomatic disorders.

Social factor:

• the presence of frequent stress situations, chronic stress;
• adverse family relationships;
• adverse childhood experience, the absence of tenderness from parents, ill-treatment and sexual harassment, interpersonal loss, severe methods of education, negative childhood memories;
• urbanization;
• significant changes in the life;
• population migration;
• increased lifetime.

People in a state of chronic stress suffer from depression more often. If some acute stress situation happens during the period of chronic stress, the probability of depression symptoms development increases.

If you decide to fight the depression, remember that you are not alone! Every fifth person in the world at least once in the life experienced depression. If you notice the signs of depression that disturb you for more than two weeks, you should go to the specialist.

Do not delay visit, in this case time does not heal. The professionalism of the doctors and a complex program of treatment will help to get rid of any kind of depression.

Where to go for help

If you do not where to go for help, ask your family physician, obstetrician, gynecologist or the clinic. In an emergency situation, the emergency doctor can provide temporary help for patients with emotional problems and give them an advice where and how they can ask for the further help.

Here is the list of people and organizations that can diagnose and suggest a course of treatment, or can give a direction to the examination and treatment.

• Family doctors.
• Such specialists as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and consultants on mental health.
• Health maintenance organizations.
• Local centers for the treatment of mental illness.
• The Department of Psychiatry in hospitals and outpatient clinics.
• Programs at universities and medical schools.
• Family assistance services and social services departments.
• Private clinics and institutions.
• Care centers in the workplace.
• Local health and (or) mental health communities.

It is very important in depressive episode treatment to understand that this is depression of a certain person, do not make attempts to excessive generalization of symptoms and factors of disease development. It requires personal approach to each patient.

So, as you can see, depression is a serious disease that requires professional treatment. If you manage to recognize the signs of depression at its early stage and ask for professional help, you can successfully overcome this problem. I hope this essay about depression was useful for you, and you got what you were looking for.

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Essay About Depression: 7 Ways To Overcome It Successfully

It seems that only yesterday everything was ok and you smiled and were happy, you had a lot of energy to work and to create some new things, but today you do not want to do anything and your world became “grey”. If you are familiar with this situation, be careful, you became the victim of the depression .

How is it possible to solve this problem?

First of all, do not panic! In this article, you will find step by step instructions how to leave the depressions and live the whole life in the great mood. Also, if you wish to order, for example, teenage depression essay or any other essays on this or any different themes, you can do it on our site and we will provide you with the great essay in the shortest time.

1. You need to sort your impressions in the struggle with the depression

First of all you need to understand which things can make you unhappy. For example, your neighbor or the climate change . After that, you just need to write them on the paper and read every day. After some time you will see, that the problem with your neighbor is possible to be solved via simple conversation. But the problem with climate change is not possible to be solved by you, it is a global problem. Because of it, just take it easy and just understand that there are some problems which can be despite of your desires.

2. It is possible to overcome the depression with the help of optimistic thoughts

So, please sit in the armchair and try to see on the problems from the other side. If you had some quarrels with your boss, but he did not fire you, there is a chance, that the conflict will be solved via conversation. If your husband left the family , then you have a lot of free time for yourself, you became free and you can start new relationships with someone new. You need to look after the good sides of the situation even if it is difficult to find. You will see, that everything is not as bad as it was from the very beginning. Because of it, try to get rid of depressions via all possible options.

3. To avoid the depression just stop to increase the meaning of the problem

Just try to make the scale from 1 to 10 for all your troubles, because of which you cannot be happy. For example 1- you broke the nail, 4- you had a quarrel with your mother, 10- your husband left the family. And now think a lot if it the broken nail is bigger problem for you than the fact that your husband left the family. You need to spend all your power to solve the main problem and just to forget about some little problems which do not have a lot of meaning.

4. It is not the time to lose your weight

It is said, that people, that think a lot about their weight cannot be happy in this life. It is important to relax and forget about the stress. And the doctors say, that the food restriction will not help a lot, it is better to start healthy eating and change the style of your life.

5. The warm and relaxing bath will help a lot

It is well known fact, that the warm bath is the common and really effective way to relax. You can add to it come rose petals, a few drops of your favorite essential oil and turn on slow music. In this moment it is impossible to think about all the problems you have.

6. Play with animals

Your pet will help you to overcome the depression. It is known that the communication with animals will help to stop the depressions and you will forget about the stress. Animals can take the negative energy and absorb some bad emotions. Also, they are really funny and you will forget about your problems for some time.

7. Only you can help to overcome the depression

The tendency for different depressions is possible to explain from the scientific point of view. In thin period, all zones of your brain, which are responsible for accepting the information from the external world are active, but the zones which are responsible for the adequacy of the actions are inactive. But it is not for the very long period, because of it you can change this situation from your side. Visit your friends, travel a lot, open something new for yourself, it does not matter what you are doing, the main task is not to think about all your problems.

If you change your thoughts and will try to find the positive sides of the situation, your life will change dramatically and you will be happy and will have a lot of positive emotions and good mood again. The whole situation depends on you. If you wish to develop yourself and you have a huge desire, you will find the power to make these changes, because there are no any pluses in the depression, it will only make your life worth than it is now.

Also, if you need to have more detailed information about it, you can order essay on depression on our site and we will provide you with more advices, because we understand how it is important for you and we will do our best to help you with this problem. There are a lot of depression essays in our blog and also you can check many other themes, which you are interested in. You will get the paper in time, because we value every client and we like our job. You can be sure , that any depression essays will be written with all your comments, because we have individual approach to every client and we hope that you will like the result when you get it.  

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More From Forbes

How ketamine may be the answer to treatment-resistant depression.

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Once seen as nothing more than an anesthetic or a recreational drug, ketamine is now being ... [+] recognized for its potential in the world of mental health.

Although it is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, off-label, supervised use of ketamine, a Schedule III substance, is allowed on a case-to-case basis in mental health treatment. What is FDA-approved, however, is esketamine, a close relative of ketamine that has shown promise in treating depression that isn’t responding to the usual treatment methods including therapy and medication. This is not surprising, as there is substantial evidence of ketamine’s therapeutic effects, with early studies linking its use to relief in depression symptoms .

More recently, ketamine is being studied for its therapeutic effects beyond depression. A study published in Ibrain suggests that ketamine could be beneficial in treating post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in patients who have failed to respond to traditional treatments such as talk therapy and psychiatric medications. Animal research, clinical trials and case reports have shown significant reductions in PTSD-related symptoms and rapid antidepressant effects.

However, the same study also raises some concerns over the long-term efficacy and safety of the drug, particularly in light of its effects on the nervous system.

Another recent article published in Missouri Medicine explores the availability of unsupervised and unregulated ketamine treatment through online for-profit companies. The review discusses the dangers of patients self-administering ketamine at home, particularly in the absence of proper medical supervision.

While ketamine’s potential as a treatment for mental illness is undeniable and public interest in alternative therapies for certain conditions is evident, it’s crucial to use caution and evidence-based practices in ensuring patient safety and wellness.

One mental health company that addresses the demand for novel treatments in treatment-resistant depression and other mental health conditions is Being Health . I spoke to Dr. Allie Sharma, co-founder and chief medical officer at the New York City-based company, to gain perspective on what is involved in ketamine infusion therapy and why it is likely to lead a change in how we approach the mental health of those who find traditional methods of treatment ineffective. Here are two important things I learned from our conversation.

Apple Confirms Major iPhone Changes With New App Features Enabled

O j simpson dies of cancer at 76, aew dynamite results winners and grades as cm punk destroys jack perry, 1. there are safety protocols and a stringent screening process for ketamine infusion therapy.

“Treatment-resistant depression is defined as at least two failed medication trials of antidepressants for the current episode of depression,” Sharma explains. “We offer Ketamine Infusion Therapy for treatment-resistant depression, given that Ketamine has been shown in numerous studies to provide rapid improvement and durability of response and has the potential to make a long-lasting impact in people’s lives by alleviating the symptoms of depression.”

Being Health’s ketamine-based treatment was developed over the course of nearly two years with experts in the fields of anesthesiology and psychiatry. It unfolds through a structured, five-step process designed to ensure the safety, effectiveness and personalized care for each patient undergoing ketamine infusion therapy. Here’s a breakdown of the process:

• Initial consultation. A thorough evaluation by a board-certified psychiatrist assesses suitability for ketamine therapy, covering medical, psychiatric and substance use history, coordinating with other care providers and ordering lab tests according to protocol. For example, someone with a history of severe substance use would not be eligible for treatment, as it could lead to physiological and psychological complications.
• Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy preparation. Before the first infusion, a session with a ketamine-assisted psychotherapy-trained therapist helps patients prepare mentally and emotionally, setting intentions for their therapy.
• Ketamine infusions. Patients undergo a series of ketamine infusions, typically twice a week for three weeks, monitored by a certified registered nurse anesthetist for a tailored and supervised experience. The schedule may be adjusted as needed.
• KAP integration. After infusions, sessions with a KAP-trained psychotherapist help integrate the experiences into ongoing mental health care, separate from infusion times.
• Ongoing care. Continuous support is offered to patients, including symptom tracking, optional maintenance infusions and access to monthly group psychotherapy, ensuring comprehensive, long-term mental health care.

This procedural approach ensures that individuals at risk or unlikely to benefit from ketamine are carefully screened out, prioritizing patient safety and the effectiveness of the treatment.

2. Ensuring Fair And Safe Access To Ketamine-Based Treatments Is Important

A 2022 narrative review published in the Journal of Pain Research points to ketamine’s beneficial and significant role in reducing symptoms of depression, both initially and over time. Interestingly, it was also found to have improved the psychotherapist-patient relationship, significantly enhancing treatment outcomes.

“KAP refers to a psychotherapy session conducted by a KAP therapist outside—not during or immediately after—the infusion. Therefore, the potential for ethical issues to arise during our KAP sessions is minimized since patients are not in an altered state of consciousness during the KAP sessions.”

This measured approach to therapy involving ketamine is vital as it ensures that therapeutic benefits are maximized while maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and ethical treatment practices.

The FDA’s approval of esketamine, a ketamine derivative, for specific depression cases marks a significant milestone, signaling a shift toward more widespread acceptance of these novel treatments. Another beacon of ketamine’s potential in mental healthcare is the fact that some insurers are starting to offer coverage to certain stages of ketamine infusion therapy, such as initial consultations (for screening) and KAP sessions.

A commitment to safety, through rigorous protocols and expert-led care, exemplifies the responsible advancement in this field. As research continues, particularly in areas like PTSD and alcohol use disorder, and as other novel substances such as MDMA and psilocybin enter clinical trials, regulations are expected to evolve to ensure these therapies’ safe and ethical use. This dynamic interplay between innovation and regulation underscores a hopeful direction for mental health treatment, promising more effective solutions for those grappling with persistent mental health challenges.

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Opinion Leaders of Jordan, France and Egypt: Cease fire now in Gaza

Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein is king of Jordan. Emmanuel Macron is president of France. Abdel Fatah El-Sisi is president of Egypt.

The war in Gaza and the catastrophic humanitarian suffering it is causing must end now. Violence, terror and war cannot bring peace to the Middle East. The two-state solution will. It is the only credible path to guaranteeing peace and security for all, and ensuring that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis ever have to relive the horrors that have befallen them since the Oct. 7 attack.

On March 25, the U.N. Security Council finally assumed its responsibility by demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. This is a critical step that must be fully implemented without further delay.

In light of the intolerable human toll of the war, we, the leaders of Egypt, France and Jordan, call for the immediate and unconditional implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2728. We underline the urgent need to bring about a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

We emphasize the urgency of implementing the Security Council’s demand for the immediate release of all hostages and reaffirm our support for the negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States that address a cease-fire, as well as the hostages and detainees.

As we urge all parties to abide by all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, we warn against the dangerous consequences of an Israeli offensive on Rafah, where about 1.5 million Palestinian civilians have sought refuge. Such an offensive would only bring more death and suffering, heighten the risks and consequences of mass displacement of the people of Gaza and threaten regional escalation. We reiterate our equal respect for all lives. We condemn all violations and abuses of international humanitarian law, including all acts of violence, terrorism and indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Protecting civilians is a fundamental legal obligation for all parties and the cornerstone of international humanitarian law. Violating this obligation is absolutely prohibited.

Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine, but famine is already setting in. There is an urgent need for a massive increase in the provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance. This is a core demand of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 2720 and 2728, which emphasize the urgent need to expand aid supplies.

U.N. agencies, including the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, and humanitarian actors play a critical role in relief operations in Gaza. They must be protected and granted full access, including in the northern part of the Gaza Strip . We condemn the killing of humanitarian aid workers, most recently the attack against World Central Kitchen’s aid convoy .

Consistent with international law, Israel is under an obligation to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population, a responsibility it has not fulfilled. We reiterate the Security Council’s demand to lift barriers to humanitarian assistance and for Israel to immediately facilitate humanitarian assistance through all crossing points, including in the North of the Gaza Strip and through a direct land corridor from Jordan, as well as by sea.

We, the leaders of Egypt, France and Jordan, are determined to continue stepping up our efforts to meet the humanitarian, medical and health needs of the civilian population of Gaza, in close coordination with the U.N. system and regional partners.

Lastly, we underline the urgency of restoring hope for peace and security for all in the region, primarily the Palestinian and Israeli people. We emphasize our determination to continue working together to avoid further regional spillover, and we call on all actors to refrain from any escalatory action. We urge an end to all unilateral measures, including settlement activity and land confiscation. We also urge Israel to prevent settler violence.

We emphasize the necessity of respecting the historical and legal status quo at Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites, and the role of the Jordanian Waqf under the Hashemite custodianship.

We stress our determination to step up our joint efforts to effectively bring about the two-state solution. The establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the basis of the two-state solution, in accordance with international law and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, to live side by side in peace and security with Israel, is the only way to achieve true peace. The Security Council must play a role in decisively reopening this horizon for peace.

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Seeking Answers on Israel and Palestine

More from our inbox:, the u.s. and israel, united (briefly) by the eclipse, end-of-life planning, the church of trump, the peace sign, progressive as ever.

To the Editor:

Re “ The Two-State Solution Is a Fantasy ,” by Tareq Baconi (Opinion guest essay, April 7):

Coursing through Mr. Baconi’s essay about the impossibility of a two-state solution is the notion that Jews have no legitimate presence in the Middle East to begin with, and that their presence there represents only the last gasp of the dying British colonial empire.

This argument turns history on its head. Jews and Judaism are of course indigenous to the region (when we end the Passover Seder in a few weeks, we will recite, as Jews have for millenniums, “next year in Jerusalem”) and the partition approved in 1947 was an attempt to provide for the legitimate claims of two peoples to a land to which they had each been long attached. The Zionist leaders of 1947 accepted this partition. Tragically, the Arabs of the region rejected it.

The war that Hamas began on Oct. 7 was not in pursuit of a future state in which Jews and Arabs would coexist. It was a violent expression of the idea that Mr. Baconi expresses in more polite but nonetheless clear terms, that the presence of Jews in their ancestral and historical homeland is fundamentally illegitimate.

Neil Schluger Bronx

Tareq Baconi argues against a two-state solution, considering it a ploy for continued Israeli domination. Yet he fails to articulate an alternative amenable to both Israelis and Palestinians.

Rather, he alludes to a situation in which one merely replaces Israeli domination with Arab domination. How will that end the bloodshed? How would the Israelis ever agree without being killed or expelled?

Each side must compromise; each side will be disappointed. But the only way to avoid another Oct. 7 or another nakba (Palestinian catastrophe), isn’t a forced marriage in which one side dominates the other, but a structured divorce in which each side has its property and rights recognized by the other.

Two states for two peoples isn’t the best option; it’s the only option.

Benjy Braun Washington

“The Two-State Solution Is a Fantasy” is a gift to the Jewish right-wing argument that Palestinians will accept nothing less than the annihilation of the Jewish state and that therefore Israel must do whatever it takes to ensure its security.

The author does the exact thing that he criticizes: a simplistic one-sided view with no acknowledgment that there are two populations who each believe deeply that they are entitled to live in the region without mortal threat.

Neither of them will simply disappear. To think otherwise is the real fantasy.

Sharon Silverman Chabrow Portland, Maine

Re “ White House Says Gazans’ Welfare Is Key to U.S. Aid ” (front page, April 5):

The escalation in President Biden’s language in dealing with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel does not match the immorality of the conditions in Gaza.

As a longtime ally, the United States, from the beginning, gave Israel a broad license, in the form of arms, aid and support at the United Nations, to respond to the horrific Hamas attack on innocent Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.

Over time, Israel has abused and betrayed that trust by causing unnecessary civilian deaths and widespread destruction and deprivation in Gaza. Israel’s actions and inaction reflect a conscious indifference to civilian death and suffering.

That license must be revoked until a cease-fire is declared. Then, Israel must re-earn our support through scaled-back military operations that protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and concrete actions that relieve Gazans’ suffering.

Michael Curry Austin, Texas

The solar eclipse on Monday ( live updates , nytimes.com, April 8) served to unite humanity in the witnessing of a celestial spectacle in which racial, economic and partisan differences were set aside, however briefly, in a peaceful, awe-inspiring and communal experience of sublime wonderment.

As the sun was slowly yet inexorably obscured by the moon, all of our earthly human rancor seemed petty and ephemeral by contrast.

Compared with the magnitude and magnificence of our planet and its sun and moon and their heavenly dance, humankind’s quotidian travails and grievances are cosmically inconsequential, even if we foolishly and hubristically imbue them with incommensurate vehemence and import during our relatively fleeting lives on terra firma.

Mark Godes Chelsea, Mass.

Re “ How to Make End-of-Life Planning Less Stressful ” (Here to Help, March 27):

This helpful article is important, as so many people do not plan or have essential family discussions. As a result, the wishes of many patients are not respected, as no one knows what they are.

Some will receive unwanted treatment, and others might not receive treatment they would have wanted. Terrible conflicts between family members regularly occur, many unresolved.

Copies of the health care proxy should be readily accessible and should be given to relevant physicians. And people who are on Medicare should have advance care planning discussions with their physicians. These discussions are also very important and are reimbursable .

David C. Leven Pelham, N.Y. The writer is executive director emeritus and senior consultant, End of Life Choices New York.

Re “ Trump Rallies Are Evolving Into a Church ” (front page, April 2):

There’s a lot of alarming information in your article, but you stop way short of clearly naming it for what it is. Donald Trump and his “church” are the latest, clearest embodiment of white Christian nationalism, a perversion that stands the message of Jesus completely on its head.

When Mr. Trump “preaches” hate, division and resentment along the lines of race, gender and sexual orientation and openly advocates violence over peace, his role is more akin to the often invoked “Antichrist” his followers seem to fear so much.

There is little reason to beat around the bush. This is a marginal, extremist cult of personality that would lead the U.S. into a dark and apocalyptic place animated by white supremacy. The New York Times of all publications should be willing to call it what it is without fear of alienating his cult members.

Jerry Threet Victoria, British Columbia

Re “ A Sign Battered by Time ” (Sunday Styles, March 31):

As I put on my jacket on a recent morning — with a peace sign button affixed to it, one of many I have worn since the Vietnam War — I thought of the college student who commented in your article that he wouldn’t consider the peace sign “progressive or anything,” and that it merely signifies “a kind of neutral blanket statement against war and violence.”

If being against war and violence in a world convulsed by conflict and wanting all people to live their lives in peace, with justice, isn’t “progressive,” I would like to know what is.

Ellen D. Murphy Portland, Maine