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Mainstream psychology versus social constructionism
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The social constructive approach to depression is summed up by 'the fact that the body became legible does not imply that some invariant biological reality was finally revealed to medical enquiry. The body was only legible in that there existed in the new clinical techniques a language by which it could be read.' (Armstrong, 1983) which exemplified the subjective practice of this approach. This methodology is qualitative and focuses on how objects and events are constituted in talk and texts. Also how social identities are created using cultural discourses. It analysis depression through discourse, resources and processes in conversations, interviews and ethnomethodology. It examines what people say and how they say it and what cultural resources
are being used. However the biological approach would critique this and say that it doesn’t take into account of individual differences. The biological approach is the physical symptoms/ explanation to depression through, genes and neurotransmitters etc. It is quantitative and concentrates on measurements and theory testing based on hypotheses and statistics in controlled conditions. Conversely social constructionists would critique this approach and say it can be seen as reductionist. These are carried out in laboratory experiments and field experiments. As well as surveys, questionnaires and psychometrics.
By examining William’s personal struggle with the mental disorder of major depressive disorder the devastation this illness causes on the functioning of individuals is clearly highlighted. More importantly, the narrative reveals the importance of receiving help quickly after the onset of symptoms. The unfortunate truth of the illness of depression is that a large percentage of individuals wait many years to receive help and a small number do not even receive treatment for varying reasons. As a result of the individuals with depression who do not seek immediate help due to not understanding that what they are experiencing is an atypical response, the afraid of being stigmatized and learned helplessness, the mood disorder of depression acts like a silent
According to Kirmayer, “...every culture has a type of experience that is in some ways parallel to the Western conception of depression…” (Watters 517). He proves this by explaining how a Nigerian man “might experience a peppery feeling in his head” (Smith 517) or how symptoms of depression in an American Indian project as feelings of loneliness. Depending on the location of the country and the language used to describe distress, symptoms of depression varies from region to region. He described this as “explanatory models” that “created the culturally expected experience of the disease in the mind of the sufferer” (Watters 518). In other words, the cause of depression is different for every country and thus each person experiences and describes depression in a way that matches their culture and environment. American researchers and clinicians often overlook culturally distinct symptoms because Americans classify depression in terms that might contradict the standards of other
Across the world, there are thousands upon millions of people who suffer from depression. Upon the numerous sufferers,
The dominant biomedical model of health does not take into consideration lay perspectives (SITE BOOK). Lay perspectives go into detail about ordinary people’s common sense and personal experiences. A cultural perspective, like the Hmong cultures perspective on health, is considered a lay perspective. Unlike the Hmong culture, where illness is viewed as the imbalance between the soul and the body, the dominant biomedical model of health views health in terms of pathology and disease (SITE THE BOOK). Although the Hmong culture considers spiritual and environmental factors, the dominant biomedical model of health only looks at health through a biological perspective, and neglects the environment and psychological factors that affect health. Depression in the U.S. is a medical illness caused by neurochemical or hormonal imbalance and certain styles of thinking. Depression is the result of unfortunate experiences that the brain has difficulties processing (SITE 7). Unlike the Hmong culture, where Hmong’s who are diagnosed with depression report the interaction between a spirit, people diagnosed with depression in the Western culture report themselves to having symptoms such as feeling tired, miserable and suicidal (SITE
Depression is a serious medical illness that negatively affects how a person conducts him/herself, and the way he/she think. Depression may include anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, manic depressions. People with a depressive illness cannot merely ‘pull themselves together’ and get better. About 5% of the population will have some form of a mental illness at some point in their lives. Half of these people will also have a substance abuse
A culture’s view of depression differs from one another. For example, cross-cultural psychiatrists have found that depression can be expressed in somatic and emotional terms, ‘“In “somaticizing cultures, “depressive experiences may be expressed as complaints of weakness, tiredness, ‘imbalance’ (Chinese and Asian cultures), ‘nerves’ and headaches (in Latino and Mediterranean cultures)…”’ Due to the diversity of experiences within the different cultures, there is no universal entity incorporating all views of culture in defining depression. The views of a culture toward mental disorders have a great impact on the prevalence of certain individuals within a culture compared to another culture. For example, Japan has a significantly lower prevalence depression rate compared to the United States, “the World Health Survey Initiative estimated a twelve-month prevalence of mood disorders to be around 3.1% in Japan compared with 9.6% in the United States.” The concept of “depression” is the factor to account for in this difference of vulnerability.
This paper introduces a 35-year-old female who is exhibiting signs of sadness, lack of interest in daily activities and suicidal tendencies. She has no interest in hobbies, which have been very important to her in the past. Her lack of ambition and her suicidal tendencies are causing great concern for her family members. She is also exhibiting signs of hypersomnia, which will put her in dangerous situations if left untreated. The family has great concern about her leaving the hospital at this time, fearing that she may be a danger to herself. A treatment plan and ethical considerations will be discussed.
As Descartes argued, the mind and the body are the base of our existence, and many different cultures view different illnesses positively or negatively. Certain cultures, like the Hmong, believe that epilepsy is a good spiritual thing, but others, such as Western culture, believe that it is medically bad because it could cause death. Many illnesses can be viewed both negatively and positively, some more than others. However, one such illness that is mostly viewed negatively is depression. It is viewed negatively in a symptomatic sense – the symptoms are useless – and in a diagnostic sense – those diagnosed with depression are not actually depressed and the illness itself does not exist; it is simply an excuse to be lazy. There are many different approaches to depression and most of them consider that this illness is negative; however, depression is actually an evolutionary tactic subconsciously employed by humans that can have very positive effects.
Considering the research question: “How do the benefits and limitations of antidepressants and psychotherapy in reducing symptoms of major depression give a better understanding of human nature regarding the different psychological perspectives?” this essay will argue that while treating major depression biologically with antidepressants can be successful, there is more credit due to psychotherapy as treatment because people are social beings with conscious, cognitive th...
Depression is an equal opportunity disorder, it can affect any group of people with any background, race, gender, or age. Depression is a sneak thief that slips quietly and gradually into people’s lives - robbing them of their time, and their focus. At first, depression may be undetectable, but in the long run a person could become so weighed down that their life may feel empty and meaningless. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who commits suicide is depressed, but majority of people who commits suicide do so during a severe depressive episode. There are over 300 million people in the world today who suffer from depression. Depression has affected people for a long as records have been kept. It was first called out by the famous Greek philosopher Hippocrates over 2,400 years ago. Hippocrates called it “melancholia”. Many times we think of depression as one disorder alone, when in fact there are many different types of depression. The different types of depression are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, atypical disorder, adjustment disorder, and depressive personality disorder. All types of depression share at least one common symptom. It is commons from the person who suffers from any form of depression to feel an unshakable sadness, anxious, or empty mood. Major depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression or recurrent depressive disorder is the most severe depressive disorder out of all of the depressive in my estimation. Major depressive disorder is a condition in which affects a person’s family, work or school life, sleeping, eating and general health. It is important to emphasize that we can understand the mechanics of this disorder and how it affects people with major depressive disorder.
Depression is an extremely delicate topic. In the novels “13 Reasons Why” by Jay Asher and “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” by Stephan Chbosky do an outstanding job hitting the topic depression. Both novels cover depression in its own style. In one, someone commits suicide while on the contrary, the other person surpasses depression. Support systems are vital during depression, lack of communication as well as self-expression all lead to an easy way out. Anyone who is suffering from depression should have at least one confident to be able to communicate to. Depression is a heavy weighed disease in which one needs all the support one can get. A voice is needed as well, in which many people are scared of having. In each of the novels each fictional
Depression is a serious mental health illness which affects an individuals’ mind, body and mood. It is a chronic and lifelong health condition (NICE, 2006) thought to be caused by a number of biological factors including neurotransmitter disturbances in the brain and an element of genetic vulnerability; these are often in addition to psychosocial factors such as the occurrence of undesirable life events, limited social network options, poor self esteem and the occurrence of any adverse life events during a persons’ lifetime (Bernstein, 2006). Depression can have an impact on a persons’ ability to do many things including working, engaging with others, participating fully in family life or maintaining relationships, and it can also impact on a person...
Depression is an illness within itself that affects the “whole body”. (Staywell,1998) The body, feelings, thoughts, and behavior are all immensely altered when someone is depressed. It is not a sign of personal weakness, or a condition that can be wished or willed away. For some people depression is just temporary, but for others it can last for weeks, months and even years.
pages on depression, I chose to base my paper mainly on a 1994 article of a
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.