Complaints of anxiety and depression are very common among individuals seeking treatments in the primary healthcare centers. Psychiatrists are usually requested to assess and manage patients with depressive disorders in order to help them cope with depression. The management strategies, used to deal with stress, are correlated with the factors essential for the development of depressive symptoms in patients. The research examines the good and bad ways of relieving depression. The research will survey 20 students from the University of California Santa Barbara. An interview will be used as the primary technique of collecting data since it will help to get detailed data. The signs and symptoms of depression will be monitored by all the students participating in the research. The confidence level of the participants will be maintained by ensuring that there is high confidentiality of information. There will be other participants who might not be able to give their information to the public hence their concerns will be addressed. The findings of the research will be presented.
Introduction
Depression is a serious and common disorder affecting many people around the world. Each year, about 10% of the American adults aged more than 18 years old suffer from depressive disorders. Depressions make individuals suffer and might result in suicide in extreme case. Besides, it costs the health sector a lot of billions of dollars (Kessler " Bromet, 2013). There are various factors that contribute to this disorder. For instance, it might be caused because of the inability to determine issues, individual experience, pressure or personality of a deadly accident. The disease can seriously affect the school, work, health, friends, or family. Nevertheless, it is treatable (Dubois-Comtois " Pouline, 2013).
Depression presents itself to people differently. For instance, the diagnosis and recognition of depression among the minority groups might be impacted differently due to the distinctions in the manner in which the symptoms present themselves. There is the high prospect of African-American reporting body pains and aches as well as appetite changes as a result of depression (Richards " O'Hara, 2014). Fatigue might also be a symptom manifesting itself in African-American women. Besides, individuals from different cultural backgrounds might view the symptoms of the disease differently. Majority of the depressed Chinese citizens express discomfort and boredom instead of sadness (Vernon, Chiarella, Papps, " Dignam, 2012). There are also other individuals who experience the symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, and pain.
The main goal of this research was to examine good and bad ways of relieving depression. The following hypotheses were made:
i. Playing games, listening to songs, and shopping relieve depression.
ii. Male and female differ significantly in the best ways to deal with depression.
Keywords: Stress, relieving depression, depressive disorders,
Literature Review
According to Kessler " Bromet (2013), depression has become a major problem globally. About 2%-7% of the adults eventually commit suicide due to severe depressions. In 2015, the percentage of individuals that had previously suffered from the disease in France and Japan was at 21% and 7% respectively. There is a record of all those who have died as a result of depression. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 216 million individuals (3% of world’s population) have suffered from major depressive disorders. Over the past few years, low moods appear to affect the teenagers. For instance, a continuing study statistics in the United States has shown that the second cause of deaths in the U.S among individuals aged 15-34 years old is suicide. Globally, about 8.3% of the youths have experienced thoughts of committing suicide (Michael, 2017). The problem of depression is much worse in North America. The statistics differ somehow, however, the majority of the sources demonstrate that a minimum of 6% of the adults in the United States suffers from miserable symptoms. On the other hand, the statistics demonstrate that 10% of the population has been put on antidepressants. Nevertheless, there are only a few individuals who reveal their feelings hence it might be established that there are many people suffering from depression than it might be thought (Hay et al, 2017).
Over the past 30 years, depression studies in adolescents and children has advanced from the application of theories developed in the adults and clinical descriptions to the generation of a sophisticated acknowledgement of the disorders. The epidemiological researches have regularly illustrated that men are two or three times less likely to suffer from depression than women. The predominance of women suffering depression has actually been observed across different cultures and countries. Comparison of men and women in different generations has indicated that women are more likely to feel depressed than men. The rate of depression before adolescence stage is approximately equal in both girls and boys. Nevertheless, the prevalence of depressive disorders increases in girls during their middle and early adolescent stages. The variations in depressive symptoms have been attributed to the differences in gender such as the tendencies towards rumination, increased level of stressed and hormonal changes in women (Sprague, Reynolds, " Brindley, 2016).
Both epidemiological and clinical studies have demonstrated that about 40%-70% of adolescents and children with depressive disorder also suffer from other types of psychiatric disorders. The researches have also established that majority of the teenagers have at least two comorbid diagnoses. In addition, about 70% of adolescents and children with the dysthymic disorders ultimately develop major depressive disorders that lead to double depression. Some of the other common comorbid diagnoses consist of substance use disorders, disruptive disorders, and anxiety disorders. Whereas it is not very precise whether the comorbid conditions usually demonstrate the evolving sequence, the environmental or shared genetic risk factors might results to the comorbidity (Hay et al, 2017).
According to the depression cognitive theories, they emphasize that when an individual is provoked with stressful experiences in life, those who have negative beliefs about the future, world, and themselves usually appraise negatively the stressors and their impacts. There are various forms of cognitions associated with depression that have been recommended. Some of the forms of cognitions include cognitive distortions, dysfunctional attitudes, negative automatic thoughts, and low self-esteem. Cross-sectional researches with community and clinic samples of adolescents and children have continuously demonstrated close links between the various forms of depression and negative cognitions. Alternatively, there are other prospective researches that have demonstrated that depression is forecasted by the negative cognitions that usually exist in the associations with the experiences of negative life (Hay et al, 2017).
The developmental theorists have recommended that the emergence of negative cognitions occur after a specific period and their associations with depressions usually increase with the continued growth of an individual. Actually, the link between depression and negative cognitions is not vigorous in young children compared to the robustness in adolescents and older children. Whereas there is a predictive and concurrent association between depression and negative cognitions in children, there are various questions that have been raised regarding the negative cognitions and their impacts on the life of the depressed individuals (Hay et al, 2017).
A study carried out by the Emory University Students on the depression and suicide intentions established that 11.1% of the school going children had felt that they had nothing they could live for. On the other hand, 16.5% have also tried to commit suicide or injure themselves during the course of their lifetime (Kendall-Gallagher " Blegen, 2010). The students who had shown some form of desperation also showed some severe depressive signs and symptoms than those who had intended to commit suicide (Sprague, Reynolds, " Brindley, 2016). In addition, research has established that majority of the students with harsh and severe depressions did not get any psychiatric help. It can be deduced that depression is a dangerous disease, however, not easy to detect. Therefore, it is vital for the affected individuals to seek medical attention at an early period (Bourbeau, 2011). The current research will be essential in the process of improving the health conditions of people living in the American society.
The study will be approached mainly from the psychological perspective. An interview will be carried out to evaluate the feelings of the prospective participants. The interview will also involve assessing the societal influences and self-esteem of the participants. Interview method will help the researcher to get most precise information. The sample participants will mainly constitute 20 students from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Out of the 20 participants, 15 will be boys while 5 will be girls.
Methods
Participants
The 20 research participants were obtained from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Both male and female student participants participating in the study were aged between 18 and 30 years old. The participants were divided into two different age level: 18-30 years old and 30-40 years old. The 20 participants in this study consisted of 15 males and 5 females. Similarities and differences between these two groups of participants would be established to see if there is an appropriate result. The participants were from different ethnicity, college levels, as well as geographical regions of the U.S. The present residence of the participants is Santa Barbara.
Procedure
An interview questions was sent through email to all the 20 participants. The questions were to help them understand the types of questions that they will be asked. Besides, sending the questions would help them know the approximate duration of the interview. A face-to-face interview was used to collect data on the responses of each of the participants. The face-to-face interview was preferred since it was convenient and many people would not refuse to participate. The data of interview was collected by notes. The interview included two main parts that had multiple choices such as simple “Yes/No” answers and short answers. The initial five questions were mainly about the participants’ college level, subject specialization, religion, classes they take, and the areas they grew in. They were also asked about how they often felt anxious or unhappy. The interview questions also asked about how the participants discharged stress by playing games or shopping. Finally, there was an open-ended question that asked about the best way to recover from stress, tiredness, and sadness. The responses of all the study participants were computed and presented during the results analysis.
Results
A sample of 30 participants was interviewed, however, responses of only 20 participants could be applied in the research. The use of answers from only 20 participants occurred because some students failed to give an adequate response to the interview questions. In addition, there were other participants who reported that they were not residing in Santa Barbara hence their responses were discarded from the study. Nevertheless, most of the participants stated that they were living in Santa Barbara.
The findings in the initial part of the interview addressed the general backgrounds of the participants. When the participants were asked about where they grew up and their religion, 70% did not feel comfortable to divulge about their religion and home background. Out of the 30% of the participants who were comfortable to reveal about where they grew up, only 1% accepted to talk about their religion.
In addition, the second part of the interview addressed issues pertaining to the feeling of the participants. These questions related to how often the participants felt stressed, sad, restless, and tired. When asked the question: Are you often feel stressed out? 80% of the participants said that they were normally stressed. The 20% that said they were not often depressed reported that they have once in their lifetime felt anxious. Generally, a majority of the participants reported that feeling sad, stressed, restless, and tired had previously affected their sleep.
Regarding the interview questions on the good ways to eradicate stress, 90% of the male participants reported that playing games helped them discharge trauma and sadness. However, 10% of the male participants said that they listen to music when depressed. Shopping was reported as the best way to cope with traumatic life for female participants. All the female participants said that they like going shopping when they feel frazzled. Participants also outlined that some of the common things they do when they are tired or sad include playing games, shopping, singing, cooking, and swimming.
Discussion
According to the hypothesis of the research, it predicted that playing games, listening to songs, and shopping are the best ways to relieve stress. The hypothesis was supported by the findings of the research since 90% of the male participants said that they play games in order to relieve stress, sadness, or tiredness. On the other hand, the hypothesis was supported due to the fact that all the female participants reported that they use shopping as a measure of relieving distress. The hypothesis was also supported by the 10% of the participants who agreed that listening to songs help them discharge anxious feeling. The research also established that stress, tiredness, and sadness usually affect sleeping hence contributing to increased cases of depression. All the participants reported that they value sleeping such that lack of sleep generally makes them feel depressed and unable to execute their daily tasks effectively.
The divergences between the hypothesis and the findings of the study might be attributed to different factors such as religion, hometown, the area of specialization, and college level. The other error that might have resulted into the discrepancies in the result was on the use of English since there were other participants from non-English speaking regions. Nevertheless, the findings of the research helped to establish the good and bad ways to relieve depression.
Although strong social support is one of the best ways to manage depression, regular workout may also be vital. A depressed person can choose a partner or close friend to exercise with. The exercise will help the depressed person to gain emotional comfort and physicality while knowing that they are supported by close friends (Hay et al, 2017). The idea of hiding from other people appears good for depressed people, however, sleeping a lot is not the solution to depression. Studies demonstrate that too much sleep contributes to tiredness (Hay et al, 2017). An individual will not be able to concentrate due to increased lethargy resulting from oversleeping. There is also a close link between chronic oversleeping and high death rates, weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes (Sprague, Reynolds, " Brindley, 2016).
Conclusion
The findings of the study were essential in establishing the good and bad ways of relieving depression. In future, sensitive issues pertaining to religion should be disregarded from the interview questions to help the participants participate fully without feeling victimized. Modification of the interview to make it more precise and clear would make the research more effective.
Depression is a severe disease that requires extensive analysis to be carried out to establish the best ways to relieve it. In every society, women are at high risk of depression than men. Therefore, the future research should be based on the different factors that contribute to high depression in women than men. Nevertheless, since past studies have examined playing games, listening to songs, and shopping as the best ways of relieving stress, it is important to closely assess the poor ways on how to relieve stress since they have vast side effects on the victims.
References
Bourbeau, J. (2011). Disease management for COPD: Avoiding hospitalizations and controlling cost? COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 8(3), 143-144. doi:10.3109/15412555.2011.576886
Dubois-Comtois, K., " Pouline, C. (2013).Attachment Theory in Clinical Work with Adolescents.Child " Adolescent Behavior, Vol. 1(3), p. 1-8. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
Hay, S. I., Jayaraman, S. P., Truelsen, T., Sorensen, R. J., Millear, A., Giussani, G., " Beghi, E. (2017). GBD 2015 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 (vol 388, pg 1545, 2016). Lancet, 389(10064), E1-E1.
Kendall-Gallagher, D., " Blegen, M. A 2010, Competence And Certification Of Registered Nurses And Safety Of Patients In Intensive Care Units. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 40(Supplement). doi:10.1097/nna.0b013e3181f37edb
Kessler, R. C., " Bromet, E. J. (2013). The epidemiology of depression across cultures. Annual review of public health, 34, 119-138.
Michael Kerr. (2017, July 5). Retrieved from
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/college-students#1
Richards, C. S., " O'Hara, M. W. (Eds.). (2014). The Oxford handbook of depression and comorbidity. Oxford University Press.
Sprague, E., Reynolds, S., " Brindley, P. (2016). Patient Isolation Precautions: Are They Worth It? Canadian Respiratory Journal, 2016, 1-5. doi:10.1155/2016/5352625
Vernon, R., Chiarella, M., Papps, E., " Dignam, D 2012, New Zealand nurses perceptions of the continuing competence framework. International Nursing Review, 60(1), 59-66. doi:10.1111/inr.12001
Appendix A
Research Instrument
INTERVIEW INSTRUCTIONS: The purpose of this study is to determine the good and bad ways of relieving depression. The primary investigator (PI) of this research is Tianqi Lin. The research is for male and female students aged between 18 and 40 years old. The participants are classified into two groups of 18-30 years old and 30-40 years old. You will be asked questions relating to your year in school, major, religion, where you grew up, etc. There might be some questions involving general feelings. In addition, this research is not compulsory. You may agree or disagree to respond to any or the entire questions. In case of any question, contact [email protected].
Age:
1. What is the year in school?
2. What is your major?
3. What is your religion?
4. Where you grew up?
5. How many classes do you take in this quarter?
6. Are you often feel stressed out?
7. If yes, why? If no, skip this question.
8. How often in the last month have you felt sad?
9. How often in the last month have you felt restless?
10. Have you felt tired for seemingly no reason in the last month?
11. How often in the last month has it taken longer than on and a half hour to fall a sleep?
12. Do you think playing games is the good way to relieve stress? (for male only)
13. Do you think shopping is the good way to relieve stress? (for female only)
14. What do you often do when you feel sad/stress/tired? List at least 3 ways
15. What is the best way for you?
16. How long have you used these stress relievers?
17. What doesn’t work for you when relieving stress? List at least 2 ways.
