Journey inside your mind: Depression and Anxiety

Our class spent many weeks researching, planning, & writing to answer an inquiry question of their choice. Please enjoy their final published work!

Mrs. Montag's Class ~ 5th Grade Genius Hour Projects

Glossary: Abuse: To treat someone with cruelty or violence Anxiety: A feeling of fear or uneasiness; also can be a disorder Depression: A group of conditions that can elevate or lower a person’s mood Diminish: To lower or make less Disrupt: To interfere with Genes: Something that you can inherit from your parent(s) Problem: Something that can be harmful and/or unwanted Self-Harm: Harming yourself on purpose Suicide: The act of ending your own life Stress: Emotions that come from high amounts of pressure Support: To help/assist Trait: the characteristics of something/someone Trauma: A disturbing experience that can leave a scar in one’s mind Versions: A different form of something, often with different characteristics

Sources: Depression Sources: World Health Organization(2022): "Depression" written on September 13, 2021 edited in 2022 opened on May 18, 2022 from <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression">https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression</a> National Institute of Mental Health(2022): "Depression" last revised on February of 2018. Opened on May 18, 2022 from <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression">https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression</a> Healthline(2022): "Everything you need to know about Depression(Major Depressive disorder) written by Valencia Higuera and medically reviewed by Vara Sarapalli. Last updated on November 1, 2021. Opened on May 18, 2022 <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/depression">https://www.healthline.com/health/depression</a> National Alliance on Mental Illness: "Depression" Last reviewed on August 2017. Opened May 18, 2022 <a href="https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression">https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression</a> Anxiety Sources: National Institute of Mental Health(2022): "Anxiety Disorders" Last revised April 2022. Opened May 18, 2022 <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders">https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders</a> Healthline(2022): "Everything you need to know about Anxiety written by Kimberly Holland and medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg. Last medically reviewed on September 19, 2018. Opened on May 18, 2022 <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety">https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety</a> What are the five major types of anxiety disorders? <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/answers/mental-health-and-substance-abuse/what-are-the-five-major-types-of-anxiety-disorders/index.html">https://www.hhs.gov/answers/mental-health-and-substance-abuse/what-are-the-five-major-types-of-anxiety-disorders/index.html</a>

The main reason that depression is a big problem is because of suicide, which is where you basically kill yourself.&nbsp;More than 700,000 people each year die of suicide and the numbers are even bigger for the amount of people that attempt suicide. Suicide is the fourth leading cause for deaths of 15 to 29 year olds. Depression is also a problem because of self-harm. This is where you injure yourself on purpose. Examples of self-harm include burning yourself on purpose , cutting yourself with sharp objects, punching something until you bleed, etc.&nbsp; While it is normal to feel an occasional sense of anxiety (This might mean that you don’t feel safe and most of the time, you actually aren’t), sometimes it will happen a lot more than it did maybe 3 months ago and when that keeps happening, you should know that that’s not exactly “normal”. Anxiety can make you feel anxious even when you are at home or when you are with your friends. It could also disrupt work, daily routines, or diminish your confidence. Anxiety can also cause an increase in pulse and breath rate. None of these things will benefit you at all, which is why you need to make sure that your anxiety isn’t happening too much and make sure that it isn’t causing you problems.

Percentage of U.S. adults with depression sorted by age and gender--&gt;

Depression can be caused by a lot of things such as abuse/family problems, bullies, trauma, family deaths, stress, etc. Depression can also be passed on through the genes. It’s also more likely for a female to have depression than a male having depression. Some symptoms of depression disorders are feelings of worthlessness or guilt, having a hard time falling asleep, just not being able to sleep at all,changes of appetite and/or weight, and possibly, suicidal or depressing thoughts.

Anxiety can be caused by high amounts of stress on yourself, maybe encountering some of the things that you are scared of like spiders, society, heights. Anxiety can also be caused by things around you like maybe an upcoming test that you need to study for or maybe a competition like a soccer competition that you need to practice for.

Venn Diagram of the differences and similarities between Depression and Anxiety---&gt;

Journey inside your mind: depression and anxiety

About the Author: Anna Zhu was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 2011. She is now 10 years old(Almost turning 11 years old) and a 5th grader at Hidden Hills Elementary School in San Ramon, California. She is moving onto middle school and is going to Windemere Ranch Middle School. She likes the subjects of math, science, and art. She believes that the state of people's mental health is important. She believes that mental health disorders like Depression and Anxiety should be noticed and pointed out so that people can get some help with they're disorders. She was inspired to write this book because of her own state of mental health. She believes that a little help given to someone can go a long way. She hopes that in the future less people in the world will have these problems with mental health.

You may be surprised by these numbers, but more than 200 MILLION people have depression in the world. This just shows how much of a problem this can be. In fact, even kids from the youngest age of 4 to 5 years old can have depression! According to the World Health Organization, approximately 280 MILLION people in the world have depression. Now that is just a huge amount of people!

There are about 275 million people in the world that have anxiety, which is 4% of the close to 8 billion people living on Earth. Each country has about 2.5% to 6.5% of their population with anxiety, which isn’t that much considering that some countries are super big and there are a ton of countries in the world. However, this is still a huge problem. Of those 275 million people in the world with anxiety, more are women with anxiety than men with anxiety. Women’s numbers are 170 million with anxiety and men’s numbers are 105 million.

&lt;----Depression percentage numbers in the U.S.A. per state

Index: Depression Disorders&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pg. 3 Anxiety Disorders&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pg. 3 Depression Causes&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pg. 4 Anxiety Causes&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pg. 4 Depression symptoms Pg. 4 Anxiety Symptoms Pg. 4 Self-Harm&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pg. 5 Depression Support&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pg. 6 Anxiety Support&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pg. 6 Conclusion&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pg. 7

Chapter 6: Possible ways to reduce depression and anxiety numbers in the world

If you see someone that could possibly have depression or show symptoms of depression disorder(s), you should talk to them and try to empathize with them, even if they are strangers that you don’t know (Maybe don’t approach all strangers, maybe watch them for a while to see if they could be dangerous). You should try to talk about what they feel. You could also try to maybe become friends with them and get socialized with them. This will make them way more comfortable to talk about their issues to you.

People with anxiety might need somebody to talk to as well. You should talk to them, maybe asking “How can I help?”. You could also tell them about some possible things that you learned about anxiety or any experiences that you might have with anxiety. You should ask them how they are feeling, what their symptoms are, maybe tell them somebody you know that might be able to help more, and/or just tell them that you are here for them if they feel the need to talk to somebody about something. The person you are talking to should feel comfortable around you so that they can trust that they can talk to you if they want/need to.

With all the information, we can conclude that the best way to support somebody with depression is to: -talk to them -sort out some feelings. -Ask "How can I help?" -Tell them that you care for them and that you are there for them -Tell them that they might want to see a psychologist or psychiatrist However, if they aren’t in the mood for talking, don’t push them too hard, just leave them and notify them that if they ever want to talk to you then they can.

Now, to support people with anxiety, you could tell them/ask them - any possible experience you might have with anxiety - you are here for them if they feel the need to communicate with you - what they are feeling/what they’re symptoms are. People with anxiety disorders might not even know that they have an anxiety disorder, so it is important that if anyone around you, whether it’s a friend, or family member, you should always ask them if they are okay and if there is anything that you can do to help them get better.

Chapter 2: What is Depression and/or Anxiety?

Depression can be a type of mood disorder. There are many versions of depression disorders, each with different traits. Examples of Depression Disorders are Persistent Depression Disorder(It has to last for at least 2 years to be considered to be Persistent Depression Disorder), Psychotic Depression Disorder(Leads you to be delusional and/or have hallucinations), etc.

Anxiety, like depression can also be considered as a disorder, and also like depression, it has multiple versions. For example, there is Generalized Anxiety Disorder(It usually lasts the time span of about six months), Panic Disorder(You get a lot of sudden panic attacks),Phobia Disorder(Anxiety is triggered when you see something that you have a phobia of or see something that you are scared of),etc.

A chart showing the number of depression disorders there are-----&gt;

Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introduction and/or Overview................................................................4 Chapter 2: What is Depression and/or Anxiety?......................................................5 Chapter 3: Numbers and Statistics ...........................................................................6 Chapter 4: How is it caused? ......................................................................................8 Chapter 5: Why is it a problem?..................................................................................9 Chapter 6: Possible ways to help people with depression and anxiety .............12 Chapter 7: Conclusion ...............................................................................................14 Glossary .......................................................................................................................15 Index ............................................................................................................................16 Sources ........................................................................................................................17 About the Author........................................................................................................18

Chapter 1: Introduction and/or Overview

Have you ever wanted to know more about the subject of depression/anxiety, maybe somebody that you knew got depression and/or anxiety or possibly you think you might have depression/anxiety? If yes, then keep reading because this is exactly what this book will cover. This book will cover the subjects: “Why does depression and/or anxiety happen?”, “Why can it be a problem/turn into a problem”, “Possible ways to reduce depression and anxiety numbers in the world” and other subjects.

Image sources: <a href="https://www.canva.com/">https://www.canva.com</a> SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs), 2013 and 2014. [online image] <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_2385/ShortReport-2385.html">https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_2385/ShortReport-2385.html</a> Depression Types Table: [online image] <a href="https://barendspsychology.com/different-types-of-depression/depression-types-table/">https://barendspsychology.com/different-types-of-depression/depression-types-table/</a> Percentage of U.S. adults with a major depressive episode in the past year as of 2020, by age and gender: [online image] <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/252312/major-depressive-episode-among-us-adults-by-age-and-gender/">https://www.statista.com/statistics/252312/major-depressive-episode-among-us-adults-by-age-and-gender/</a> Am I depressed or am I Anxious? : [online image] <a href="https://www.ctpsychtms.com/am-i-depressed-or-am-i-anxious/">https://www.ctpsychtms.com/am-i-depressed-or-am-i-anxious/</a>

Journey inside your mind: Depression and Anxiety    By: Anna Zhu

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