Depression Paper

Conquer That Black Cloud Many people know someone who has or has had depression. Roughly 10 percent of the United States adult population battles with depression in any given year (Murray and Fortinberry 2005). It is also the fourth leading cause of health problems in the world Xiang 2010). In the field of psychology, there are many perspectives that explain how depression is caused and how it should be treated. One perspective, the biological perspective, focuses on genetics and the brain. Another perspective is the behavioral perspective, which focuses on changing your behavior, and finally the cognitive perspective, which focuses on changing your mindset and how you view things. Everyone responds differently to treatment. However using a combination of these three perspectives should be very effective. Medication can help bring neurotransmitter chemical levels up in your brain while making some simple changes in your everyday life can lead to becoming more positive. According to the biological perspective, there are genetic factors that can cause depression. People who have relatives with depression have a predisposition for it and have higher chances of an onset. There is also evidence that abnormalities in certain genes are associated with depression. Another cause is low levels of norepinephrine and serotonin, which are neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain. The final cause is related to brain circuits, which are basically networks of brain structures that produce an emotional reaction. The main treatment option under the biological perspective is to take antidepressants. These are used to bring the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin back up, which will hopefully be enough to get people to start feeling better. However, with some people, medication is simply not enough and in some cases it does not work at all. Switching gears to the behavioral perspective, Ronald Comer (2011) states that, “depression results from significant changes in the number of rewards and punishments people receive in their lives” (p. 208). An example of this could be when a parent’s child moves out or when a decorated police officer leaves the force. Treatment under the behavioral perspective focuses on changing what you do. One key element is to set up a schedule that includes pleasurable activities Comer (2011). There are many other things that one can do as well. Nancy

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