Mid-Life Crisis

11 Pages 2742 Words

emselves as depression or anxiety include thyroid disease, infection, cardiac disease, pulmonary pathology, sleep apnea, pancreatic cancer, anemia, and stroke. So, tests must be performed to verify that the problems are purely psychological. “Major depression in mid-life is common, with a prevalence of approximately 2.2%” (Samuels 1997). Some would say that it is like living with eight or more diseases. The article goes on to explain that alcohol can be a contributing factor in major depression. The solution to this is to dry out the patient before medical or other treatment begins. The patient should also be weaned from any other medications that could have potential conflicts with anti-depressant medications. Psychotherapy from a qualified psychiatrist, social worker, or psychologist is recommended as a complement of the anti-depressants prescribed by the doctor(Samuels 1997).
The relationship of this material to human development is fairly obvious. When people reach mid-life they are very likely to have stress coming at them from both external and internal factors(Samuels 1997). It is easy to see how someone who has failing children who need his help, elderly parents requiring attention, and an ebbing love life could sink into depression (Samuels 1997). As a person matures, he begins to reflect on his life, and therefore, can become bogged down. Obviously, internal factors such as health problems can tire out a person until they do not feel they have the energy to deal with the problems of every day life. Relatives of people who may be depressed should encourage the person to take the surveys included in the article.
There are some important problems with this sort of research are few but important. One thing I have noticed from my personal experience is that many people who seem to lead fairly normal lives and may “have it good” slip into depression in mid-life. There are not always numerous external fact...