Nathan Garrido English III 10/28/12 Depression: A Necessary Solution for an Unnecessary Ordeal About a hundred years ago,

a person who was greatly saddened, uninspired, and suicidal was considered to be suffering from melancholy. Today, this person would be seeking treatment through a therapist, taking medications to combat his mood, and be deemed as mentally-ill with severe depression. The fact that he is taking anti-depressants increases his risks of becoming suicidal and violent, and having his condition categorized as a mental-illness does not make him feel better as well. If the symptoms of depression are similar to those that we feel every once in a while, then why do these people have to get treatment? It may be easy to say that these people can vent to a loved one or friend, but their minds are too unstable to have a more positive view on their situations. Apart from civilians suffering from depression, there are many war veterans who are suffering worse due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Many of these war veterans experience traumas and sadness relating to the atrocities they may have witnessed in war. Some veterans, and civilians, have been reported to have committed suicide or have engaged in murder-suicide cases, though the latter has been associated more with other severe mental illnesses. As the severity of depression becomes clear, the question becomes, how can it be effectively dealt with? As of now, depression could most likely be effectively treated through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, and can be prevented by educating minors to identify depression. Depression has been erroneously affiliated with many murder and suicide cases. Marcia Clemmitt, and author from CQ Researcher, writes in her article Treating Depression that

Depression is basically immobility, making it unlikely that a depressed person would have the wherewithal to commit violence (Clemmitt 578). Although it is true that some suicide cases have been the result of severe depression, depression actually happens to be the least major cause of these tragedies. A study in Finland showed that out of 693 of its murder cases, all were linked to schizophrenia and anti-social personality disorder but no depression (Clemmitt 579). Although possible links to depression could be made from these cases, many of these victims became depressed primarily because of their mental-illnesses. People suffering from depression are being prescribed anti-depressant pills, which is a significantly major risk in increasing their chances of becoming suicidal. The fact that anti-depressant medications cause people to want to end their lives is ironic, as the intended purpose of these pills is to improve the users condition. Alternative methods are available, methods that do not require such medications, and these are the ones that must be focused on. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is known to be the most effective tool for combating depression. Being a method of psychotherapy that works with mental illnesses, CBT can also be very beneficial for people suffering from depression. As efficient as it seems it is also good for people suffering from mental illnesses and disorders. CBT can be a very successful step towards eliminating someones depression, and it is argued that it depends on the skill of the therapist. Recently, it has been very hard to find good therapists fit for a job like this one, and evaluating a therapist in general is a hard task (Clemmitt 581). CBT helps patients evaluate their negative feelings, and it helps teach patients how to react more positively to the situations they are facing and face them effectively. The treatment, according to the Mayo Clinic Staffs article on CBT, is generally focused on specific problems, using a goal-oriented approach activities,

reading, or practices that build on what you learn your therapist will likely encourage you to apply what youre learning in your daily life (Mayo Clinic Staff). By doing this, the patient learns to evaluate their mindsets, distinguish the negative thinking, and challenge it (Staff, Mayo Clinic). Apart from the benefits of the therapy, funding for CBT could help give people with severe cases of mental illnesses more attention and care. People suffering would be able to get help when needed through CBT, and there could be fewer cases of suicide and murder-suicide. Calling depression a mental illness is troubling and de-motivating to anyone suffering from it. Humans do not like to be categorized as abnormal, and there is not much sense in calling someone mentally ill because they are feeling sad and suicidal when everyone else is not. If someone happens to be more emotionally delicate, they will be shattered to know they are diseased with the mental illness of depression. The fact that they feel like this only makes it reasonable to say that they are suffering from emotional imbalance. According to Clemmit, While many women internalize depression focusing on how poorly I feel and what a bad person I am men are more like to externalize depressed feelings, to cast them out on the world, focusing on how They shouldnt have treated me that way(Clemmitt 580). Women should not have the need to hide their feelings, nor should men act aggressively in order to get rid of their emotions. In order to help these people become stronger, perspective and judgment must be put aside in order to aid those who may not be seeking help but could benefit from it. People have risen to success because they were assisted in a way that motivated them or were simply given support. A depressed person must be able to seek help not just from doctors, but from their loved ones and friends as well. Unfortunately, however, sometimes the condition is too severe for the person to feel uplifted enough to be able to seek help on his own. They might

not necessarily feel better by talking to someone, which is why in these cases it is always best for them to be referenced to professional help. If enough people can advise the depressed person to seek help from a therapist, then he will eventually feel motivated enough to do so. The solution is never as complicated as the problem. In order to prevent future adults from falling into the devastating emotional trap of depression, they must begin to learn about depression in general at an early age in order to prevent themselves from someday going through it. Sometimes depression begins in adolescents, which makes it all the more understandable as to why their condition becomes worse as they grow older. Once it starts, they might not be able to identify it, which increases their risks of becoming severely depressed the longer they go without seeking help. If adolescent students are taught about the symptoms of depression and how many people suffering from it tend to feel pessimistic about the issues without being able to approach them positively, the student will be able to think more optimistically. They will be able to keep a balanced mindset regarding optimism and pessimism. In other words, they will know how to keep a balance as to what they look up to and they look down upon, and candidly face adversity without losing their rational minds. Not only will these students be able to survive the stress of school and college easier, they will be able to have healthier mentalities which will allow them to thrive in positive environments and prevail over the negative ones. They will be able to create a future in which anti-depressants will become obsolete, and CBT will be a useful yet rarely used technique to combat an emotional imbalance that will be suffered by less and less people.

Works Cited
Clemmitt, Marcia. Treating Depression: The Issues. CQ Researcher. 26 June, 2009: 575-586 Clemmitt, Marcia. Treating Depression: Background. CQ Researcher. 26 June, 2009: 586-590 Clemmitt, Marcia. Treating Depression: Current Situation. CQ Researcher. 26 June, 2009: 590-591 Clemmitt, Marcia. Treating Depression: Outlook. CQ Researcher. 26 June, 2009: 591-592 Staff, Mayo Clinic. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Mayo Medical Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 16 September, 2010 <http://mayoclinic.com/health>