Depression does not distinguish by age, gender, or socioeconomic context. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 5.7% of adults worldwide suffer from depression, a figure that rises to 6.9% among women and reaches 5.9% for adults over 70. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) defines it as a serious disorder that interferes with the ability to work, sleep, study, and enjoy life. Beyond clinical symptoms, current debates focus on social and cultural factors that impact emotional well-being, including the relationship with one's body and personal image, especially among younger generations.
Among the most significant barriers are the lack of investment in mental health, a shortage of trained professionals, and, most importantly, the social stigma associated with mental disorders. In this context, the fight against depression is a call to collective action to build more compassionate environments.
"It is very important to detect it and refer it to a specialized colleague," emphasizes Seren, who also warns about another frequent challenge in his daily practice: managing patient expectations.
"It can affect all areas of life, including family, friendship, and community relationships," states the WHO in its official definition of the disorder. Despite the existence of effective treatments combining psychotherapy and medication, in high-income countries, only one-third of people with depression receive mental health care, according to WHO data.
While the ideal of thinness prevails in girls, the impact of social media on body dissatisfaction in boys is strongly mediated by the ideal of muscularity. Thus, for adolescent boys who highly value hyper-muscularity, frequent social media use translates into greater dissatisfaction with their own body, demonstrating that modern aesthetic pressure affects both genders through equally unattainable standards.
A Clinical Perspective The clinical perspective is also fundamental in medical processes that profoundly affect identity, such as mastectomies. Ana María De Lodovici (M.N. 43.421), a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and member of the Argentine Psychoanalytic Association (APA) and the Argentine Medical Association (AMA), describes these situations as a "narcissistic wound" where self-love is affected by a sense of loss.
The psychiatrist points out that the possibility of breast reconstruction makes a huge difference in facing cancer treatment, providing strength and a forward-looking perspective. However, the process requires accompanying the grief of accepting that the body will not be exactly as it was before, but it can continue to be a source of pleasure and happiness. It is ultimately about learning to love oneself again in a new form.
Regarding the impact of the possibility of breast reconstruction, De Lodovici is clear: "The possibility of breast reconstruction today is truly excellent, and the advances of recent years have made a huge difference."
Warning Signs and Paths to Help Depression can manifest in multiple ways. According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the most common signs include persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, or emptiness; loss of interest in activities once enjoyed; fatigue; difficulty concentrating; changes in appetite or weight; and suicidal thoughts. It is crucial to understand that depression is not just passing sadness.
"Depression is distinct from the usual changes in mood and feelings about daily life," the NIMH states in its definition.
In this sense, the surgeon underscores the importance of demonstrating real results, and this approach seeks to ensure that surgical decisions are made from a place of holistic well-being, and not as a response to external pressures or emotional distress that require a different type of therapeutic approach.
Adolescence: A Period of Vulnerability Adolescence represents a particularly critical stage in the development of body image and its relationship with mental health. A study published in October 2024 in the journal Psychology Research and Behavior Management, based on more than 2,600 students aged 12 to 16, analyzed the relationship between appearance comparison, body appreciation, and depressive symptoms. The findings revealed significant gender differences: adolescent girls showed higher levels of appearance comparison than boys, a trend that intensified with age.
The study also identified that body appreciation mediated the association between appearance comparison and depressive symptoms in girls, but not in boys. In the case of boys, appearance comparison was directly correlated with depressive symptoms.
Meanwhile, research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health emphasizes that the risk lies not only in the use of social networks but in the "internalization" of beauty ideals.
The study suggests that greater exposure to these environments leads to lower body appreciation, fueling a cycle of dissatisfaction that can lead to depressive symptoms.
In this current "society of fatigue," as defined by South Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Han, the sense of life has been overshadowed by the self-demand for performance and experiences of happiness and exaltation that transit and strengthen in a context of hyper-digital communication, explained Roxana Boso, director of the Psychology career at the Argentine Catholic University (UCA), who added that this dynamic generates "a fictitious network that masks isolated people, with discomforts that they suffer in silence."
Among the most frequent questions that arrive at mental health offices, Boso mentioned stress, panic attacks, addictions, depression, suicidal ideas, and violence in various areas, but there is a factor that, although less visible, acts as a powerful trigger for emotional distress: dissatisfaction with body image.
In recent years, research has begun to document this relationship with greater precision, and a meta-analysis published in the scientific journal Body Image in March 2025 reviewed 83 studies with more than 55,000 participants and found a significant correlation between social comparison on social networks and concerns about body image.
Seeking help and speaking openly are the first steps to understanding that health is one and that the fight against depression is, fundamentally, a bet on life.
