research proposal

            The general issue that I plan on talking about is regarding how people living in poverty are more prone to living with depression.  This is a serious issue especially in America that has become more significant as the years are passing. It is no coincidence that people living in poverty are reported to be twice as likely to be depressed than people living in higher economic classes. This topic branches out from looking at unique factors of poverty to looking at the stigma of depression across the world and in the United States. There are two actual topics here that are interrelated, poverty in the United States and depression in specific populations. So, my research paper would address the question, to what extent do depression and poverty affect each other? What are some solutions that will alleviate the effects of depression on those living in poverty? Why are the statistics for depression in people living in poverty rising?

            This might be a controversial topic because when the Obama administration tried to make healthcare universal with Obamacare, there was such backlash and Obamacare was not able to carry out to its fullest extent due to opposition with the lawmakers. Thankfully today everybody is able to access healthcare and this can perhaps include care for mental health. This factor is a huge aid to possible solutions for lowering the rates of depression in people living in poverty because people who could not afford to get treatment before are now able to get treatment. This topic is also controversial because depression has a lot of stigma around it, which is talked about in Ethan Watters short excerpt of “The Mega-Marketing of Depression in Japan,” where the stigma is extreme compared to the United States. This is not implying that the stigma of depression is not real in America, but rather, an example of how hard it is for people to recognize that depression is a real problem and can affect one’s quality of life much more than one expects. In order to solve the problem, one must realize that the problem exists, and if there is still a stigma around depression, for example, that depression is not a real disorder, then it only makes it harder to make this problem of depression rates in people living in poverty less grave than it is right now.

            According to Johnson, in the excerpt of “The Myth of the Ant Queen”, collective intelligence is a predominant characteristic in any group setting. The actions of each individual are reflected in the trending patterns in the overall group. Looking at people living in poverty as individuals first and then the general group might help explain the rates of depression and why they are so high compared to the other economic classes.

            In order to address this problem, I will talk about different case studies that were done explaining the relationship between depression and poverty. Also, I will give in depth information that explains what exactly defines depression and poverty. I will explore different factors of depression and different characteristics of poverty and see if there are any that overlap. Basically, I will look at the two separately and then compare and contrast later on. This will evaluate the similarities between the two. I will also explore the history of both depression and poverty (in the United States). This is important to note that I am talking about only the United States because if I were to talk about the world, there would be too many environmental factors to consider.

            Donald Ohuoha published a paper called “Depression and Poverty I. Psychosocial and Cultural Determinants,” in the Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry, and in it he talks about the possible psychosocial causes of depression, and the role of poverty on the rates of depression. I will use this paper to further my knowledge on both depression and poverty, especially the cultural factors. Ohuoha’s paper talks about the world though, and uses different countries such as Afghanistan and Japan for behavioral examples.

            My hypothesis is that the high stress, less time to invest in oneself, harder access to healthcare, and the stigma around depression are some of the major factors of depression of people that are in poverty. And so, to address these factors, our policy makers must make healthcare more accessible universally, educate our society on the realness of depression, and make healthy foods more affordable in order to promote healthier lifestyles.