Health Issues Negatively Affected By Popular Culture

INTRODUCTION
A health issue that is negatively influenced by popular culture was to be chosen. Depression which is classified as a type of mental illness, was identified as such a health issue.
The significance of this health issue is illustrated by describing in this report how media, social networking, advertising and marketing affects teenagers and society by shaping attitudes, values and health behaviors of people.

SIGNIFICANCE
Depression is a mental illness that contributes significantly to the burden of disease and injury in Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare who is an independent health and welfare statistics and information agency, issued a report on the burden of disease and injury in Australia in 1999.

All areas of life are impacted when depression is at hand. More than 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression and are a major contribute to burden of disease, depression can lead to such a big impact that every 15% of the 100,000 people worldwide who commit suicide is caused of depression. Years 10-24 year olds have the highest age area for suicide deaths from depression and still increasing today. Depression often recurs after a first episode and can become constant or chronic is left undiagnosed or

The media bombards teenagers with images and trends and defines popular culture what the trends are, what people should be wearing, what they should be listening to, how they should act and what they should look like. The media does this through movies, television, magazines, catalogs, billboards, fashion and music.
Society is shaped by, among other things, two major components: gender and popular culture. ... These actions help to define gender in that although women may not like their domestic roles and may want to be with someone who assumes the domestic or female role in the home, society teaches us that it is against the "normal”
If Magazines can be called a barometer of popular culture, what modern cultural trends do they show? Has magazine culture been changing since the 1960"s? Can these changes be explained by changes in popular culture, and in what way. This gave advantages to the magazines because they were able to sell more units to a specific audience.
The media and social networking sites displays clothing on female models that are skinny, thin and tall. This establishes a belief with especially teenagers that you need to be skinny, thin and tall.