U03d2 - Implications of Research

I watched several videos within the Cognitive-Behavioral factors as the cause of depression. I wanted to talk about suicide and mortality but the video just was not long enough and did not necessarily discuss treatment. Depression really hits close to home for me especially in the last year. My mother-in-law suffered from depression and she lost her battle voluntarily. Depression comes in all forms, whether it is caused by biological factors or by cognitive-behavioral factors. She never reached out for help and I did not know much about her depression. I did know that she also suffered from anxiety and took medication for that. By analyzing what was going on in her life around the time of her death I have come to the conclusion that the greater part of her depression was caused by stressors.

According to Professor Wayne Drevets (n.d.), stress can cause depression. Stressors that can cause depression can be social (abuse), physiological (illness) or repetitive (family or job). In the case of my mother-in-law, I believe it was mostly repetitive stressors such as family or job stress. In the year leading up to her death she was laid off from her job and struggled with finding a new job. The weight of this caused her depression to deepen and she never reached out to anyone. We had no idea it was this bad until it was too late.

Professor Wayne Drevets discusses the serotonin system in relation to depression. The serotonin system in the brain has been the focus of research in depression. Drevets (n.d.) suggests that the reason for this is that medicinal treatments that target the serotonin system had antidepressant effects on those who suffer from depression. Further studies appear to suggest that more studies need to be done to pin down what will be the most effective way to treat the end state of depression.

Treating depression with medication, while mostly safe, often has negative side effects and can alter your life. Because of this, it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons of treating depression with medication. For those who suffer from depression, drugs can often improve moods and balance the chemistry in the brain to improve brain function. While antidepressants can help treat depression, there are often unpleasant side effects, for example: weight gain, sedation or even an increase in suicidal thoughts.