Depression Research Essay

Depression Research Essay

Over 75% of teenagers throughout America have suffered or will suffer from depression at least once in their lifetime. Depression is an emotional disorder which shows symptoms such as persistent feelings of hopelessness, sadness, inability to sleep, and, sometimes, suicidal tendencies. It develops in people of all ages without their knowledge or consent and starts to interfere with their daily life. Holden Caulfield, from the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, is a 16-year-old boy who, when expelled from his fourth boarding school, goes to New York City to avoid telling his parents news of his expulsion. As he wanders around the city pondering his life and past memories, he sinks deeper and deeper into the feeling of loneliness he carries with him. Holden is exhibiting one of the many signs caused by depression, a disorder that affects vast number of people in America. Depression affects everyone, including teenagers like Holden, with contributing factors occurring in the past, present, and future. One of the major contributing influences for depression are traumatic events that occur in a person’s past. Numerous amount of studies show that “people who become depressed report that a single traumatic event has happened to cause the depression” (www.all about depression.com). This quotation states that one single devastating incident can eventually lead to depression as is shown in Holden Caulfield’s case. Events like this take away a sense of control and cause great emotional upheaval as well. An example of a traumatic event which caused emotional upheaval and loss of control is shown on page 39 of the Catcher in the Rye, where Holden describes the death of his brother Allie: “He’s dead now. He got Leukemia and died when we were up in Maine, on July 18, 1946.… I slept in the garage the night he died and I broke all the goddamn windows with my fist…” (Salinger 39). In this quote the reader sees that a distressing event occurred in Holden‘s youth: the death of his brother Allie. This incident caused Holden to lash out, become angry at his inability to control and stop his brother’s death, and break all the windows in the garage he slept in that night. The traumatic death of his brother was the beginning of Holden’s downward spiral into the depression he constantly fights throughout the novel. Along with traumatic events, today’s society may also contribute to the depression that haunts many teenagers. Nowadays, society and its social rules can be extremely harsh, especially in high school as is shown in the novel Speak: “I have entered high school with the wrong hair, the wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don’t have anyone to sit with. I am Outcast,” (Anderson 4). This quote shows the reader how in society one must reach certain expectations or suffer the consequence of daring to not fit in: isolation. The constant pressure to conform to high school standards eventually reaches a level where one cannot reach. In the Catcher in the Rye, Holden does not quite fit in with the rest of the boys at his school, calling them phonies and morons. However, despite the careless attitude he radiates, underneath is a different thought and emotion, which he truthfully admits on page 81 by saying, “It makes you feel lonesome and depressed” (Salinger 81). This citation proves that although someone may seem like they do not care about fitting in, eventually the pressure of the situation will cause their resistance to deteriorate and allow only two options: conform to others and fit in or contradict everyone’s norms and be isolated. To be socially accepted is not an easy task and there are always a few students who cannot make the cut and get rejected by society, leaving them alone in the world. The loneliness and rejection itself can throw students deep into a well of depression from which they are unsure or uncertain of what will happen next. Along with society’s expectancies and traumatic experiences, uncertainty about the future can and ultimately may end up in depression. As soon as they are old enough to make choices, children are urged to start thinking about the future. As they grow, the pressure increases and by the time they are in high school, students have been bombarded and overwhelmed with ideas and opinions. It is at this point in their education, when they are confused and uncertain, that their grades begin to slip. In a recent study it was shown that “if your adolescent is failing in school...skipping classes…there are underlying behavioral and emotional problems,” (www.aspeneducation.com). This quote explains that if a teenager, or adolescent, is doing poorly in school, failing or skipping classes, there is a likely possibility that they have emotional problems or in other words, depression. In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden gets expelled from his fourth boarding school. When he visits an old teacher, who asks him whether he is concerned about his future or not, Holden responds by saying, “Oh I feel some concern for my future, all alright. Sure. Sure I do…But not too much, I guess. Not too much,” (Salinger 14). In this quote Holden admits to not having much concern for his future, even though he has been expelled from several high schools already. This air of apathy and nonchalance that Holden exhibits is a disguise for the feeling of failure and uncertainty he feels inside: failure because he was expelled from high school once again and uncertainty because he has no notion as to what will happen next. Holden is one among many students who could not handle the pressure that was put upon their shoulders from an early age. Pressure from having to figure out their future from such an early age results in the teen feeling confused and disoriented, not knowing what to do or where to go and afraid of doing something to upset someone. In the end, thinking it will keep the pressure off them, they give up, begin to let their grades slip, and start avoiding the place in which the pressure accumulates: schools. It is at around this time when the guilt of giving up and the shame of failing starts to settle in. As the guilt and shame continues to grow, it results in uncertainty of what will come next, which in the long run paves a road to depression. Depression affects three fourths of the teenage population in America, with the three main factors occurring in the past, present , and future. Traumatic events that occur in a person’s life are often so devastating and life-changing that they can be the start of a long road into sadness and despair. Along with traumatic occurrences, society is also a contributing factor to depression. In today’s world, society has set its expectations so high that there are those, including teenagers, who cannot keep up with them and ended up in quarantine, separated mentally and emotionally, from the rest of civilization. This isolation can lead straight into depression and uncertainty about what will happen later in life. Uncertainty can lead into depression. Not knowing what to do and where to go in life tends to overwhelm adolescents, who cannot bear the pressure of failing and are not sure of what the next step should be. This pressure and uncertainty guides the victim straight into depression. Depression is a mental and emotional problem that numerous people suffer from, including teenagers. Although the number of people depressed increases yearly, not many people are aware of this rising problem. People do not know when someone is depressed, sometimes even when the victims are asking for help to find a way out. Although one may not be at fault for the depression, one can and should assist the person. By doing something as simple as asking “Are you okay?” or “Do you need help?” one can let the person know that someone cares so that they can stand up, confront the source of depression, and save their minds and lives.

Bibliography
“All About Depression: Causes.” All About Depression: Home Page. Dr. P 2 July 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999. Print.

“Failing School - Academic Problems - Skipping School - Truancy - Dropping out of School.” Help for Troubled Teens Boarding Schools - Aspen Education. Aspen Education Group, 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

Lamas, Daniela. “The Dark Side of College Life: Academic Pressure, Depression, Suicide.” Elon University. 2003. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1991 Print.

Bibliography: “All About Depression: Causes.” All About Depression: Home Page. Dr. P 2 July 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999. Print. “Failing School - Academic Problems - Skipping School - Truancy - Dropping out of School.” Help for Troubled Teens Boarding Schools - Aspen Education. Aspen Education Group, 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. Lamas, Daniela. “The Dark Side of College Life: Academic Pressure, Depression, Suicide.” Elon University. 2003. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1991 Print.