by Colette Georgii

Created on: October 15, 2007   Last Updated: April 06, 2009

Depression in today's society

There are many reasons for depression in today's world. The most frequent activities related to depression in today's society are alcoholism and drug usage. Other causes are economic and social problems, eating disorders such as obesity, gambling addiction, grief over the death of a loved one or a family problem such as divorce, and posttraumatic stress such as in the case of 911 or in war veterans.

Today's cure for depression is most times medication. However, depression could be more easily cured with changes in lifestyle.

If depression is very severe it can manifest itself in thoughts of suicide or the actual act of suicide. Thoughts of suicide are actually a passive aggressive wish to hurt people or commit murder. Suicide is murder of the self.

In the case of extreme depression such as suicidal and murderous thoughts, medication, hospitalization, and therapy should be used.

But in most cases, we do not know who these suicidal individuals are. Suicidal depression keeps people from seeking help due to the fear of being found to be crazy or insane. This can also increase the depression. In extremely severe cases of depression, the person may be unable to seek help for himself.

In the case of the student at Virginia Tech who killed 32 people including himself - mass murder and suicide, he was apparently seeking help, or was referred for psychological help, but the help was not in the form of continuing therapy, which may have relieved this person of his condition. He apparently went in for a few sessions and received a prescription.

Oftentimes although a person is in therapy he may not tell the therapist all that is occurring in his life. Therefore the therapist can not correctly diagnose the condition. It becomes expedient that therapists learn to interview patients in a way that will help the patient bring out what he is holding back. This may require extreme skill on the part of the therapist.

Many people suffering from depression may not have the financial capabilities to render them full and useful sessions of therapy which can run into a lot of money for either the patient or the patient's family.

It is a known fact that drugs and alcohol cause depression. Health professionals need to get to the facts about a person's condition before prescribing drugs for depression. Drugs and alcohol are running rampant in today's society. According to statistics compiled by the US Department of Justice 112 million Americans ages 12 or older (46%

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