Craig Olsen

Whitney Nelson
Position Argument
July 30, 2015

Depression

Its an Illness, Not an Inconvenience

Craig Olsen

Depression
Its an Illness, Not an Inconvenience

Depression is Misunderstood
Throughout time there has been a stigma that has surrounded depression. Those who suffer from
it have been regarded as overemotional, lazy, and weak. Depression has oftentimes been thought of as
just a passing phase in someones life that quickly goes away when their circumstances improve. None of
these descriptions are accurate. Granted, it is difficult to understand what a person with depression is
going through if you have never experienced it;
however, negative labels such as these are not only
ignorant, they intensify the problem. Our society is
clearly uninformed. It is time to bring depression
out into the open, increase awareness, and give it
and other debilitating mental illnesses the respect
they deserve; as much respect as we give physical
illnesses such as heart disease or cancer.

Figure 1 Depression Does NOT Discriminate! Do YOU?

Depression Defined
The emotion of sadness, or feeling depressed, is something that everyone feels at some point
during their life. This feeling is temporary and will most likely have little effect on a persons day-to-day
activities. Feeling depressed is not the same as a depressive disorder called clinical depression, or just
depression for short. For people with clinical depression, their normal functioning is undermined to
such an extent that both they and those who care about them are affected by it. (MNT, N.p.) Unlike a

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physical illness, those who suffer from depression do not present any finite symptoms. A doctor cannot
run a test and find concrete evidence of low blood sugar or arterial plaque. Medical News Today suggests,
Nobody is sure what causes depression. Experts say depression is caused by a combination of factors,
such as the person's genes, their biochemical environment, personal experience and psychological
factors. (MNP, N.p.) Consequently, there is no singular reason that people suffer from depression. This
lack of clear source contributes to the myth that depression is a minor setback and easy to overcome. It is
anything but.
Kathy Greenlee and Pamela Hyde describe the real when they said, Depression is not just being
sad, and it is not a character weakness or personal failing. It is a real disease that can impact all facets of a
persons life, including the lives of their loved ones. It
can rob individuals of their perspective on life and it can
make it seem that life is no longer worth living.
(Greenlee and Hyde, 23) People who are suffering from
depression usually have very little self-confidence. They
lack the ability to make logical decisions, often relying
Figure 2 health.usnews.com

on other peoples opinions of them.

Jonathon Rottenberg described what they feel in another way: "People who face depression must
be prepared for at least two long journeys. One journey is to face depression itself. The symptoms of
depression --despondency, lethargy, nightly insomnia, an inability to concentrate - are painful and
difficult to manage. The second journey, is in many ways, harder, and often longer, which is to face other
people's misunderstandings of their depression, misunderstandings that are sometimes insulting,
confusing, and often unhelpful in getting the symptoms under control." (Rottenberg, 1) This kind of
situation leads many people who are suffering from depression to feel ashamed and to go into hiding, thus
making the situation even worse. Due to this tendency to conceal their condition, most of society is not
aware of how common depression actually is. The numbers that statistics reveal are shockingly high.
2

Craig Olsen

Leading Causes of Death in the U.S. - 2013

2013

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

Suicide

Kidney Disease

Flu/Pneumonia

Diabetes

Alzheimer's

Stroke

Accidents

Respiratory

Cancer

Heart Disease

Figure 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Depression is Prevalent Worldwide

The World Health Organization estimates that 350 million people throughout the world suffer
from depression. Moreover, its studies show that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
(MNT, N.p.) According to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, In 2013 (the most recent year
for which full data are available), 41,149 suicides were reported, making suicide the 10th leading cause of
death for Americans. In that year, someone in the country died by suicide every 12.8 minutes. The state
of Utah fared even worse. Suicide was the 6th leading cause of death in Utah in 2013. (NCHS, 23) This
statistic sheds a new light on our supposedly happy little state. Furthermore, individuals who battle
depression can be found in every demographic category. For example, depression is not reserved for

Craig Olsen

adults. According to Kara Deboer, suicide is the third most common cause of death for adolescents
between 10 and 19 years old. (Deboer, Web page) Having a distinguished social status or being well-todo does not preclude one from developing depression either.
Last year we lost a great comedian and actor to this serious disease. Robin Williams public
personality was over-the-top happy, and yet he suffered from depression most of his life. He tried to selftreat it with alcohol and drugs, but it only exacerbated the problem. Greenlee and Hyde said, We do not
try to cure cancer on our own and we should not
try to battle depression on our own. To quote one
of Robin Williams movie personas, therapist Dr.
Sean Maguire from Good Will Hunting, Youll have
bad times, but itll always wake you up to the good
stuff you werent paying attention to. Every life has
value, and mental illness does not diminish this.

Figure 4 usatoday.com

(Greenlee and Hyde, 23)

Williams is not the only celebrity to have struggled with depression. Actress Ashley Judd
considered suicide as early as sixth grade. Actor Owen Wilson battled depression and drug addiction and
attempted suicide in 2007. Swimmer and Olympic gold medalist, Amanda Beards perfectionistic
tendencies pummeled her self-esteem when she was a teenager. For a time, bulimia and cutting herself
were how she coped with her depression. The list of names goes on and on. Tipper Gore, estranged wife
of former vice president Al Gore, sought treatment and took medication for depression after her son was
in a near-fatal accident. She stated, you just can't will your way out of that or pray your way out of that or
pull yourself up by the bootstraps out of that. You really have to go and get help, and I did." (McMillan,
N.p.) Getting help, however, can be both the problem and the solution.

Craig Olsen

Public Awareness is Vital

As stated previously, people with depression often try to hide their condition. They put on their
happy face when they are with others, then crumble when they are alone. It is an incredibly exhausting,
and miserable, way to live. John Greden, executive director of the University of Michigan Depression
Center feels that raising awareness about depression is essential and that a major way to combat
depression is through the dissemination of knowledge." He believes that . . . many reasons for
depression's prevalence stem from clinicians' misconceptions about the disorder, but that the community
also plays a significant role. Greden is certain that If we bring depression out of the darkness and into
the light people will not be so scared to go get help. (U. of M. Depression Center)
We are losing too many cherished individuals to this disease. The public needs to become more
educated as to the origins, both emotional and physical, of depression, as well as to its signs and
symptoms. Furthermore, those who do, or have, battled depression (especially celebrities) need to speak
up and share their experiences. The more people that understand how widespread and serious
depression is, the more quickly we will be able to help those that are in need before it is too late.

Craig Olsen

Works Cited
Deboer, Kara. "Depression Misunderstood Even in Medical Profession." The Michigan Daily. N.p., 6 Oct.
2002. Web. 13 July 2015.
"Facts and Figures." American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2015.
Greenlee, Kathy, and Pamela S. Hyde. "Suicide And Depression In Older Adults: Greater Awareness Can
Prevent Tragedy." Generations 38.3 (2014): 23-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 July 2015.
LCWK9. Deaths, percent of total deaths, and death rates for the 15 leading causes of death: United States
and each State, 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health
Statistics, 23. Web. 30 July 2015.
McMillan, Amanda. "20 Celebrities Who Battled Depression." Health.com. Time Inc. Network, n.d. Web.
30 July 2015.
Rottenberg, Jonathon, Dr. "Misunderstood Depression: The Human Toll." Psychology Today. N.p., 14
Oct. 2010. Web. 13 July 2015.
"University of Michigan Depression Center." Treatment. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 July 2015.
"What Is Depression?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 2 July 2015. Web. 25 July 2015.