节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-02-21
难易度:High
关键字:despair, trigger, genetic, self-esteem, side effect
Today we are learning about depression and specifically about some of the
elements that contribute to this illness.
Do you struggle with depression?
Do you know why?
Perhaps you've asked the question: Why me?
Why am I struggling with this?
Well, our lesson is called Fighting the Darkness.
But before we learn how to fight it, we must know why it is affecting us in the
first place.
There are a few things that could contribute to depression.
The first we're talking about is physical problems.
Let's continue to learn about those now.
(Music).
Depression Part 2: Fighting the Darkness.
Depression can also be a side effect of some medicines.
There may be genetic causes as well.
People whose relatives have experienced depression are more likely to experience
it themselves.
Life experiences:
Stressful experiences such as financial problems, divorce or a loved one's death
can cause depression, as can childhood trauma.
Even positive changes like starting a new job or getting married can lead to
depression.
For example, moving to a different country made my depression worse.
Psychological factors:
A pessimistic attitude, low self-esteem and worry are often associated with
depression.
But experts aren't sure if these are causes or effects of the disease.
All right.
(Chinese).
And now let's go to other teachers.
Thank you, Michelle.
Well, let's talk a little bit about something you read before the break: a
physical problem that might be related to or even cause depression.
You may have problems with hormones.
Of course hormones are extremely important, and even a small amount of them can
make big changes throughout our bodies.
If you have a problem with hormones, this could be called a hormone imbalance.
And that is when your hormones are not working together properly.
Maybe you have too much or too little of a certain hormone.
Sometimes this is also called a hormonal imbalance.
Notice how the word hormone can be turned into an adjective: hormonal.
Well, some people might struggle with depression because of a hormonal
imbalance.
Depression can also be a side effect of some medicines.
A side effect is something that happens when you try to accomplish something
else.
For example, maybe you take medicine whose purpose is to help you overcome
depression, but it causes you to gain weight for a while.
Gaining weight is a side effect of that drug.
Or perhaps you're taking medicine for a health issue, but that medicine causes
you to have depression.
Depression is the side effect of those drugs.
And we read here that people whose relatives have experienced depression are
more likely to experience it themselves.
They're more likely to. Let's look at that.
If you're more likely to do something, that means you probably will do it.
Or it won't be a surprise if you do do it.
And sometimes we could be more likely to experience something, other times we're
less likely to do them.
For example, I am more likely to exercise in the afternoon than in the morning.
Or on days when I'm really tired, I'm less likely to make big plans in the
evening.
I'm most likely to do something big on the weekend when I have free time.
So you can see, you can even say most or least likely to do something.
Try using this phrase sometime today.
Well, what's something else that could make you depressed?
Life experiences, stressful experiences such as financial problems, divorce or a
loved one's death, or even childhood trauma can cause depression.
Now a loved one is, well, it's someone that you love.
It could be a friend or family member, anyone.
But what is trauma?
Well, trauma could be any one event that really causes someone a lot of stress.
But I think what our article is talking about is the kind of experience someone
has when they are very young,
and it affects them for the rest of their lives, or at least it affects them for
a long time.
This is childhood trauma.
For example, maybe someone was in a serious car accident when they were younger.
That traumatic experience might stick with them for a long time.
It could affect them emotionally for many years.
So you can see this word can become an adjective, too - traumatic.
Some traumatic experiences can cause depression.
Well, I think that's understandable.
Trauma affects us in a bad way.
But our author also mentions that perhaps positive changes like starting a new
job or getting married can also lead to depression.
She says moving to another country made her depression worse.
Well, that's surprising to me to read about.
Getting married can lead to depression?
Perhaps that's because it is a very big change in someone's life.
Sometimes big changes can have negative effects.
But there's something else mentioned here that could cause depression.
We read about psychological factors.
That's right.
Now psychological factors, and there was another word earlier in today's lesson,
element.
We read: Many elements can contribute to depression.
And here we read about factors that lead to depression.
Those words can mean different things, but here they can be used in the same
way.
OK. Well, right now it's time for us to visit Liz in the Grammar Gym.
And then we'll go to the Information Cloud.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym, friends.
My name is Liz.
In today's lesson, there are two sentences that we want to look at.
The first one is: Depression affects people all over the world.
And the second one is: But experts aren't sure if these are causes or effects of
the disease.
Today we're looking at two words that sound very close: affects and effects.
Affects, A-F-F-E-C-T-S, is a verb that means to influence.
Effects, E-F-F-E-C-T-S, is a noun that means results.
For many native speakers, the two words sound similar, so saying these words is
not a problem.
However, if you're writing, be sure you know whether you're using the noun or
the verb.
Here are some examples.
Let's talk about stress and health.
If we want to talk about how stress influences health, we can say:
Stress from work can affect one's health.
But if we want to talk about the results that stress creates, we can say:
Stress from work can bring all kinds of negative effects to one's health.
Or let's talk about a city after a minor earthquake.
If the earthquake didn't damage the city too badly, we can say:
The city wasn't seriously affected by the earthquake.
But if we want to talk about the results of the earthquake, we can say:
The effects of the earthquake on the city were not serious.
That's it for today, friends.
Be sure to check out today's Grammar Tip section in your magazine for more
example sentences.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
You know, there are lots of mysteries in life that leave us humans scratching
our heads,
like, do psychological problems cause depression or does depression cause
psychological problems?
Experts still don't know.
But if we ever do figure it out, I'm sure it would really help those who
struggle with depression.
This question and questions like it are what we call causality dilemmas.
Not a phrase you necessarily need to remember, it's just a handy way to refer to
these tricky questions of life.
Another question that has been hotly debated for many years is: Does life
imitate art or does art imitate life?
Right.
The answer to this becomes important when discussing the impact violent movies
and video games have on the behavior of the people who watch them.
Another causality dilemma, one that most school children are familiar with is:
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
That's a fun one to think about.
It is, but it can be serious, too, as it has deep implications in the worlds of
philosophy, theology and science.
Greek philosopher Aristotle wrestled with this very question and concluded that
both the chicken and the egg always existed.
(Chinese).
Thanks, you guys.
You know, sometimes when I'm feeling down, I just need to listen to an
encouraging song.
Well, I know an encouraging song by our friend, The Black Pearl.
It's called Do You Need a Friend.
Let's listen to it now.
(Music).
Depression replaces happiness with the feeling of emptiness and despair.
If you understand what caused your depression, you can experience healing more
quickly.
It may be a physical problem.
Some illnesses, even some medications or genetics may cause problems with
depression.
And then there are life experiences.
Everything from childhood trauma to the death of a loved one or financial
problems may lead to depression.
And at times, it is not a negative experience.
But sometimes even a positive one, like a big change in your life, even marriage
or a new job, may bring on depression.
And don't forget psychological factors.
Any of these or a combination of these can trigger depression in your life.
Thank you, Linda.
Well, today we've learned that physical problems, life experiences and
psychological factors could contribute to depression.
Well, we aren't stopping there.
Tomorrow we have a lot more to learn about, so we'll see you then.