Staff Writer Cory Muehlebach examines how depression and other mental disorders are identified and treated in the US.
By: CORY MUEHLEBACH
Staff Writer
There is a scientific knot that ties everything in this world together, but depression seems to be a loose end. After untying the neurons in our brain and studying them, studies suggest that there are many key players involved with depression. All of them take an excruciating amount of time and research to understand. With so many variables in the equation, Depression and its Mental Disorder relatives are needing more attention and funding for research.
There are dozens upon dozens of anti-depressant drugs that are meant to help the user cope with and even cure depression. These include major prescriptions such as Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and many more. These drugs in affect, for the most part, are meant to balance the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain, which are thought to be the causes of depression.
Depression stems mostly from being unable to balance chemicals in our brain that moderate our emotions. Our brains tricks us into holding onto things that do not exactly make us happy or we may push away things that do. Depression can turn a bright day into a cloudy mess and anyone with it knows exactly how that feels. Explaining depression to a person without it is like explaining colors to a blind person or sound to a deaf person; there is clear miscommunication.
In order to fully understand the quells of depression, one must first look at the source. The source varies from person to person, but childhood trauma or neglect usually seems to be the culprit. As human children grow, their minds are molded by what they are taught, how their parents handle situations and the environment around them. Unhealthy households are a breeding ground for adult depression, Orphans and even (realized) adopted children are much more susceptible to it.
But what can humans as a whole do about the issue? According to the National institute of health, 6.2 percent of Americans deal with depression. That is an alarming number seeing that most mental health disorders spawn from depression and/or are affected by it. That number is rising as well.
American citizens are in a chaotic and fragile environment. Mental disorders are becoming more common than rare and that is a big problem. More research, time, energy and most of all, sympathy should be given towards depression. If depression was any other illness such as Polio, this problem would have been addressed sooner. Mental health is a priority, it is about time America realizes its destructive path and acts. Depression and its cousins are not a fluke.
