Socialkonstruktivistisk analyse af depression som fænomen - en studie i vor tids folkesygdom.

Hallstrøm, Mette

4. semester

Socialt Arbejde, Kandidat

2016

2016-07-31

The purpose of this thesis is to explore depression as a phenomenon from within a social constructivist context. In order to highlight depression from several different angles, the phenomenon is analysed on three different levels; a political, a social and a critical level. The analysis on the political level contemplates the different actors behind the official guidelines on depression, that are made for health professionals. In the analysis on the social level the articulation of depression is investigated through a discourse analysis. The reason behind this, is to uncover which discourses are dominant, when it comes down to depression. The discourse analysis also discloses whether or not the analyzed sources have different views upon depression’s etiology and the perception of how depression should be treated. The analysis on the critical level identifies the need for change in the sources, and discusses whether or not the needs are met in the social practice of depression and/or on a societal level. This approach relies on using critical theory, theories about normality and deviance and theories about power and stigma. The conclusion of the analysis is that, despite a minor dislocation in the field of depression, the social practice of depression has not been affected to any large extent. The concept of depression seems to have lost its meaning to a certain degree, and is therefore open to discursive battles. However, these battles only seem to have a small influence on the current way of treating depression. This may be due to the subject positions behind the guidelines. Many of the analyzed sources agree on society's rather large role in the occurrence of depression in Denmark, but still we don’t seem willing to change our ways on a societal level in order to prevent this issue. The competitive society, that seem to have taken the place of our welfare society, may play a certain role in the reluctance to change, with its neoliberal view of humanity and an almost exclusive focus on efficiency and financial growth.

Depression, social constructivism, discourse analysis, critical explanation

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