Georgina Ramirez - Mental Health Awarness in Depression

Mental Health Awareness in Depression

What is depression?

Depression is usually known for sadness, but there are much more symptoms that come with depression. According to the DSM-V, individuals with depression have symptoms of tiredness, feel worthless or guilty, have a hard time focusing and making decisions, cannot sleep or sleep too much throughout the day, show no interest in activities, and lose or gain weight, thoughts or attempts of suicide. Depression affects everyone, mostly women. There is proper help for anyone who is experiencing depression. Symptoms vary depending how severe the depression is and not everyone will have the same symptoms. 

Stigma in depression:

• Stigma in mental health creates barriers to receive proper services, often leading individuals afraid to seek help - In a 2014 study by Psychological Science in the Public Interest reported 40-60 million patients suffering from mental illness go without treatment
• Mental disabilities are viewed as crazy, weird, or embarrassment depending on culture
• Most people believe depression happens only from chemical imbalance or only in women
• People with mental illnesses are dangerous
• Young adults are too young to have depression

Depression is an important issue to me because I come from a very low-income Latino community where mental illnesses like depression are not spoken about. Some Latinos believe mental disabilities are not real, they are too embarrassed to admit, or do not want to seek help due to judgment. As a rehabilitation services and counseling major I am aware of mental illnesses and like to outreach and educate low-income communities about mental awareness. As a college student, I have met a lot of students who deal with depression due to stress and being overwhelmed. Some of them are not able to talk to their families about it because they are afraid of being judged or families not believing them. It is important to let these students or any individual know what they can do to seek proper help because depression can become severe. Here at Cal State LA the student health center is always having workshops about mental health and also offer 10 one on one sessions with a counselor throughout the semester.

How can we prevent and help individuals who are dealing with depression? Here is the Cal State LA community speaking upon the issue:

"Depression is a mental illness that is quite common. It is estimated that one out of four people will have an episode of depression in their lifetimes. Misconceptions and stigma that surrounds depression and even treatment for depression abound in popular culture and the general public. There shouldn't be because it is a biological illness. For the most part, people with depression are not weak, choosing to be sad, hiding or a danger to others. Depression is an illness that needs to be taken seriously. Depression s one of the leading causes of students with mental illness dropping out. Therapy is free for students. There are both psychologists and psychiatrists available too. It's a great resource. Here's the link that talks about all the services available: http://www.calstatela.edu/studenthealthcenter/caps Listen. Be open. Educate others. Avoid stigmatizing language like crazy or claiming depression when you don't have depression. Walk a student who is struggling with depression to CAPS if they've never been there before so they can make an appointment."

Professor Richard, Professor at Cal State LA

 "I believe that depression is a serious matter. Many people are good at hiding depression and it's very hard to know someone with depression because they don't "talk about it" or are too ashamed to let other know because they feel like they won't be understood. Students should go seek help whether they feel depressed or not. It's always a good idea to speak with someone about anything. Whether it's school, work, or other personal reasons. I personally think this can help an individual feel comfortable talking about their problems rather than holding it in. As a community we need to educate ourselves. Understand that seeking help is important. There shouldn't be a reason to be ashamed because every story can be an inspiration to another. Depression is a serious illness and people need to understand that you can't cure it just by positive thinking. Be mindful and open if someone you meet or know that may have depression and being able to know how to help" 

Ingrid, Student at Cal State LA

 "Depression is scary because it comes into your life slowly and you don't even realize how fast it can consume you mentally. It's like one day you're doing fine and everything is good and the next you just have no energy, you're not in the mood for anything and you don't know why. I think everyone should seek services when dealing with depression and they should not be embarrassed. There's so much stigma tied to mental illness that should be addressed and should be changed, it's okay to seek help. As a community, we can educate ourselves and educate others to help end the stigma behind mental illness. We can show individuals who are too scared or ashamed to seek help, that it's okay to reach out and get it, it's okay to not be okay we are only human." 

Selene, Student at Cal State LA

"In my personal opinion, I think depression is normal. Within our society today, depression is seen as an embarrassing mental health issue, but I feel that everyone undergoes a time or phase where they feel depressed. It's just that some people hide their depression a little better than others. I feel that students should seek students services on campus even if they are embarrassed or ashamed. It's for the better of their mental health. I believe that we as a community should help normalize depression so those that do have depression aren't ashamed or embarrassed to come out. We must acknowledge that depression is a normal thing to undergo and that there are ways to get out of it and not as a sad and lazy mental illness."

Vivian, Cal State LA Student

"I personally feel depression is a serious issue in today's generation but individuals feel "uncomfortable" because it's a topic that no one speaks about. A way to increase the topic of depression is having workshops around the community that explains the issue and ways to prevent depression"

Alonzo,  Cal State LA Student

Works Cited 

https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/what-is-depression#1

 https://patientengagementhit.com/news/understanding-stigma-as-a-mental-healthcare-barrier?utm_content=b1281c3eaa9e820f79ecee0fe1311937&utm_campaign=MHD%25206%252F8%252F17&utm_source=Robly.com&utm_medi

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brick-brick/201405/the-stigma-mental-illness-is-making-us-sicker