Topic: Focus only on the social factors of depression. 

  general idea/direction:

“Depression: Its an illness, not a weakness.” Why do you suppose the group chose this slogan? Are those with mental illness more likely to be defined as having flawed characters than those suffering from other medical conditions? Are persons expected to have greater control over their minds and emotions than their bodies? Now this topic is very deep and intertwined with societal views and pressures as well as interpersonal acceptance and understanding of ones illness. I would like to go into depth and answer all of the questions presented from a research standpoint as well as an opinionated one. Depression is a very common mental illness amongst those who are in middle school, high school, and even in adult life and I think to be able to go indepth on how this class of individuals are would be very interesting mainly because its so prominent to todays society. People with depression are mis-represented and depression is never taken as serious as it should. I think there is a lot of room for growth with this topic as long as I keep sight of my end goal. 

 Format:

 The paper should be 8-10 pages in length, excluding references and a cover page that should list your name, paper title, course number, and submission date. The finished version should be typed in a 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with numbered pages and standard margins (1.00 inch side margins and 1.00 inch top and bottom margins). The paper must be clearly organized, using correct spelling and grammar throughout. Make sure that the paper has an introduction (with a topic sentence), supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion (summing up your ideas). Use at least 5 academic/scientific bibliographic references in addition to the course textbooks. These could be books, scientific journal articles, statistical data sources, etc. Reliable media sources may be used in addition to the 5 academic/scientific references. You must properly cite all reference materials used. When citing passages or ideas from an article or book, you must use conventional reference notation as used in social science journals. You should also include a bibliography or reference page that properly lists all references used in the paper. For example, sociological journals (e.g., American Journal of Sociology or Social Forces) use the ASA (American Sociological Association) style. If you decide to follow those guidelines and are quoting from page 15 of an article published in 1993 by Joan Smith, after the quote you would write: (Smith 1993:15). You may use other writing styles, such as the APA (American Psychological Association) or the University of Chicago style.  Alternatively, use scientific journal articles as examples.