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What Is Depression?

Depression is characterized by severe and prolonged feelings of sadness, dejection and hopelessness. It is a brain disorder that affects your whole body -- your behavior, mood, the way you think and the way your body feels. This is not a personal weakness or something that can be willed or wished away.

Depressive disorders affect more than 20 million Americans each year. One in four women and one in 10 men have a serious episode of depression during their lifetime. Children can also develop depression, which increases the risk for substance abuse problems and for suicide. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide.

Sometimes depression comes out of the blue with no obvious cause or other times depression can happen because of a bad event like the death of a loved one or from stress. No matter the cause, see a doctor if you are suicidal, you cannot do routine activities or if your symptoms do not go away. Keep in mind that it's normal to feel sad from time to time. Even grief over the loss of a loved one can look like depression, especially if it lingers for several months. If your grief lasts two months or longer, talk to your doctor. If you think you cannot keep from hurting yourself or someone else, call 911.

Types Of Depression

1-Major depression.
2-Dysthymic disorder.
3-Bipolar disorder.
4-Post-partum depression (PPD).
5-Seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

What causes depression?

At the most basic level, nobody really knows what causes depression.

One theory is that depression is a result of low levels of certain neurotransmitters (messenger chemicals that carry signals from one nerve cell to the next) in the brain. This is called the 'monoamine theory' of depression – monoamines being the group of chemicals that these neurotransmitters belong to.

The neurotransmitters thought to be involved are serotonin (which helps regulate emotion, sleep and appetite), noradrenaline (which is linked to arousal and alertness), and dopamine (which is associated with pleasure and reward).

But it is not known for sure whether monoamines are the primary cause of depression, or whether other factors are causing both the lowered neurotransmitter levels and the depression.

While this theory could help explain the causes of melancholic and psychotic depression, non-melancholic depression usually has a psychological trigger – such as rejection by a partner or dismissal from a job – this can affect the person's self-esteem and leave them feeling demoralized.

Some underlying personality types can make people more prone depression. For example, someone who is a perfectionist may develop depression if the feel they are demeaned publicly – this depression would have more of psychological basis rather than any primary neurotransmitter involvement. For somebody who has had an outstandingly disturbed childhood and been sexually abused, then it is possible that the seeds of their depression lie in the social deprivation, explains Professor Gordon Parker, head of the Black Dog Institute.

Whatever the cause, at its worst, severe depression can end in suicide.

What is the Treatment of Depression

Depression, even the most severe cases, is a highly treatable disorder. As with many illnesses, the earlier that treatment can begin, the more effective it is and the greater the likelihood that recurrence can be prevented.

The first step to getting appropriate treatment is to visit a doctor. Certain medications, and some medical conditions such as viruses or a thyroid disorder, can cause the same symptoms as depression. A doctor can rule out these possibilities by conducting a physical examination, interview and lab tests. If the doctor can eliminate a medical condition as a cause, he or she should conduct a psychological evaluation or refer the patient to a mental health professional.

The doctor or mental health professional will conduct a complete diagnostic evaluation. He or she should discuss any family history of depression, and get a complete history of symptoms, e.g., when they started, how long they have lasted, their severity, and whether they have occurred before and if so, how they were treated. He or she should also ask if the patient is using alcohol or drugs, and whether the patient is thinking about death or suicide.

Once diagnosed, a person with depression can be treated with a number of methods. The most common treatments are medication and psychotherapy.