Wandering down a child’s street of A Hundred-Acre-Wood, one may find his or herself among multiple characters with abnormal psychological functioning. The personification of mental illnesses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and more can be found here. According to Sarah Shea and colleagues in a study titled “Pathology in the Hundred Acre Wood: a neurodevelopmental perspective on A.A. Milne,” the personalities of the adolescent Pooh-Bear, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, etc. all portray identifiers specific to various psychological abnormalities (Shea, 2000). Picked from this assortment, Eeyore is described as portraying symptoms of depression; through the eyes of these researchers, he should have been diagnosed with dysthymia and episodes of major depression. Overall, depression, dysthymia, and major depression disorder in this juvenile figure parallel to the average American citizen affected by this form of mental disorder.
Depression falls on a continual spectrum dependent on hormonal changes, experience, and other socioeconomic factors. Dysthymia specifically displays continuous depressive symptoms in a time span that is longer than two years (Symonds, Anderson, 2012). It is defined with a chronic symptom-base as compared to a major depressive episode or disorder. An array of these includes: an influx of appetite (increase or decrease), fatigue, insomnia or hypersomnia, negative self-talk or hopelessness, low self-esteem, and an inability to concentrate (Symonds, 2012). To be considered for a diagnosis of dysthymia, there can be no connection to another mental illness. This lack of comorbidity also includes physical illness that may require medication that affects mood.
In relation to the spectrum of depression, it is contingent on many factors in a person’s life. The biological viewpoint relates directly to genealogy and a person’s predisposition dependent on family medical history; it is theorized that there are genetic markings causing this handoff from parent to child (Comber, 2015). In reference to the article “Dysthymia,” the Harvard Mental Health Letter raises the statistic “the rate of depression in the families of people with dysthymia is as high as 50% for the early-onset form of the disorder.” On the scope of depression, a developed comorbidity with another mental illness is common; specifically, it is found in those with anxiety and other disorders that have an abundance of negative self-talk. This qualifies it as general depression, though, not dysthymia. The average age when symptoms linger is in the mid-twenties. In the United States, “over 6% of the population has experienced an episode” at some point in his or her life. The yearly statistic is 3% of individuals (Klein, Satiago, 2003).
Where there is similarity of the symptom-base in mental illness, there is a logical dual-diagnosis. Aside from this proclivity, depression can result from a hormonal imbalance within the brain; this is portrayed in heightened levels of cortisol for those under high stress or in a depressive episode. The difference in major depressive disorder is the focus on the overall symptom base in total and mood symptoms versus overall physicality. Dysthymia has more emphasis on the mood and relation from person to person (“Dysthymia,” 2006). Socioeconomic status can also boost an individual’s probability for procuring one of these disorders. According to Symonds and Anderson in “Unipolar depression and dysthymia,” there is a decreased rate of depression in married individuals and those living in higher income households. This creates a higher affinity for those in impoverish communities. Also, humans that are exposed to a traumatic circumstance such as loss of a loved one, abuse, or rapid change of environment can be more prone to depression or dysthymia (Uher, 2014). The difference in dysthymia here is the chronic quality; trauma based incidences may only incur this level of depression if grief is not dealt with via the appropriate channels.
Between men and women, a myth common revolves with women being more receptive to depressive symptoms. Statistically, women are two times more likely to endure varying types of depression; even so, they are also described with the likelihood to “exhibit twice as many depressive symptoms as males” (Girgus, Yang 2015). The difference that is highlighted is the willingness to admit weakness between females versus males in American culture; there is an increase in diagnosis for women plausibly via cultural expectation. In the course’s text, the artifact theory supports that “women and men are equally prone to depression” and blames the statistic on the lack of detection in the male gender. Aside from this, the biology of women surrounding menstrual periods and general stressors can cause an influx of hormones. In some instances, this triggers depression (Comber, 2015).
The first line of treatment generally falls into pharmacotherapy, better known as drug therapy. Neurochemicals of the brain are at an imbalance when one in is lieu of depression; these means serve as inhibitors for these chemicals (cortisol) and heighten production of happy hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. The medication described falls under selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and more each acting similarly in the body (Symonds, Anderson, 2012). Aside from this, psychotherapy is commonly used to remedy the party affected. The psychodynamic perspective focuses the individual on emotion regulation; this is portrayed in a study completed by Hamidian and colleagues; this method targets the hopefulness and negative self-talk intending to improve mood regulation skills (Comber, 2015).
In relation to treatment options, the study titled “The Effect of Combining Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy with Pharmacotherapy on Depression and Emotion Regulation of Patients with Dysthymia” explores the success of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy approach. This follows a cognitive outlook focusing on feelings of hopelessness; the goal of the therapy is to remedy via mood management. The study was completed on fifty Pacific and major depressed patients. The control group only received antidepressant medication, whereas the MBCT group received an eight-week session program at a once a week rate. The results shifted in favor of the addition of the mindfulness from cognitive therapy along with drug therapy. Furthermore, the “combination of MBCT and pharmacotherapy could cause significant improvement in depression symptoms and increased patience ability to regulate emotion compared to pharmacotherapy alone” (Hamidian, 2016). As one who regularly practices mindfulness, especially in depressive episodes, I found this research study extremely supportive. I interject the want for a group in the study without an antidepressant as the foremost baseline of treatment.
Overall, dysthymia and major depressive disorder reach across a scope dependent on a person’s genetics, gender, socioeconomic status, and culture. There is an overarching commonality among Americans with the prevalence of this mental disorder running at the fourth most common in the nation (“Dysthymia,” 2006). A need for some change and awareness is in order for those, such as the men, who suffer without diagnosis or treatment. The first pull for society regarding depression is mindfulness and acceptance. Even though a number of individuals are affected by the disorder, be that via personal life or a loved one, there is still little understanding toward psychological abnormalities that are not easily seen. Helplessness is mentioned in our text regarding both global and specific levels; to try to assess and recognize these thoughts as negative can do a lot. Relating to the sociocultural view of depression, a strong foundation of support that an individual trusts allows the mental capacity for both healing and prevention (Comber, 2015). Aid is displayed even in the Hundred Acre Wood and the family-like community that Christopher Robbin (the young boy and main character) upholds for the depressed persona of Eeyore, the donkey.