Depression?
Author: Now that APs are done, my AP US History teacher gave us a research project. My partner and I have the topic of depression (the mental disorder). Besides the sociological stuff, we need to relate it historically… so far we have that antidepressant drugs have been made as forms of treatment for depression since the 1950s, and that depression is sort of related to melancholia, which is an older known concept. We also found that depression has become associated with evolution theories.
We also plan to talk about how depression can be confused with the blues, and how both children and adults experience different forms of depression.
We probably have enough to do further research on, but we're just fishing for more ideas on what to do with this project. In our presentation, we would tell the class how depression has taken place throughout history and why it is really significant, other than the fact that depression is one of the leading illnesses.
Thanks in advance!!
Also, we would like to find out when depression started gaining medical attention… when we try to search for it, the Great Depression keeps showing up; that's not what we were searching for =(
Thanks everyone!! Really, thank you =)
True clinical depression has to last for 2-weeks every day, most of the day. You can look up symptoms/checklist online I am sure. Lots of people feel depressed for a day or a week but to feel it for 2-weeks solid is actually the definition of clinical depression.
It was never really treated until the 60s and then it was treated with benzos (valium, xanex… "mother's little helper" as the Rolling Stones song states). Then, in the 70s and 80s is when it really started being treated. Do some reasearch on when they invented anti-depressants. That would tell you when they started treating depression with meds. Until they had anti-depressants the only medicines were things like valium but that doesn't really treat depression at all. It just sedates the person. Anyway, good luck on your project.