Research Question

My research question is whether or not there is a cure for depression, and if there is not, what is the most effective way to live a long and healthy life with depression.

My gut reaction is that even though there are drugs and treatments available, there is no flat out cure. There will be good days and bad days and you just have to grit your teeth, buckle down and wait out the bad times. I think that medicine can help, but I also feel like there is only a limited time it can help before you need to move on to another drug because it is no longer effective enough. When someone has an addiction to hardcore drugs there is a saying that they are never recovered, only recovering. I feel like depression is the same way, you are never cured, only coping.

I think that other people's viewpoints will vary depending on how much they know, how they were raised and how closely they've interacted with someone who has depression. For example, I grew up with my parents telling me that therapy and mental disorders were for rich white people and that they would create more problems than they'd solve. Then when my sister had her second suicide attempt they came to see therapy as a godsend and antidepressants as a lifesaver. I know of some people who think that depression is just something you label yourself with to gain attention and others who have friends or family affected by it that recognize it as a true illness.

I would like to research the different types of drugs available for depression and see how much they work over long periods of time. I'd like to see how quickly a person can become immune to the effects of the drugs and how much immunity it would take to be switched to a different medication. I'd also like to find statistics on how much therapy can actually help a person with depression and I would like to see the difference between someone who has been institutionalized for depression versus someone who hasn't.

Introduction

Hi my name is Claire and I am 22. I am the oldest of 4 kids and my family means everything to me. I like reading, writing, making music and dancing like nobody is watching. I have gone skydiving, I don't like feet, I love California (where I was raised) and I am not a fan of snow. But rain is cool. I am a messy person who is relatively unorganized but I know how to have fun and spontaneity is my middle name. My love making lists of things to accomplish but I'm really bad at accomplishing them. I have over 50 different colors of nail polish and painting my nails is how I relax at the end of the day. I like to cook alcoholic cupcakes. I don't like wearing shoes.