Poster-Psy 200

Depression is disease that many people associate with Prozac and other depression medication when the problem can be solved naturally. New methods have to be created to help people cope with depression, new methods that do not include harmful medication that does more harm than good. Also, I believe more natural methods should be created or acknowledge as a way to help with certain problems in life. Exercise is such a powerful way to relieve stress and let out inner emotions, it is an art form that is taken for granted because let’s be real, people are lazy and when they hear the term exercise they rarely see the long term benefits. However, is this an effective treatment for everyone? To further test the strength of my theory a larger group of people can be used and also different age groups.

My study provides my subject with a sense of improvement, my theory is that if a person improves the way he or she looks then they will feel better about themselves. My entire project is based on the motto “When you look good, you feel good”. When a person exercises their body releases endorphins and endorphins makes a person happy, so a person who exercises will find it easier to battle depression. The most important part of my study was the before and after aspect. My subjects didn’t notice much difference with their weight loss but when it was compared to their before pictures they found the transformation miraculous.

It is predicted that with a daily routine of exercise and healthy eating, it will relieve the depression in my subjects. For this game I used 5 subjects. Three of them were family members and the other 2 were people I did not know so well. I chose these five people based on several criteria. All of these five people were going through some sort of downtime in their life and dealing with a stage of depression. Some were more advanced than others and the advanced staged had me doubting how effective this game would be. Each one of my subjects were assigned to play my game for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks they had to report back to me and I would observe their progress.

I compare their progress from the beginning to the end. I think it is important there is a before and after, because people would see themselves every day and never notice a difference until you show them a picture of how they looked before, then they see the progress they made. Most importantly I compare their mood. Exercise is so much more than physical appearance it has to do with the mood of a person, working out every day will improve the moods of my subjects, therefore getting rid of their depression once and for all. I collected data with before and after pictures and also having my subjects tell me how playing this game is helping their depression.

The outcome for my experiment was everything I had hoped for it, while it helped more than others it essentially made a difference big and small in all of my subjects.

This game is essentially making a difference in the lives of these individuals. It is helping them cope with their depression and also manage their depression. They are feeling better without the use of an antidepressant or other medication that can cause suicidal tendencies. I feel like there is a natural way to do everything it just takes some trial and error to get to that solution, not every disease requires a prescription pad. I could easily refer my subjects to a therapist but I do believe that there is natural way to overcome the darkest periods in your life.

The number of women who found my game beneficial outnumbered the men. The mean number of days for a surge in weight loss were 15 for the women and for the men it was still 60 days. My results indicate that the women were more dedicated to this game, which also leads me to believe they value how they see themselves more than the men.

Depression Be Gone has relieved the symptoms of depression and helped the subjects adopt a healthier lifestyle. From the data gathered, both men and women felt better after one exercise session. After 30 days, my subjects exhibited more positive behaviors such as smiling more and eating healthy. My experiment can potentially put an end to medication for depression. Depression is a very sensitive topic and being able to find an outlet for your problems is extremely important. Also, finding a way to channel your anger, fear and emotions into something that is beneficial is equally as important.

By combating depression with this game, it is allowing the world to look past medication and into alternative natural safe methods to relieve depression. This is very important because medication does more harm than good, for example when commercials for depression medication or any mediation for that matter is advertised, the risks and potential complications are always said at the end fast and almost impossible to comprehend. With that being said, why use drugs when there is a natural way to do everything. It is in everyone’s best interest that more games, coping mechanisms, and simulators are made to help people cope with the problems of life. Some problems that surround this study include a person might not be willing to exercise. It takes a lot to get on that treadmill or go to the gym, but once it is done frequently it will be a part of that person’s lifestyle and become a part of their daily routine. One part of this game that really has to be improves is the fact that a teenager going through depression might not be so intrigued by this game, the reason being is that when building this game I centered it around older people, so in the future I think it would attract more people if it was for every demographic.

Depression Be Gone has relieved the symptoms of depression and helped the subjects adopt a healthier lifestyle. From the data gathered, both men and women felt better after one exercise session. After 30 days, my subjects exhibited more positive behaviors such as smiling more and eating healthy. My experiment can potentially put an end to medication for depression. Depression is a very sensitive topic and being able to find an outlet for your problems is extremely important. Also, finding a way to channel your anger, fear and emotions into something that is beneficial is equally as important. By combating depression with this game, it is allowing the world to look past medication and into alternative natural safe methods to relieve depression. This is very important because medication does more harm than good, for example when commercials for depression medication or any mediation for that matter is advertised, the risks and potential complications are always said at the end fast and almost impossible to comprehend. With that being said, why use drugs when there is a natural way to do everything. It is in everyone’s best interest that more games, coping mechanisms, and stimulators are made to help people cope with the problems of life. Some problems that surround this study include a person might not be willing to exercise. It takes a lot to get on that treadmill or go to the gym, but once it is done frequently it will be a part of that person’s lifestyle and become a part of their daily routine. One part of this game that really has to be improves is the fact that a teenager going through depression might not be so intrigued by this game, the reason being is that when building this game I centered it around older people, so in the future I think it would attract more people if it was for every demographic.

For this game I used 5 subjects. Three of them were family members and the other 2 were people I did not know so well. I chose these five people based on several criteria. All of these five people were going through some sort of downtime in their life and dealing with a stage of depression. All of my subjects had to undergo some stage of depression otherwise using them as a subject would be pointless. Most of my subjects pointed they were not going through depression and that they were just feeling down. Some were more advanced than others and the advanced staged had me doubting how effective this game would be. One thing that also helped me gain the trust of my subjects, was incorporating my personal experience of depression. Even though, I am 20 years old I went through depression, it wasn’t so clear to me at the time that it was depression but now that I look back on that stage in my life it definitely was. I compare their progress from the beginning to the end. I think it is important there is a before and after, because people would see themselves every day and never notice a difference until you show them a picture of how they looked before, then they see the progress they made. I recently started taking pictures and video diaries, I think the happiness and sadness is more evident with a video diary. Most importantly I compare their mood. Exercise is so much more than physical appearance it has to do with the mood of a person, working out every day will improve the moods of my subjects, therefore getting rid of their depression once and for all. I collected data with before and after pictures and also having my subjects tell me how playing this game is helping their depression.

This game is essentially making a difference in the lives of these individuals. It is helping them cope with their depression and also manage their depression. They are feeling better without the use of an antidepressant or other medication that can cause suicidal tendencies. I feel like there is a natural way to do everything it just takes some trial and error to get to that solution, not every disease requires a prescription pad. I could easily refer my subjects to a therapist but I do believe that there is natural way to overcome the darkest periods in your life. The number of women who found my game beneficial outnumbered the men. The mean number of days for a surge in weight loss were 15 for the women and for the men it was still 60 days. My results indicate that the women were more dedicated to this game, which also leads me to believe they value how they see themselves more than the men.

For this game I used 5 subjects. Three of them were family members and the other 2 were people I did not know so well. I chose these five people based on several criteria. All of these five people were going through some sort of downtime in their life and dealing with a stage of depression. All of my subjects had to undergo some stage of depression otherwise using them as a subject would be pointless. Most of my subjects pointed they were not going through depression and that they were just feeling down. Some were more advanced than others and the advanced staged had me doubting how effective this game would be. One thing that also helped me gain the trust of my subjects, was incorporating my personal experience of depression. Even though, I am 20 years old I went through depression, it wasn’t so clear to me at the time that it was depression but now that I look back on that stage in my life it definitely was. My data was collected by observing each one of my subject’s weight loss, mood every day after they started playing my game, and their diet. A person who exercises cares more about their health so therefore they would keep a sharp eye on their diet. Also, if each of my subjects consume healthy foods they will find this game more beneficial because they would feel better. I presented this game as a way to better my subjects, an opportunity for them to feel better about themselves. I compare their progress from the beginning to the end. I think it is important there is a before and after, because people would see themselves every day and never notice a difference until you show them a picture of how they looked before, then they see the progress they made. I recently started taking pictures and video diaries, I think the happiness and sadness is more evident with a video diary. Most importantly I compare their mood. Exercise is so much more than physical appearance it has to do with the mood of a person, working out every day will improve the moods of my subjects, therefore getting rid of their depression once and for all. I collected data with before and after pictures and also having my subjects tell me how playing this game is helping their depression. This game is essentially making a difference in the lives of these individuals. It is helping them cope with their depression and also manage their depression. They are feeling better without the use of an antidepressant or other medication that can cause suicidal tendencies. I feel like there is a natural way to do everything it just takes some trial and error to get to that solution, not every disease requires a prescription pad. I could easily refer my subjects to a therapist but I do believe that there is natural way to overcome the darkest periods in your life. I will admit for some people it did not work, but for the most part it did help my subjects adopt a healthier lifestyle.

In my project I sampled 2 aunts, my mom and 2 uncles. All of whom are middle aged and different sexes. It will be interesting to see how their genders affected their depression and how it drove them to keep going. I also chose people I know so they can be honest and comfortable talking to me as well as relaxed. I feel like if I chose people I didn’t know for this project it wouldn’t have caught my interest, seeing depression as an issue that affects my family is what drives me to do this project. I excluded teenagers, so this project is strictly for middle aged men and women, and the men/ women are a part of my family. Younger men and women they have different values than someone who is older, someone who is older has experienced life and dealt with the stressors or life. The responses were measured by the level of progress each person made. I also looked at their mindset before and after my game. How has their mood changed for the better as well as their health? I compared the men experiences to the women’s. I did this because men and women are more similar than they would like to admit and I do see something similar in all the cases, I compared the stages of their depression and how they dealt with I compared the men experiences to the women’s. Lastly, I incorporated the game’s results into my findings to not only pinpoint a reason for depression but also help find a solution. While all my data has not been collected as of yet I would have to say so far my game is proven to be very effective. I collected data from 2 aunts so far and this game has helped them not only lose weight but help them feel better about themselves. They plan on adapting a healthy lifestyle.

For this game I used 5 subjects. Three of them were family members and the other 2 were people I did not know so well. I chose these five people based on several criteria. All of these five people were going through some sort of downtime in their life and dealing with a stage of depression. Some were more advanced than others and the advanced staged had me doubting how effective this game would be. Each one of my subjects were assigned to play my game for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks they had to report back to me and I would observe their progress. My data was collected by observing each one of my subject’s weight loss, mood every day after they started playing my game, and their diet. A person who exercises cares more about their health so therefore they would keep a sharp eye on their diet. Also, if each of my subjects consume healthy foods they will find this game more beneficial because they would feel better. I compare their progress from the beginning to the end. I think it is important there is a before and after, because people would see themselves every day and never notice a difference until you show them a picture of how they looked before, then they see the progress they made. Most importantly I compare their mood. Exercise is so much more than physical appearance it has to do with the mood of a person, working out every day will improve the moods of my subjects, therefore getting rid of their depression once and for all. I collected data with before and after pictures and also having my subjects tell me how playing this game is helping their depression. While all my data have not been collected, from what I gathered so far it is making a difference in the lives of these individuals. It is helping them cope with their depression and also manage their depression. They are feeling better without the use of an antidepressant or other medication that can cause suicidal tendencies. I feel like there is a natural way to do everything it just takes some trial and error to get to that solution, not every disease requires a prescription pad.

The name of my game is Depression Be Gone. This game creates a motivational and active outlet for the player, while this type of game has been created before, this particular game however puts more emphasis on the struggles of life and depression. Throughout the game, the player is faced with workout challenges and by doing this the player also learns to cope with depression by getting the motivation and encouragement they need.The player goes through life as they would normally instead this game provides the player with daily workout challenges which will help the player lead a healthier lifestyle and also make them feel happier. This game also provides the player with helpful hints and words of encouragement when needed. This can either be periodically or by the push of a button.

Mostly social and behavior processes are affected by this game, the reason being is that depression can take its toll on the mind so it is important that the player stays active and fights the urge to sit around and curl up in a ball. Exercise releases endorphins and endorphins make the mind and body happy. Nothing makes a person feel better than when they look better. Only one person is allowed to engage in this game at a time, the reason being is this game is all about that one person. How that person feels and their customized workout challenges. This game is not competitive it for the purpose of leading the player away from depression and putting their mind on working out, something that is beneficial for both the mind and the soul. The objective of this game is to make the player feel better about his or herself. For example, say if someone was battling depression and they were to download this app, this app/game would create daily workout plans for this person, he or she then will start feeling better because they are working out and getting fit. The learning objective of this game is that depression is just a phase and if you let it overcome your life than it will, but you have to take a stand. The player would start of by downloading the game, then he or she would put in their height, weight, BMI, and their level of activity on a daily basis. With all of that the game creates customized workout session every day for that person. When the player completes each session, they check it off, it gives the player a sense of accomplishment. In this game there is not much of conflict, but the player’s conflict is with depression and he or she battles with that during this game, by working out they are fighting it, so depression is basically the bad guy of this game.

This game prevents player from being inactive, it allows their body to release endorphins therefore making them happier. This can be fun because I believe that if everyone tries working out just once they will find that they are much happier and have a brighter outlook on life, therefore relieving their depression or sad situation in their life. The main character is the player, this game is centered on the struggles and the needs of the player, and it is completely about their mental and physical well-being. Most of the challenges that are presented to the player are internal struggles, their struggles with depression, the player has to learn to master the art of moving forward and learning to keep going no matter how tough things get. This game uses emergent narrative. This game is not authored by a single person or by any person really. They are stories that emerge from the interaction between players and the systems that govern gameplay. So as a person plays the game gets harder with more challenging workouts.

The game is playful because it requires the player to interact with game by using their bodies as well as their minds. By using their bodies they are also aiding their minds. Single player mode is most prevalent and is the only kind of mode there is to play. Single players are most likely to enjoy this game because this game does not have a multiplayer mode only a single player mode. Tension and resolution are controlled by the players’ ability to workout, when they complete workout challenges they get harder and harder as the game progresses. Some objects include the floor of which the player is working out on and also the phone where the app for this game is downloaded, without the phone the player’s progress cannot be tracked. One system element that plays a major role in this game is the space that is created. It determines what can take place in the game itself. This is the foundation of the game because everything else relies on the rules/restrictions of your game space. Without the look and feel of this game it would feel like a boring workout, but because of the motivational quotes and helpful tips to deal with depression it makes the game worthwhile. Without these things, this game would lack the motivation it gives to the player Another component of this game is the villain, depression. It plays a major role because without it the player would seize to seek help through this game. There is also a voice that dictates the rules and moderates everything, that can also be changed by the player whether or not they are more comfortable with a female or male voice.

This game is very much balanced, sometimes the player finds a session to unsuccessful, but it is purely based on their physical capacity and no so much of the game being designed for the player to lose. The player can always be successful but that is up to them. No parts of this game are broken or boring. This game is exciting from start to finish. The little parts like the sound and the narration feel micromanaged. Some obstacles feel almost impossible to complete but that might only be to a person who is just starting out, once you make this game a daily regimen it becomes easier. This game is easy at first but just like any game it gets increasingly harder, I feel like if a game was easy from start to finish the player would feel like they accomplished nothing. It takes a matter of minutes to learn to play the game and they learn to play by completing the tutorial and they are free to repeat it if they still don’t understand.

My population of interest includes anyone with certain misconceptions about depression and who depression targets. It is different for both men and women experiencing it and why is that? All of my subjects are middle aged men and women, my reason being they probably would share some similar stressors as well as triggers as opposed to someone who is a teenager, their lifestyle differs from someone who is middle aged. I know several family members who have experienced depression first hand and still continue to battle with it, I think their insight could be very helpful in shaping my project.

In my project I sampled 2 aunts, my mom and 2 uncles. All of whom are middle aged and different sexes. It will be interesting to see how their genders affected their depression and how it drove them to keep going.  The women in my project were the control groups, and the men were the experimental. I wanted to compare the men to the women, I wanted to test their depression and no only pinpoint the reason for their depression but compare it to the women to see a correlation.

I decided to include subjects who have never been depressed before, I think it is important to have insight in people who depressed for the first time, my reason being is that they have yet to figure out how to control it or deal with it. I also chose people I know so they can be honest and comfortable talking to me as well as relaxed. I feel like if I chose people I didn’t know for this project it wouldn’t have caught my interest, seeing depression as an issue that affects my family is what drives me to do this project.

I excluded teenagers, so this project is strictly for middle aged men and women, and the men/ women are a part of my family. Younger men and women they have different values than someone who is older, someone who is older has experienced life and dealt with the stressors or life.

My subjects are middle aged (40-60), they are all Guyanese and live all over the world. They have not received much of an education but still thrive in life and are all members of my family.

They did not want to at first because this is a sensitive topic but they realized it’s for a good cause. They were not paid they just participated out of the goodness in their heart.

I asked each one of my subjects to describe their depression in one word. I then asked them to write how they felt, kind of like a homework assignment. I think sometimes when you talk to someone they get a bit frazzled so I wanted their thought on this subject to be pure and I feel like I could not accomplish that with talking to them, it had to written or typed and the emotion spoke through the paper I was surprised.

My stimuli was depression, it was the reason actions changed, and why my subjects changed, Each one of my subjects can agree they are a different person today because of what they went through when they were depressed.

It was presented by the wording of some of the essays I read, it was a very emotional topic for some and others were happy to experience it because they feel they had to hit rock bottom before they could get better.

My responses are measured by the level of emotion and not so much the quantity of their writing but the quality, while this work probably had been done before I think it is important that I understand how this affected my loved ones because this could me one day, I do not know what the future holds. However, not much equipment was used, other than a computer, some essays were hand written.

I compared the men experiences to the women’s. I did this because men and women are more similar than they would like to admit and I do see something similar in all the cases, I compared the stages of their depression and how they dealt with each stage and also and probably the most important part are the causes, what led to their depression.

Each one of my subjects were asked to write an essay on their experiences and stages of depression. Some of the questions that were included were the following:

What do you believe is the reason for your current or past depression?

How did you feel during that time? Tired? Angry?

What drove you to keep going?

Lastly, I asked them to compare their character before vs after the depression.

All of my subjects agree that they are not the same person than they were before the depression started.

While most of my subjects are not well educated they fully understood what I was asking of them and realized that this is a serious issue and it’s going to get emotional, I just kindly asked them to push through. I also explained that talking about this hard time can help them cope and make the process of healing better for them and their loved ones. It is not healthy to keep emotions bottles up for so long, especially about a sensitive topic like this

The way I collected data included highlighting key points from each essay that showed emotion whether it was anger, sadness, resentment toward their partner or bitterness because they are not where they want to be in life. I am still in the process of collecting data but it is a hard task reading these essays especially when it something that affects people you know and love.

Gender has a major impact on depression. Does one gender face depression more than the other? If so, what are the causes and what are the pressures from society that cause them to be depressed? In my research project I will investigate and try to pinpoint the reason behind this diagnosis and find a trend among these genders that spark depression. The project will make a novel contribution to the field, if there is a solution or something that can be done to prevent depression of both genders, then it should be done. Not everyone knows what a person goes through when they are depressed nor do they know how to deal with it, it is important that this is being investigated because it is giving me a chance to see the pressure both genders endure on a daily basis. This research project interests me incredibly, being a woman I am faced with a lot of pressures from society so I can use this and compare this to men, and gather Intel on both genders. My future career involves being a nurse and I definitely want to make my patients comfortable and understand the pressures they face every day. Also, I want them to feel as if I know what they’re going through without actually having to go through it. While depression has a wide range of causes, gender has the most impact.