INTRODUCTION
This paper focuses on how Jim Carrey is living his life with depression. It describes what depression is, how it affected his life and what the result was.
1. List the person’s name and give a brief introduction about why they are a public figure. Write as if the reader would not know who they are.
Jim Carrey (1962–present) is a Canadian-American star who works as an actor, comedian, and artist. Jim Carrey rose to prominence with starring roles in The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999), winning Golden Globe Awards for each film (Wikimedia Foundation, 2022). Within a few years, he has become a top Hollywood star, earning $20 million from his movies. Currently, He keeps surprising and impressing many people as an actor and providing a lot of laughter as a comedian. However, he has been suffering from depression for many years and has made it public that he is still active while dealing with it. He has been outspoken about many things of his own depression, and his positive remarks are encouraging to many.
2. Describe the disease.
"Depression has both emotional and physical repercussions and is a chronic condition that requires long-term treatment", which is characterized by symptoms such as "depression, a feeling of persistent sadness and loss of interest" (University of the People, n.d., p.14). Depression can lead to anxiety, isolation, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, eating disorders, self-mutilation, and Suicide (University of the People, n.d.). The most significant cause of depression is a decrease in neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine for some reason. Serotonin and norepinephrine not only transmit information to the brain but also act to convey motivation and vitality, so if this information cannot be transmitted smoothly, symptoms of depression such as depression and decreased motivation will appear. Genetic factors, childhood trauma, and long-term sustained stress can lead to physical changes in the brain and hormonal changes in the body (University of the People, n.d.).
3. How has it affected their life? How did they first observe the symptoms?
Growing up with an ailing mother and an unemployed father, Jim Carrey experienced a lot of frustration and despair as he had to drop out of high school and work full-time to make ends meet (Muller, 2021). He had to cope with long-lasting feelings of depression or lethargy. He did not elaborate, but it seems he has been experiencing these symptoms since he was a teenager. Throughout most of his life, he battled depression and has been on and off medication for years.
4. Did they disclose the method of diagnosis or treatment?
Yes. "Carrey opened up about his struggles with depression in a 2004 60 Minutes interview in which indicated he was “on Prozac for a long time”" (GeneSight, 2021, para.3). Prozac (fluoxetine) is an antidepressant drug that is classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and used to treat major depressive disorder, eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, etc. (Entringer, 2021). Also, he said in another interview that he takes supplements containing specific elements in the brain, like tyrosine and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-htp), to treat depression (Kovacs, 2016). 5-htp acts on the serotonergic pathways which regulate sleep, appetite, and stress, has effects on serotonin production and receptor activation, and is commonly used to treat depression (Kovacs, 2016).
5. What was the result?
After years of battling depression, he was able to deal with it effectively and have positive thoughts about depression. He has many quotes of encouragement for people with depression around the world. He said, “At this point, I don’t have depression. There is not an experience of depression. I had that for years, but now, when the rain comes, it rains, but it doesn’t stay. It doesn’t stay long enough to immerse me and drown me anymore (Aftab, 2020)”.
Describe the impact this has made on society.
6. Was it a warning lesson about a certain risk factor?
Yes. It can be speculated that his childhood trauma, and long-term persistent stress, contributed to his depression. It warns that the home environment in childhood contributes significantly to the development of depression.
7. Did the public figure speak out about the disease, methods of prevention, or get involved in any charity work to help find a cure? If none of these apply, what do you think about their case?
He shared his experience with the world and left many positive words. Most of all, it is inspiring to depressed patients and their families that he has been active and accomplished great things while struggling with depression for most of his life. At the same time, he has helped many people to understand depression correctly and has contributed to reducing the prejudices about depression that are widespread in the world.
8. What would you do the same or differently as this public figure and how has their experience affected your decision?
I want to do the same as he did. I thought that if we had depression, we would be unable to work or do anything, and we could only rest. His quotes, experience, and achievements help us understand depression better and help us think positively. I also want to be a person who can help many people understand all kinds of diseases correctly and face them positively.
CONCLUSION
Depression has both emotional and physical repercussions and is a chronic condition that requires long-term treatment", which is characterized by symptoms such as "depression, a feeling of persistent sadness and loss of interest" (University of the People, n.d., p.14). According to Jim Carrey's experience, we can understand that the home environment in childhood contributes significantly to the development of depression. But at the same time, it is encouraging us that he has been active and accomplished great things while struggling with depression for most of his life.
References
Aftab, K. (2020). Jim Carrey on depression, his new Netflix show and why he's like jesus. inews.co.uk. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://inews.co.uk/essentials/jim-carrey-andy-and-jim-netflix-105397
Entringer, S. (2021). Prozac uses, dosage, side effects & warnings. Drugs.com. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://www.drugs.com/prozac.html
GeneSight. (2021). Art and depression: Jim Carrey's "I needed color". GeneSight. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://genesight.com/blog/patient/art-and-depression-jim-carreys-i-needed-color/
Kovacs, S. (2016). Jim Carrey speaks about 5-HTP with Larry King. brain feed. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://brain-feed.com/blogs/the-science/jim-carrey-speaks-about-5-htp-with-larry-king
Muller, G. (2021). Jim Carrey's story on Overcoming Depression. Jim Carrey's Story on Overcoming Depression. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://psychprofessionals.com.au/jim-carrey-on-overcoming-depression/
University of the People. (n.d.). Unit 4: Neurologic Disorders & Diseases of the Eye and Ear. Retrieved from https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1635094/mod_book/chapter/380169/HDUnit04WrittenLecture.pdf
Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). Jim Carrey. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Carre
댓글