Sadness Of Depressive Illness example essay topic

I BIBLIOGRAPHY Silverstein, H. (1990). Teenage Depression. New York: Franklin Watts, 127 pg.'s Herma Silverstein wrote Teenage Depression and it was push lished in 1980 by Franklin Watts company. The book was copyrighted in 1990.

The book contains 127 pages. II INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR Herma Silverstein has spent over ten years writing, teaching and lecturing around the world. She alone authored eight books and numerous articles in magazines in the interest of young readers such as Teen Guide to Single Parenting and Spies Among Us: The Truth About Modern Espionage. She also enjoys research, such as the information contained in this book. She enjoys writing fiction of all sorts.

She keeps active lecturing and teaching and has been a panel participant for the international reading association anda lecturer in Southern California public schools. Ms. Silverstein live in California. DESCRIPTION OF BOOK IN GENERAL TERMS Teenage Depression is a book that maybe used as a reference to Depression or just mere reading material. It is on a level that presents facts yet, a sixth grader can understand it complex definitions due to the way that everything is broken down.

It is explained that serious and prolonged depression brings feelings of sadness and hopelessness that just wont go away. Chances are you just might have a friend who has felt this way because depressive illness is more common than the average person may think. Depression and manic depression attack one in every five women and, one in every ten males at least once in their lives. An estimated six to seven percent of adolescents in the United States suffer from a depressive illness. An estimated 400,000 teenagers unsuccessfully attempt to end their own life each year and 5,000 of them succeed.

According to Herma Silverstein which corresponds with our class text book, depression can be successfully treated. In TeenageDepression it is emphasized that the depression is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed for other physiological medical problems however, genetic, environmental and other factors may lead to depression. Everything in this book has been taken from leading medical journals, research and one on one interviews with doctors and the mentally ill people themselves. Herma feels this way is the only accurate way of doing such research and writing a book such as this. Everything in this book also relates to our text however this book takes one step deeper. The author tells you direct quotes from the depressed along with their view on the whole disease.

So, in no way is any of this information out-dated or unrealistic. IV RELATION TO TEXT Why live Why Die To keep living an empty life take patience from an empty person. These word came from the Diary of Vivienne: an adolescent who ended it all in suicide. This girl was only 14. She was well liked and bright and her death devastated and shocked her family and friends. For months this girl gave warning signals and she confided these thoughts to close friends but yet they were thought of as typical teenage mood swings until she was found dead.

Another story speaks of a boy named Robert. He was also considered bright, attractive and well liked. He was the high school Quarterback and the vice-president of his senior class. He maintained a B, average and had an excellent relationship with his parents. He went steady with one the most prettiest and most popular girls in the school.

He had also recently been accepted to the college of his choice. However, all wasn t peachy as it seemed in Robert's life. This out going athletic star became a hermit. There were days when he didn t even leave his room for hours at a time.

He virtually ignored his girlfriend, who he once adored. He no longer spoke with his parents without arguments and his grades dropped below his B average for the first time in his life. Robert quit football and the once healthy minded kid gained over fifteen pounds while ever finishing a meal with the family anymore. Robert couldn t understand why he was always so sad. Hew as always totally bummed out.

He recalled his friends being this way but they always snapped out of it. He felt doomed. He usually cut school and lied in bed listening to sad music. He talked about life not being worth living and ending it all. Robert's parents persuaded him to see their family doctor and when the doctor found no physical problems he was directed to go to the psychiatrist. This man was the one who found Robert's problem.

He was suffering from a depressive illness which was treatable by counseling and medication. A few months later, after following doctors orders, Robert returned the son his parents once knew. His life began to shape up. He occasionally fell into a down mood but it would last no more than a few weeks rather than go on for months like it once did. Within six months he totally returned to normal. Within a year there was no trace of ever being depressed and he begin finishing those college plans.

Today Robert can t believe he actually wanted to kill himself. Vivienne and Robert are just two of the many stories in the book which started the same and had two different outcomes. Depressive illness is a severe and sometimes a debilitating illness, it is unpredictable as to when or if at all the illness will return or even who it will strike. Although depression is a leading cause to suicide the recurrence is less harsh and ends sooner. If the signs of depression are detected, someone's life can be saved by lending a hand and leading them in the right direction. In our text along with TeenageDepression you can learn the warning signs of this illness.

The number one warning sign is a feeling of sadness and hopelessness. Depressed teens feel as though there's no end to the stress and sadness they always feel. The second most common symptom is moodiness. Depressed teenagers express alternate feelings of angered sadness for weeks at a time. The third most common symptoms are eating disturbances. Depressed teenagers either eat to much or to little.

They change from their common eating habits. The fourth major symptom is sleep disturbances. Nightmares are common along with difficulty falling asleep, or awakening early, due to stress and anxieties. The fifth major symptom is changes in social life. Depressed teenagers stop spending time with friends, they often even refuse phone calls.

The sixth major symptom is chemical abuse. Depressed teens use drugs and alcohol to relieve depression. Those teen soften get hooked on drugs and alcohol. Instead of getting a relief from the pressure the teens feels worse. Alcohol and drugs are depressants and not mood elevators. The seventh major sign is the loss of interest in pleasurable activities.

These teens find no pleasure in activities they once enjoyed such as going movies or concerts, watching TV, participating in sports and even sex. The eighth major symptom is suicidal thoughts. These teens maybe come what we refer to as morbid or become obsessed with death and some actually kill them selves. V EVALUATION By reading Teenage Depression the average person will be able to understand in simple terms the symptom of depression, and how to distinguish between the blues. A common teenage experience that can seem to be depression or more serious long term depression. I am now the most miserable man living.

If what I feel were equally distributed tothe whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth... - Abraham Lincoln Melancholy is the curse of frenzy -William Shakespeare From Abraham Lincoln to William Shakespeare depression has plagued the earth since the beginning of time. Depression is never prejudice to whom it strikes young, old, famous, unknown, rich middle-class or, homeless. Some other well known people who have suffered with depression are the Bible's King Saul, Queen Elizabeth I, Earnest Hemingway, Betty Ford, and the Late prime minister Winston Churchill. He called depression the black dog that shadowed my life. Now it is time for us as a society to become educated and active in the war against depression.

If untreated the sadness of depressive illness grows so strong that people feel helpless and hopeless, as if their world has caved in on them, and there is nothing they or anyone else can do to get them out of the rut, and be able to feel happy again. The truly depressed feel as things only get worse and never better. This is where suicide comes in. They feels as though they should end it all.

Whether in a child, a teenager, a adult, or a senior citizen, true depressive illness is different than feeling sadness or loneliness after a traumatic moment, event, or change inline. Such as a death of a Parent, Spouse, relative or friend. Even a parents divorce or breaking up with a girlfriend or boyfriend. Underneath the sadness lies a feeling of emptiness that will eventually go away and life will get happier. The book shows how tragic depression may end and how it can be cured if caught. Teenage Depression tells you in detail what to detect as being seriously depressed and how to possibly save your best friend from suicide.

Teenage Depression also answers commonly asked questions about depression and contains a complete glossary and a list of hot lines and associations that provide counseling and support. 355.