Research: Depression

In this section of my research, I am going to be looking into why people feel depressed and how they can deal with it. This will help me to understand what the person in the PostSecret is going through.

Depression: A feeling of deep saddness.

There are many reason why people may become depressed. Here is a list:

• They may inherit it in their genes
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
• Tragic life events
• Reacting to life events
• Family and social environment
• Health conditions
• Hormonal changes
• Postnatal depression

When you are depressed you feel sad for weeks or months, rather than a few days. Depression is a real condition, but with the correct treatment, people can make a full recovery.
Here is a list of how you can tell if people are suffering from depression:

• Loss of interest in things you used to think were interesting
• Long periods of sadness
• Feeling like you want to cry
• Feeling tired
• Sleeping badly
• Complaining of pains
• Feeling stressed

Depression can effect anyone, about 4% of children aged 5 to 16 suffer from depression. It effects 1 in 10 of people. Depression can be treated with medication, or through regular talks. People who suffer from depression tend to change their lifestyles, e.g. cutting out alochol and eating healthy food.

This reseach has helped me to understand how it feels to suffer/have suffered from depression. This will help me to put the emotion into my performance, which will help to get across the meaning of my PostSecret.

Links:

• http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/feeling_sad/why_depressed.html
• http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Depression/Pages/Introduction.aspx