Depression Research and Studies

Depression research and studies conducted in the field have given some very significant insights into understanding the cause and treatment of the condition.

Dreams and Depression

Studies conducted in “dream and depression” by Joseph Griffin indicate that dreaming is directly linked to depression, in that, people suffering from depression tend to dream thrice as much as compared to people who are not depressed.

According to this study, depressed people tend to fret and worry a lot and these worrisome thoughts give rise to negative emotions. Certain triggers give rise to a thought pattern and these thoughts are followed by emotions like anger, hatred, and anxiety.

These strong emotions are not expressed or channelized in real life, which leaves an incomplete cycle in the brain. Normally, thoughts are followed by words and / or actions, where emotions find an expression and the loop is complete. In the case of depressed people, thoughts are followed by negative emotions which are suppressed and end up manifesting in the form of dreams.

This is nature’s way of reducing the burden on the subconscious mind, but excessive dreaming results in lack of deep sleep and depressed people feel physically exhausted as a consequence of this problem. Thus, people suffering from depression end up feeling tired and exhausted when they get up in the morning.

To summarize, Joseph Griffin’s depression research indicates that people suffering from depression dream thrice as much as non-depressed people. Assessing the dream-sleep cycle or establishing the number of dreams occurring in depressed people could give an insight into the severity of depression experience.

Substance Abuse and Depression

Another interesting depression research study conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) indicates a definitive link between substance abuse, especially marijuana, suicide, and depression.

According to the depression research study, people who abused marijuana prior to 17 years of age were found to be 3.5 times more susceptible to attempting suicide in comparison to those who abused marijuana post 17 years old. It was found that people who abused marijuana at this young age experienced depression and had suicidal inclinations.

While the exact reasons for this group of individuals being at higher risk of depression and suicide was not established, depression research revealed these people exhibited these tendencies to a greater extent. Therefore, it becomes extremely important to control, monitor, and try and get teenagers below the age of 17, or at any age for that matter, to stop abusing drugs. Appropriate education, guidance, and counselling should be imparted to children between ages 13 and 18 with regard to substance abuse and alcohol consumption.

Women and Depression

Also, reports released by the American Psychological Association (APA) indicate that women are at a higher risk of experiencing major depression as compared to men. Several biological, social, and psychological factors were considered during the research studies undertaken, and it was found that women go through various physiological changes which are accompanied by emotional changes at various stages of their lives, especially during puberty, menopause, pregnancy, in relationships, etc. These are some of the possible causes for depressive episodes to occur in women; therefore, depression seems to affect women more than men all over the world.

Factors examined during the abovementioned depression research indicate that, genetically too, women are more prone to suffer from depression when compared to their male siblings. Hormonal changes occur in women during menstrual cycles and affect the estrogen and progesterone levels, and this also contributes to an increased risk of experiencing depressive moods and depression. Postpartum hormonal changes, too, increase the risk of women undergoing depression.

Other reasons that are responsible for causing depression in women include sexual abuse, assault, and violent male partners. All the above reasons contribute heavily to women being highly prone to depression as compared to men.

More Depression Information

Research studies also indicate that regular yoga, exercise, and meditation help fight depression to a great extent.

More information on depression research and studies will be covered in due course.

Useful Depression Resources