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Natalie Brun

Professor Johnson

English Composition Online

3 November 2019

The Controversy of Depression

“Talkspace.” Talkspace, 17 Sept. 2017, www.talkspace.com/blog/the-stigma-of-depression/.

My mom went to college to get a psychology degree and has related to me about her field

of study as I was growing up, piquing my interest in the study behind how the brain works and

mental illnesses. I have had a couple of friends that suffer from depression and anxiety disorders,

but have gone through treatments to help. I want to explore more information about this topic to

understand more about what it is like for them, and the treatments that help and do not.

Awareness of the causes and treatments for the purpose of depression should be taught as public

knowledge because of the fact that it will raise acceptance of controversial treatments and people

will be more likely to seek treatment without stigma.

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The study of depression is an important field because of the fact that it has gone

undiagnosed for most of history, and now in the modern-day, research and medicine have the

potential to help aid those suffering from it to live to fuller potentials. It is important to raise

awareness and promote healthy alternatives for the purpose of dealing with the symptoms, as the

rates of teenage depression increase. The study of depression has lost negative mysticism in

recent history and is working towards greater awareness, but there is still a lack of public

education and a well-ingrained stigma against mental illness in society. There need to be more

campaigns to help educate the youth of society that this is a common illness that is caused by

means of chemical imbalances in the brain, and does not make anyone less human because of it.

The exposure and acceptance of mental illness will directly correlate to the treatments available

for the purpose of those in need. It will help people recognize their symptoms, and not feel

ashamed on the occasion of they need to seek out help.

Depression is caused by means of environmental circumstances in the brain that cause

chemical imbalances in the brain. It can be treated by means of medicine that help balance those

chemicals, but also therapy and group support assists the depression. Research surrounding the

underlying science behind depression will show more about the modern treatments of

depression, those that have been shown to work and those that do more harm than good. It will

illuminate more of the causes of depression and how environmental circumstances can be

changed to help install more preventative measures, an example of such being the pressure and

stress for teenagers in the modern education system.

There is a common misconception that depression is caused by means of environmental

circumstances, such as abuse, PTSD, or other mental illnesses. It is not widely regarded as a
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chemical imbalance in the brain, with the treatment required to assist the brain in regulating its

chemical releases. In a BBC documentary, entitled “The Truth About Depression”, the narrator

states that “There is a 1 in 4 chance that Depression will affect you in some stage of your life”.

Another misconception is that some controversial treatments can cure depression, such as shock

therapy. This is an older idea but is still around today in milder medical treatment capacity. It is

used in therapeutic capacities, to produce experimental results. The issue with people believing

that depression is caused by means of negative circumstances alienates the population who live

in good conditions, and for them, it seems not to be socially acceptable to suffer from depression.

The problem with older, controversial treatments for the purpose of depression being more

socially acceptable is that the newer more effective treatments are treated with skepticism, and

people are pressured to choose the older treatments if they want to get better.

There is a facet in society that believe that exposing more people to the causes and

information about depression and other disorders will increase their likelihood of developing

symptoms. These members of society hide their children from those with depression, in a

backwards attempt to shield them from the “infectious” disease. This harmful mindset promotes

the growth of stigma against these individuals, and worsens the potential situation for any child

in this situation who develop depression. People, let alone children, who are not exposed to the

realities of depressive disorders will feel isolated and frightened that they are alone in their

suffering. This creates a cycle of isolation that disallows these people from seeking help.

A crisis in the status quo facing the stigma against depression is that it is caused by

means of environmental influences. This leads to the conclusion that anyone can make different

lifestyle choices, or remove themselves from any situation, and they will not be depressed or
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have any reason to be depressed. This stigma against the population who suffers from depression

creates a status quo of deniability to depression. If someone is depressed, they can fix it

themselves, take charge and get happier! The status quo creates a cycle of repression that keeps

people from getting help. To change the status quo of deniability, there could be more public

education about the chemical causes of depression, and how a system of support and

encouragement are the environmental changes that can help a person with depression.

Public education about the treatments for depression can help eliminate the stigma

against getting help and eliminate potentially harmful treatments. If the status quo to treating

depression were to be changed, it would encourage the people who suffer from mental illness to

be more open about their symptoms and more likely to seek out help on the occasion of it is

readily offered and encouraged. A drawback to the spreading awareness of depression would

cause more people to recognize the symptoms in themselves, which is a positive and negative

cause.

An alternative argument to this is suggested by means of the sect of the population who

believe that depression is a frame of mind that can be altered through positivity, change, and

better choices. This is depicted in the article on Health Central, as people have been submitting

claims of new-age mysticism treatments for depression, “As a former depression sufferer herself,

Curtiss tells us that there is a secret to depression: ‘The secret to depression is very much like the

secret of learning to read. And isn't it simple and easy when we know how?’” (Merely). This

quote shows the lack of exposure to the real causes of depression in public knowledge, if the

education of the probable causes of mental illnesses were widely discussed and accepted, there

would not be a gap of preconceived assumptions about them.

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Another example of the effective nature of public education towards depression is the

result of lessening stereotypes and stigma of treatments for depression. Depression has been

commercialized and demonized in the past century through the manipulation of the media and

medical industries. As the rise of exposure for mental illnesses grew, the diagnoses increased as

people learned to recognize warning signs that were depicted in the media.

However, the trend towards radical treatments for the mentally ill in insane asylums and

ostracism from society developed a heavy stigma against those with depression, labeling them as

dangers to society early in the twentieth century. This bias still bleeds through in the twenty-first

century. Some of the treatments for the purpose of helping depression have been proven to be

effective, but are weighted with too much shame-based stigma to be approached readily by those

who need help.

An example of this is fear is shown in an article by Harvard Medical School, “Although

there is solid evidence that these strategies work, they're often underused or used only as a last

resort. This may reflect misconceptions about these treatments. ECT, in particular, might elicit

images from older movies that depicted it as a primitive and painful treatment”.

The controversy surrounding many treatments for depression, but especially ECT

(Electric Convulsion Therapy) continues to leave large divisions in the medical community. As

the effects of depression leave many people withdrawn from society, the treatments are

sometimes forced upon such individuals by means of outside parties, such as friends, family, or

corporations. This leaves the government to step in to regulate the leaves of acceptability for

these controversial treatments for the purpose of the mentally ill. ECT is proven to be effective,

but with consequences for the memory centers of the brain, “The treatment has come a long way
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since it was depicted as a barbaric []. Patients get anesthesia to minimize pain and muscle

sedatives” (Graham). ECT was commonly depicted in the past century as a means of torture,

effectively creating the stereotype against it, and securing it’s place in the controversial

psychological treatments when there was no science to provide answers, right alongside

lobotomies.

Public education of ECT and other treatments could help relieve fear and help people

choose their own paths towards relief from mental illness. Much is still being studied about ECT,

“Precisely why electroshock therapy works is a mystery. Some studies suggest the procedure can

stimulate the growth of brain cells and the release of neurotransmitters, activating the brain’s

electrical networks. Yet other studies raise the potential for harm []” (Graham). As with any

controversial treatment, it can be a force for good or bad. But the education could dispel the bias

surrounding it, and let victims of depression choose the treatment for themselves.

Another controversial treatment, called DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) is one of the more

recent and heavily debated treatments for medication-resistant depression. It is a process that

involves invasive surgery, and it is required to be a last resort for the purpose of any individual

with depression as “‘-the number of patients who might qualify in terms of how intractable their

depression is and who can handle the logistics is quite small,’ acknowledges psychiatrist

Benjamin D. Greenberg []. To qualify for DBS, patients must have depression that has not

responded to traditional pharmaceutical treatments, therapy, or ECT” (Vann). Such controversial

treatments that are still in the experimental phase are born of the rising awareness of depression

and mental illness. Without the purveyors of illuminating the science behind depression, the

stigma would remain the same.

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In the realm of experimental treatments, the treatments for depression are showing

positive findings as scientists continue to research the origins of depression. DBS is showing

positive outcomes from the experimental phase, “Now, a team of psychiatric researchers has

published the first long-term results, reporting Friday on patients who had stimulating electrodes

implanted as long ago as eight years” (Carey).

In a study conducted by the Scandinavian Journal of Private health care, there was

discovered a direct correlation between many of the effects of depression and clinical depression

diagnosis. It was depicted that, “This study revealed similarly higher HS (Health Service) use

among patients with DS (Depressed Symptoms) with and without clinical depression compared

with the control subjects” (The Profiles of Health Care Utilization). This exhibits the high

correlation for anyone with access to healthcare has the potential to be diagnosed as exhibiting

the symptoms of depression. This is just another example of the common occurrence of

depressive symptoms in everyday society.

As the public knowledge of depressive symptoms and knowledge has increased, it is

shown that the rate of depressed individuals seeking health care has increased. This is a positive

trend and would increase with the further extension of awareness of mental health. It was also

discussed in the Scandinavian study that, “-Depression is estimated to be undertreated in one-

fourth to one-third of all patients [[14]]. This may largely be due to failed recognition of

depression among patients and their GPs [[12], [14]]” (The Profiles of Health Care Utilization).

This is revealed that the underlying issue of misdiagnosis and the unreliability of depression

victims to recognize the symptoms in themselves to seek out help. This issue would be resolved
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with more dedication to the study and public exposure to mental illness, which would conversely

eliminate stereotypes against the mentally ill.

Recent research in chemical antidepressants has made a discovery involving the benefits

of Ketamine the pain-relieving drug in alieving the negative chemicals caused by depression.

The AANA journal published an article surrounding the benefits of Ketamine saying, “Evidence

from 10 systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials suggest that most of the researchers

concluded ketamine significantly decreased depression severity ratings at short-term assessment

intervals, whereas evidence examining the long-term effects is lacking. Large, randomized

controlled trials are needed to discern the longer-term efficacy, tolerance, and dependence

profiles of ketamine infusions” (Lent). This depicts the general benefits of experimental new

drugs that are being revealed as new treatments for depression and other mental illnesses.

The benefits of public education for depression are shown to have resulted in increased

studies of mental illnesses. This has caused new research and experimental treatments for

depression, along with lessening the historical stigma against mental illness. The signs of public

acceptance has allowed more diagnosis for people with mental illness, as there is less stigma

involved in seeking help, either with antidepressants, therapy, or other experimental treatments.

The increase in public awareness will continue to help fuel the research to help everyone

suffering from mental illness.

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Works Cited

Carey, Benedict. “Brain Stimulation Shows Promise in Treating Severe Depression.”

Brain Stimulation Shows Promise in Treating Severe Depression, 4 Oct. 2019,

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/health/deep-brain-stimulation-depression

Graham, Judith, et al. “Psychiatric Shock Therapy May Face Fresh Restrictions.” STAT,

19 Apr. 2018, https://www.statnews.com/2016/04/06/shock-therapy-restrictions/.

Harvard Health Publishing. “An Underused Option for Severe Depression.” Harvard

Health, https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/an-underused-option-for-severe-

depression. Date Accessed: 18 October 2019.

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Lent, Jennifer K., et al. “Ketamine and Treatment-Resistant Depression.” AANA Journal,

Oct. 2019, pp. 411–419., doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-42925-0.

Me, Merely. “Depression Debate: Is Depression a Choice? - Causes - Depression.”

HealthCentral, HealthCentral, 20 May 2010,

https://www.healthcentral.com/article/depression-debate-is-depression-a-choice.

“The Pros and Cons of Two Controversial Depression Treatments.”

EverydayHealth.com, 5 May 2011, https://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/pros-

and-cons-of-two-controversial-depression-treatments.aspx.

“The Truth About Depression.” BBC, 2013,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3XQbejS5MA&feature=youtu.be. Date Accessed:

18 October 2019.

Tusa, Nina, et al. “The Profiles of Health Care Utilization among a Non-Depressed

Population and Patients with Depressive Symptoms with and without Clinical

Depression.” Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, vol. 37, no. 3, Mar. 2019, pp.

312–318., doi:10.1080/02813432.2019.1639904.