Vote totals:
Yes:
25%
No:
75%
Neutral:
0%
DEBATE: IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
It releases the emotions causing the depression.
A good film is designed to capture the attention of its audience and to bring out sentiments whether they be happy, sad, angry, disappointed or lonely. Therefore, by releasing these emotions which have built up in a person suffering from depression, it releases the CAUSE of the depression (the emotion). Thus, a good film can be not only the best cure but also the fastest and most efficient solution to getting rid of the emotions surrounding a persons’ depression.
There is a very high chance that the emotions brought on by a good film may have the opposite effect and make a persons’ depression worse. For example, if a person is depressed as they are feeling extremely lonely and then watch a film consisting of many interactive situations, they are likely to feel even worse and even lonelier, hence elevating their depression.
IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
A good film inspires people.
One of the best ways to treat depression is through inspiration as inspiration is the foundation to feeling good about oneself. Once a person feels good about themselves the feeling of sadness and despair disappears. As a consequence, the inspiration from a good film to do something that a person wishes to do, for instance, dance (as in the films Step Up, Save the Last dance and Dirty Dancing) or to fall in love or to be successful, makes a person become more optimistic, lifting their mood from depression. The desires of a particular person are unique to only that person and so it is difficult to say exactly what will inspire people from the movies. However, it is clear that this inspiration will motivate people to do something about whatever is depressing them and get on with their lives.
A lot of depression stems from things that are not that simple to fix and of which inspiration would be a lost cause, such as death, financial difficulties, break-ups and losing a job. So whilst some sorts of depression can be cured through inspiration of a good film, more severe forms of depression will take more than just inspiration to resolve.
IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
It can allow people to see that there are situations worse than theirs.
Depression often results from people feeling sorry for themselves and thinking that nothing could get any worse than it is. Therefore, they feel helpless and "down in the dumps". A good film can absorb a person into the film and make them realise there are people worse off and that they should be positive and take an active role in overcoming their depression.
Again, this depends on the problem the person is suffering from. For example if a person is depressed due to a break-up and then watches a good film where the break-up is so much messier it will make them feel better about their own situation. This will then reduce the depression that that particular person is feeling.
This point is extremely limited as not all films are going to allow a person to see a situation worse than their own. It tends to be mainly sad films that may create this factor but even then it all depends on the person and the situation of the depression. "Happy films" i.e. films with happy endings will never have this effect on people and are probably more likely to make depression even worse as it seems to "rub a persons’ nose in it". Also, whilst seeing worse situations than their own may make a person feel better it is not an effective long-term cure to depression.
IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
Biological influences cannot be cured by a film.
Whilst depression can be caused by psychological factors, it can equally be caused by biological influences. The biological influences of depression are varied but can include heredity, hormones, seasons, stress and illness. There are also correlations between long term sleep difficulties and depression: it has been found that up to 90% of patients with depression have sleeping difficulties (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_(mood)). Without doubt, a good film will have no effect in curing any biological influences of depression as these can only be cured by medicine.
IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
It does not address the problem.
It is not fair to say that a film does not address the problem as it depends on the problem that needs to be addressed and on which film the person watches. There are definitely cases where a certain film CAN address the problem of a persons’ depression.
In order to overcome depression the problem needs to be addressed and fought against. Simply watching a film in no way addresses the issue. Counselling would be a much more effective solution since it gives the opportunity to clear a persons head and to talk about their problem(s). They can then face the problem head on and battle it in a bid to cure their depression.
IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
The cure is only short-term.
The effect of taking anti-depressants is that all emotions are suppressed. The person becomes unable to feel the extreme emotional lows, but at the same time they are unable to feel the emotional highs. With life being one constant feeling of numbness, how can you say that watching a film is worse? Personally I would prefer to watch a daily film to cure my depression, than have to stick pills in my mouth which would render me unable to feel, unable to be human.
Psychotherapy can take ages to work and so why isn’t a film a day enough to keep these other treatments away? If watching a film every day is spoiling the problem, then this is just as good, if not better than taking pills or attending psychotherapy sessions.
Although it can be accepted that a good film may help cure depression, the length of this cure is only as long as the film or a slightly bit longer. Nevertheless, the next day when a person has forgotten about the film they are back in exactly the same situation with regards to their depression. Thus, a good film cannot be the best cure for depression as it is only short lasting. Anti-depressants or psychotherapy give more long-term solutions and so these should be considered as better cures.
IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
There are alternative, better methods.
Whilst psychotherapy may be a good solution to depression, with medicines it can take up to 8-12 weeks to see the full effect. Furthermore, there are numerous side effects of taking the medicines recommended. In this sense at least a good film is a faster and less harmful way of curing depression.
1) Psychotherapy is where a person talks with their family doctor, a psychiatrist or a therapist about things that are going on in their life. The focus may be on their thoughts and beliefs or on their relationships. Or the focus may be on their behaviour, how it’s affecting them and what they can do differently. Psychotherapy often lasts for a limited time, such as 8 to 20 visits and it directly addresses the problem of a persons’ depression in a bid to cure it.
2) Medicines can be used to treat depression. These are known as anti-depressants and they correct the chemical imbalance in the brain that causes depression. They can enhance improvement after only one week and the result will last longer than any film can have an effect for.
IS A GOOD FILM THE BEST CURE FOR DEPRESSION?
Depression is an illness
Depression is classified as a mental illness – a disease. If the best cure for a disease was simply watching a film then the medical profession would be in trouble. Granted the word depression is often overused, and therefore in some cases where people just mean they are feeling particularly miserable, a film could be the best cure, however in diagnosed cases of the illness it is derogatory to suggest the patient just needs to watch a good weepy.
