My Course

A big part of my project was taking a course called Depression and Anxiety – Treat Anxiety and Lift Depression. This was on a website called Udemy. This course had some very strong and helpful topics. The topics were Anxiety, Depression, Instructor Introduction, Government Cuts, The Idea That Depression is Expensive but Theater Helps, Lady Gaga, Some Information About the Brain and Theater, Different Therapies, Theater vs. Cinema, Under tight skin, and Wrap up / closure. The beginning highlighted the difference between Anxiety and Depression. Then, there was a bit about the instructor and how he came to be an instructor. The instructor says “If you paint, dance, or play a musical instrument or just enjoy going to the theater or to concerts it’s likely that you feel healthier and are less depressed than people who don’t.”

Government cuts were the next topic talked about and it is difficult because there are so many different opinions. The monetary issue could also be looked at in another light, saying that dealing with mental health issues is just as expensive, if not more, than having theater programs available. Through therapy, hospitals, and medicine, the treatments for mental health issues are just as costly as having theater programs that could potentially stop the problem from growing.

The course then went into talking about Lady Gaga. Gaga said that acting helps and actors are prone to Depression because they are always being judged and have no privacy and theater helps people have an escape and gives them a purpose.

The next part of the course talks about the parts of the brain that do and do not get exercise during acting and improv.

Different types of therapies then came up, such as Drama Therapy and Monopoly Therapy. Drama therapy seems interesting because you could share ideas and problems in a creative way and develop self esteem, and you need no prior drama experience! However, I did not understand why Monopoly Therapy was helpful, it seemed like they were just playing the game.

The instructor then talked about live theater versus cinema theater. I learned that people who go to a cinema at least once per month are 62% less likely to report having anxiety and depression! Movies let people see things clearer and experience emotion in a safe space and the end result is that live theater and cinema theater have similar effects. Also, happy movies will make you happy! There is a film called “Under Tight Skin” that talks about how uncomfortable the feeling is when you have anxiety and depression. The film is trying to break the stigma and it is like a film for the voiceless. This director is trying to get the movie represented so that he can raise money!

Finally, the course highlighted some happy movies to watch and ended with the following quote from Socrates: “An unexamined life isn’t worth living”.