Free Depression newsletter!
Fields marked with a '*' are required.
Other Sites
Depression Information
In its truest sense, depression is not the same as feeling sad or miserable for a day and then after that, feeling good again. Depression does not go away easily. Depression information says that severe cases of depression can lead to inability to function well or even to suicide.Depression can be minor and temporary, long-term, or it could also be a major depression. The most common symptoms of depression include depressed mood, social withdrawal, extreme fatigue, sleep problems, lack of appetite, disinterest in usual activities, and feeling of emptiness, excessive guilt, and helplessness.There are no known exact causes of depression. However, there are some things that trigger it such as:
Stressful events like death in the family, family problems, and financial crisis
Illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, or heart ailment
Certain medicines and birth control pills
Alcohol and drug abuse
Depression also tends to run in the family. Most people with depression have a family member who also suffered from the mental illness.
Depression is definitely curable. It is usually treated with medications such as antidepressants combined with therapy or counseling. In some cases, it takes a few tries to find the right treatment. It can also take several weeks for the medicine to start working. Just stick to your treatment, be dedicated to it and be patient. If you have any concern about your treatment, it would be best to discuss it with your doctor.
Minor or temporary depression can be treated by your family doctor, a therapist, or a psychologist. But once the symptoms are severe, it would be better to see a psychiatrist who specializes in mental health problems. A person seeking treatment for depression does not need to be confined in the hospital since regular consultation with the doctor will do. Doctors however advise hospital confinement for severe cases of depression like when the person is already contemplating on suicide.
Depression is becoming a major mental health concern. Recent statistics disclosed that depression affects about 20 percent of women and 10 percent of men worldwide. This is because Post Partum depression is very common among women. Medical experts say about 10%-20% of women experience postpartum depression after giving birth. PPD symptoms may last from several weeks to years when left untreated.
Children and teenagers can also suffer from depression. In the United States alone, studies showed that 1.8% of prepubertal children and 4.7% of teenagers aged 14 to 17 have some form of depression. But still, depression is most common time with early middle age and the elderly. This is because they are more susceptible to stressful situations like death of a spouse and health problems or illnesses.
