Psyche logo

Misconceptions About Depression

A depression is distinguished from emotional ups and downs because it prevents the patient from leading a normal life.

By HowToFind .comPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
Like
Misconceptions About Depression
Photo by Sydney Sims on Unsplash

Tranquilizers and antidepressants are addictive. We've all heard this statement at some point.

However, there's no evidence that antidepressants are addictive, and in the case of tranquilizers and sedatives, most are not addictive, at most they can have a "withdrawal effect" (when treatment is stopped).

Depression is a very common disorder characterized by a mood disturbance in which a feeling of sadness predominates for no apparent reason, and is almost always accompanied by anxiety.

According to experts, it affects one in five women and one in ten men.

As with other pathologies, there are many myths surrounding depression. Experts debunk some of the most popular ones.

Psychotherapy cures depression.

FALSE. There is no study that shows that psychological techniques eradicate major depression.

However, they are very useful in people who suffer from certain depressive symptoms, such as adjustment disorders (effects of some adverse personal circumstance).

In cases of major depression the only thing that has been proven effective is drug treatment.

The treatment of depression is short.

By Jude Beck on Unsplash

FALSE. The therapy of a major (severe) depression must be carried out for at least one year.

This duration is due to the fact that it is a recurrent illness (which reappears).

That is why when it first appears, the therapy is prolonged for one year and in the successive recurrences (reappearances of the illness) it will be even longer.

When everything in your life is going well, you can't get depressed.

FALSE. The causes of depression (the reason why the illness appears) should not be confused with the triggers (the factors that reveal that you are ill).

A person may be "gestating" depression and trying to justify the symptoms (for example, overworking would justify apathy and exhaustion).

However, when faced with a life event such as the death of a family member or the loss of a job, the illness breaks out.

Not everyone who suffers from these triggers becomes depressed, however, a very large percentage of people who do not experience adverse personal circumstances do.

Depression is a chronic illness that never completely goes away.

FALSE. Chronic diseases accompany the patient from the moment they are contracted until the end of their life.

With current drug treatments, specialists can eliminate all the symptoms of depression in almost 90 percent of cases.

If it is well treated, the depression subsides, although it is true that the symptoms can reappear at other times.

The psychologist is the professional who treats depression.

By Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

TRUE/FALSE. The psychologist can take care of depressive disorders, a less severe condition than depression.

However it is the psychiatrist who carries out the intervention of patients with depression; the psychologist can take care of patterns of depressive symptoms, of a milder character than the depressive disorder.

Two conclusions are drawn from this statement, which have already been refuted above:

  1. Depression is a biological illness that can only be dealt with by a psychiatrist and;
  2. Psychological intervention can only be effective in cases of mild or moderate depression, but not in cases of severe depression.

In the original text by Sanz and Garcia-Vera (2017) some more misconceptions than those presented in the present text can be consulted.

This becomes a clear example of the tendency, increasingly common, to publish information that is not sufficiently scientifically proven.

This can lead to a significant risk, since nowadays any type of information is within the reach of the general population, causing biased or insufficiently validated knowledge.

This danger is even more worrying when it comes to health issues.

There are people who fake depression in order to get time off work.

THIS IS PARTLY FALSE. Although in some anecdotal cases the doctor can be fooled, it is usually very difficult to fake depression.

Optimistic and outgoing people do not get depressed.

FALSE. It is precisely the most outgoing and euphoric personality profile that has the greatest emotional charge and therefore the greatest risk of suffering from depression.

depression
Like

About the Creator

HowToFind .com

More info at https://howtofind.com

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.