Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts.
It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way they feel about themselves, and the way they think about things. Depression is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away.
In any given one-year period, almost 10 percent of the population suffers from depression. The economic cost of the disorder is high, but the cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depression often interferes with normal functioning and can cause pain and suffering, not only to those who have it, but also to those who care about them. Serious cases can destroy family life, as well as the life of the person with this illness. But much of this suffering is unnecessary.
Depression is also known medically as:
- Major depression
- Major depressive disorder
- Clinical depression
- Unipolar depression.
Note: This article focuses on information related to major depression.
Who Does It Affect?
Depression can strike anyone, regardless of age, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, or gender. Researchers estimate that in the United States at least 6 million men suffer from the illness every year. This is about 7 percent of the population. Nearly twice as many women (more than 12 million women) suffer from depression each year.
Depression is also not just a condition of the young or old. For example, of the 35 million Americans age 65 and older, about 2 million suffer from full-blown depression. Another 5 million suffer from less severe forms.
You can learn about depression in various age groups by visiting any of the following eMedTV articles:
Possible Causes and Risk Factors
Depression research scientists and doctors do not know the exact cause or
causes of depression. They do believe that that it is frequently caused by a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. In other words, there is no one cause of depression.
A number of factors increase a person's chances of developing it. These are known as depression risk factors. Some risk factors include:
A person with depression can have a variety of symptoms. These symptoms can also vary in their severity and how long they last.
Possible symptoms include:
- A persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood
- Feelings of hopelessness and pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
- Decreased energy, fatigue, and being "slowed down"
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
- Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
- Restlessness and irritability
- Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts
- Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain.
If you have five or more of these symptoms for two weeks or longer, you could have clinical depression and should see your doctor or a qualified mental health professional for help.
There is no one specific test that can be used for diagnosing depression. Therefore, in order to make a definitive diagnosis, your healthcare provider will begin by asking a number of questions and will then perform a physical exam, looking for signs of conditions known to cause depression. There are no specific labs tests that can help in making a diagnosis.
Your healthcare provider will also consider other conditions that share a number of similar symptoms with depression.
(Click Diagnosing Depression to learn about conditions that share similar symptoms, as well as conditions known to increase the chances of developing the illness.)
With advances in medicine, clinical depression is now quite treatable. More than 80 percent of those who seek treatment show improvement. The most commonly used treatments are:
The treatment your healthcare provider recommends will depend on a number of factors. Some people with milder forms of depression may do well with psychotherapy alone. People with moderate to severe depression most often benefit from medication. Most people do best with a combination treatment plan.
Complementary and alternative treatments represent a group of diverse medical and healthcare practices and products that are not presently considered an integral part of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine is used with conventional medicine, and alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine.
There are many complementary and alternative treatment options for depression, including:
Keep in mind that any alternative treatments should be used only after consultation with your doctor or other healthcare provider.
Two-thirds of all people suffering from depression don't get the help they need. Many fail to identify their symptoms or attribute them to lack of sleep or a poor diet, while others are just too fatigued or ashamed to seek help.
Left untreated, depression can result in years of needless pain for both the depressed person and his or her family. Therefore, the first step in coping with the illness is seeking help from a qualified healthcare provider. He or she will be able to diagnose the problem and recommend treatment for your particular situation. If your healthcare provider diagnoses depression, coping with it also involves:
- Learning strategies for success
- Support from friends and family.
A lot of people may think of depression as a symptom. However, it is actually a type of illness. Similar to other illnesses, such as
heart disease, depression can come in several forms (or types). The three most common types are:
These types differ from one another in their severity, the number of symptoms present, and how long they last. The treatment options are also different for each type.
- Postpartum depression
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Adjustment disorder with depressed mood
- Cyclothymic disorder.
Depression in Children and Teens
Childhood and
teen depression affects about 5 percent of the youth population. The disorder can happen at any point in a child's life, even when things seem to be going well. It can affect the way kids behave at home and at school, how they interact with others, and how they feel about themselves. Children experience depression differently from adults, and they may show different symptoms
(see Symptoms of Depression in Children).
Fortunately, just like in adults,
depression in children and teens is treatable. The most commonly used treatments are therapy,
antidepressant medication, or a combination of the two.
Fluoxetine (
Prozac®) is the only medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in treating depression in children ages eight and older. However, physicians sometimes prescribe other antidepressant drugs in an "
off-label" manner to help treat this condition.
Although the majority of people who have depression do not die by suicide, having clinical depression does increase suicide risk, compared to people without the illness.
The risk of death by suicide may, in part, be related to the severity of the depression. New data on depression and suicide suggests that about 2 percent of those people ever treated for the condition in an outpatient setting will die by suicide.
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