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Depression: Don’t Let the “Blues” Get You Down

(PRWEB) April 3, 2005

In any given 1-year period, approximately 10% of the U.S. adult population, or about 20 million American adults, suffer from some form of depressive illness. Studies also show that 10 to 15 percent of all children and adolescents have some symptoms of depression. While the economic cost of this disorder is high, the cost in human suffering can not be measured.

Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering, not only to those who have the disorder, but to those who care about them. Serious, untreated depression can destroy family life as well as the life of the ill person. DepressionDesk.com was created specifically to provide reliable and current information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of depression. Included are countless resources dealing with getting help and how to cope with this crippling disorder.

The site can also assist you in answering your most difficult questions: “What are the signs of depression?” “How common is depression in teenagers?” “What help is available?” “Are the prescribed medications really safe?”

Sure, everyone gets sad or a little blue now and then. But if you rarely feel joy, happiness, or excitement you may have a more serious problem. Doctors call this prolonged sadness “clinical depression.” A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood and thoughts. It may affect the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about others. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be wished or willed away. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or even an entire lifetime. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression.

Depressive disorders come in many different forms, just as the case with other illnesses such as cancer. The three most common types are Major Depression, dysthymia and bipolar disorder. Major Depression is marked by a combination of symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat and enjoy activities which were once pleasurable. A disabling episode of depression of this type may occur only once in a lifetime, but more commonly returns several times.

Dysthymia, a less severe type of depression, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disable the sufferer, but keep one from functioning properly and feeling good.

Another type of depression, bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic-depressive illness), is not nearly as common as the other forms of depression. It is characterized by severe cycling mood swings: severe highs (mania) and depth-plunging lows (depression). Mania, left untreated, may worsen to a psychotic state and could become a life-threatening illness.

Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. And the severity of the symptoms also vary with the individual and over time. Some of the more common symptoms include: an “empty” feeling (ongoing sadness), lack of energy, pessimism, difficulty in concentration and decision making, insomnia, appetite loss or overeating, being irritable, crying too often or too much, feeling worthless or hopeless, and thoughts of death or suicide.

Having these feelings doesn’t mean that a person is a failure…it means they are ill and in need of treatment. There are a number of medical treatments now available and they do work–usually within a matter of weeks. There is no single cause of depression, but remember, it is a real medical illness and it’s treatable.

If you would like additional information, suggestions, tips and valuable resources dealing with all aspects of depression, visit http://www.DepressionDesk.com

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