Alanta Gulley

English 1201

March 21, 2021

Assertion, explanation, examples or evidence from your sources, and

Literature Review

How does depression affect young adults? That is a question that has been asked four years

and years. Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Depression rates have been on the

rise and there are so many people that are now suffering with depression. It can be treated but,

for many people, it is something they will have to learn to manage and deal with for the rest of

their life. Young adults can be severely affected by depression. It can ultimately change the

course of their life.

The history of depression is full of terrible actions done to the people suffering with

mental illness. It used to be called melancholy. Depression used to be viewed as a weakness in a

person’s temper. They though it couldn’t be changed. People used to be put in mental health

facilities against their will almost automatically if they were thought to have depression. Many

still struggle to accept or even think that they might be experiencing more than just “a rough

time”. Some people still don’t accept depression as an illness and often tell people to just “get
over it” when it is much more than that. Teen who would like to get treatment because they

believe they have depression can be denied treatment if their parents have this mind set. This is

where everything can begin to change for a young adult. The article written by Brett and Kate

McKay, explained the history of how depression was viewed.

A key point noticed in all sources is that depression affects young adults to a pretty high

number. Depression is considered at least a two or more week period of extreme sadness which

can lead loss of interest, loss of energy and thoughts of suicide as stated in the article written by

Torres. The DSM is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It is recognized

around the world and It is published by the American Psychiatric Association. This is a perfect

source to use for anything psychology based. DSM-III was cited in the article written by Brett

and Kate McKay. “1) dysphoric mood (sad, feeling hopeless), 2) at least four symptoms from a

list that included things like lack of hunger, sleepiness, low energy, loss of interest in normal

activities, and excessive guilt, and 3) the symptoms had to last at least two weeks (in the original

draft symptoms needed to last for a month, it was changed to two weeks without explanation).”

These ideas are the most common in any article on depression. It is the agreed upon factors for a

medical professional to decide if you should be diagnosed or not. With all of these symptoms

and factors related to depression, this can cause a variety of different things to occur to young

adults. In the end, everything goes back to the basics.

Children that were abused tend to end up suffering from depression as young adults. This

supports the idea that many young adults are struggling with depression. Many children

experience some type of abuse in their childhood whether it be mental, physical, or sexual. Not

all children do but, a lot. Abuse will always have some kind of effect on a person whether it be

short term or long term and the article by Wells helps prove that by showing the result of young
adults diagnosed with depression that also experienced abuse as a child. Wells in his study found

that people that suffered abuse were much more prone to developing depression than not. The

study took people that once had behavior issues that came as a result of the abuse. Which means

that as a young adult, they could just be getting over those issues and now they are falling into a

depression which will once again, potentially negatively affect their life. Growing up being

abused is hard enough.

The CDC found that “During 2013–2016, 8.1% of American adults aged 20 and over had

depression in a given 2-week period.” The CDC is the Center for Disease control, they put out

helpful information and statics for all kinds of different things. They are funded by the

government and their resources are made available to the public. That may seem like a low

percent in comparison to other things but, overall it is a lot of people to be struggling day to day.

This seems to be on the rise according to some. Lindsey Tanner stated that “half of U.S. adults

surveyed reported at least some signs of depression, such as hopelessness, feeling like a failure

or getting little pleasure from doing things.” This study doubled from the last one as a result to

the recent pandemic. This means depression rates are on the rise. This is just another factor that

is contributing to the amount of young adult that are struggling with depression. Many young

adults already have trouble financially because they are having to go to school as well as work,

many full-time. Stress is a factor that can also lead to depression because of what stress can do to

do. Many do not handle stress well and on top of that a pandemic. Almost everyone’s day to day

life changed and this as stated by Tanner, cause an increase in depression among young adults.

Felix Torres further explains how environmental factors and personality are factors that

can contribute to depression. Going back to the study done by Tony Wells on abuse in children

leading to depression in young adults, Torres helps support this idea and states “Continuous
exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty may make some people more vulnerable to

depression.” This also helps support the idea that half the population is experiencing depressive

feelings. The pandemic realty had affected everyone’s life and has caused major financial issues

for many people.

The one disagreement that was noticed between some articles in that the CDC’s

percentages on depression rates state that “Over a 10-year period, from 2007–2008 to 2015–

2016, the percentage of adults with depression did not change significantly.” Once this study is

updated, it should reflect the new results of how many people are not suffering from depression.

A huge misconception about depression is, still, that is it something to just “get over”

when it is much more than that. There are so many different factors behind a person developing

depression and on top of that it being a chemical imbalance in the brain can make it impossible

to just get over. Overcoming depression requires help and effort. People still think that they are

“just sad” when in reality they aren’t. It is a stigma that has been around for hundreds of years

back to when it was called melancholy. There have been fatal misconception about depression all

the way back to ancient Greece and Rome. “Any sickness or disease in the body was the result of

an excess amount of one of these fluids, and the doctor’s job was to bring the humors back into

balance by purging, bloodletting, and/or medications.” (McKay) This is just one very old

example of how people have always believed depression to be less than it is, an “easy fix” some

would say.

If a young adult experiences severe depression in their late teens, early 20’s this can

change their life. Many young people end up dropping out of college due their struggles

mentally, even though all through school when they were younger they were considered very

smart and even gifted. A person can have a very clear path written for themselves and it be
completely altered because of mental health issues. There are so many more reasons and

explanation as to how depression affects young adults.

Work Cited

Brody, Debra J., et al. “Products - Data Briefs - Number 303 - February 2018.” Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Feb.

2018, www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db303.htm.

(NSDUH), National Survey on Drug Use and Health. “Major Depression.” National Institute of
Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2019,
www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml.

McKay, Brett and Kate. “Leashing the Black Dog: The History of Depression.” The Art of

Manliness, 14 Oct. 2020, www.artofmanliness.com/articles/the-history-of-depression/.

TANNER, LINDSEY. “Depression, Anxiety Spike amid Outbreak and Turbulent Times.”

Associated Press, 2 Sept. 2020, apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ca-state-wire-health-ny-

state-wire-ap-top-news-208872f1d9fa3a3f3b50a4a902132124.

Torres, Felix. What Is Depression?, American Psychiatric Association, Oct. 2020,

www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression.

Wells, Tony T., et al. “Childhood Abuse and Vulnerability to Depression: Cognitive Scars in

Otherwise Healthy Young Adults.” Cognition & Emotion, vol. 28, no. 5, Aug. 2014, pp. 821–

833. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/02699931.2013.864258.