Thanks for pointing this out Ahmed! As a quick solution I am 'copying and pasting' the thread that Trish mentioned here.
FROM GROUP 3:
Depression
by Lindsay Bull - Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 02:53 PM
I'm not too sure if I've done this correctly..hope so!
Depression is a disease that has many suggested biomedical causes, but no one would argue that it is solely biomedical. There can be triggers or social experiences that make a patient much more likely to suffer depressive symptoms, such as the loss of a child, or divorce. Equally, no one would argue it was a solely socially produced disease; there are many studies which have shown concordance rates between monozygotic twins to be higher than dizygotic twins.
Depression is not solely psychological; it has physical, cognitive and behavioural manifestations as well as low mood and loss of interest in activities, such as fatigue, insomnia, changes in appetite etc. Patients with depression may often not fulfil the sick role as Parson’s defined it in 1950s as they may struggle to continue to function in society.
A diagnosis of depression has many social implications. It is still perceived to be widely stigmatised, and may have further psychological implications on the patient themselves because of this. I think that while depression is still stigmatised to an extent, there is a perception that it is more stigmatised than it really is, which means that individuals are less comfortable disclosing their diagnosis to friends, family or colleagues, although doing this could help.
Edit | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Saadia Aziz Dhedhi - Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 05:53 PM
I think I don't quite agree with the statement that depression is widely stigmatised.
I think with there being more information about depression on the web etc people are much more aware of what it is
Although people are hesistant to speak/interact with someone who is depressed, they are still aware of the feelings of anxiety/sadness/low mood that a depressed patient may be feeling and act accordingly.
In comparison to other diseases which are 'stigmatized', such as HIV/skin conditions, depression is perhaps lower down on the scale...(this may be a rather bold statement)
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Trish Greenhalgh - Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 07:32 PM
Saadia
Exactly right! Not sure if I agree with you or not but you are expressing a 'sociological' opinion which is what I was hoping for! Well done - keep it up, those of you who 'get it' and those who don't, keep paying attention! It will get easier.
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Nathalie Pruska-Baba - Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 08:49 PM
Hey Saadia, you have raised some interesting points, I think depression is actually a bit of both. By both I mean; I think it is widely stigmatized in certain societies and cutures but can also be less stigmatized in other cultures.
I think it just depends on someones personal opinion on "how bad" depression really is.
Its an interesting topic though because i'm sure that some people would look at depression as a far worse condition compared to certain skin conditions and others could think the opposite.
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Sadhana Sharanya Jacob - Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 09:06 PM
I very much agree with your point Nathalie; that there is a differnce in the perception of depression between various cultures. I know from listening to the views of members of my family from Sri Lanka, that some (not all) see it as a condition of "laziness" in the "unmotivated."
In our psychiatry lectures we were given a lecture on the impact of culture on mental illness. A person's background and beleif can have an impact on the way their condition manifests, whether or not they seek help and the form of help they seek. I didnt think a link to the lecture would be helpful! But I found a paper that concluded something similar:
"Depressive symptomatology varies between ethnic groups. These differences are mainly due to ethnicity as such but migration may play an additional role. It is essential for physicians to be aware of atypical presentation forms of depression in minority groups."
http://www.springerlink.com/content/x1404pj512141422/
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Sadhana Sharanya Jacob - Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 09:07 PM
I very much agree with your point Nathalie; that there is a differnce in the perception of depression between various cultures. I know from listening to the views of members of my family from Sri Lanka, that some (not all) see it as a condition of "laziness" in the "unmotivated."
In our psychiatry lectures we were given a lecture on the impact of culture on mental illness. A person's background and beleif can have an impact on the way their condition manifests, whether or not they seek help and the form of help they seek. I didnt think a link to the lecture would be helpful! But I found a paper that concluded something similar:
"Depressive symptomatology varies between ethnic groups. These differences are mainly due to ethnicity as such but migration may play an additional role. It is essential for physicians to be aware of atypical presentation forms of depression in minority groups."
http://www.springerlink.com/content/x1404pj512141422/
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Nathalie Pruska-Baba - Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 08:50 PM
Hey Saadia, you have raised some interesting points, I think depression is actually a bit of both. By both I mean; I think it is widely stigmatized in certain societies and cutures but can also be less stigmatized in other cultures.
I think it just depends on someones personal opinion on "how bad" depression really is.
Its an interesting topic though because i'm sure that some people would look at depression as a far worse condition compared to certain skin conditions and others could think the opposite.
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Huan Yan - Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 12:52 PM
I agree with Saadia's opinion about the depression is not widely stigmatized. Nowadays, depression becomes commonly accepted than before. For example, people who depressed due to work high pressure are extenuating circumstances.
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Lindsay Bull - Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 10:01 PM
I agree that it is much more accepted by the public than it has been in the past, but I do think that those who are diagnosed may feel that it is still stigmatised, and that this can mean that they do not disclose their diagnosis.
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Andriani Christina Kremmyda - Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 07:18 PM
Nice post Lindsay!
I have the impression, judging from my hometown, that althought there is a tendancy for people to talk frankly about their depression still the society is not ready and yet not openminded to accept people undergoing a depression.So, ultimately these people are stigmatized. Virtually every form of mental illness is associated with a moral failing or a sign of a weak character. So people with depression do face stigmatisation both in social and working environment, especially if it is known that they are helped by drugs or therapy. This is the reason why people rarely talk about their diagnosis to family, friends and collegues. The truth is that family and friends typically tend to accept people of their environment that suffer depression;despite the potential misgivings they may hold.Employers on the other hand, usually hold totally negative attitudes towards mental illness and this stigmatisation is mainly based on perceptions of potential poor work performance. Unfortunately, this kind of attitude just doesn't help people with depression at all.
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Tahir Mir - Wednesday, 3 October 2012, 01:02 PM
I came across an article with an interesting criticism of the disease/defect model of depression. Why should depressed individuals be seen as 'broken' people who require assistance and a burden on society? Surely, going through such issues would make a person stronger.
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/charting-the-depths/200911/the-continuing-stigma-depression
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
Re: Depression
by Trish Greenhalgh - Thursday, 4 October 2012, 06:41 AM
This depression thread is a great example of what was needed in the task for this week. I'm going to post a message in the other two forums to invite the rest of the studetns to look at it
Show parent | Edit | Split | Delete | Reply | Export to portfolio
