Depression
Depression can be a serious, but common, illness: One in 10 adults report experiencing depression, and the condition is the most common cause of disability in the United States.
The lifetime risk of any individual person becoming depressed is around 17 percent, and most people have their first bout of depression in their late teens or early twenties.
Depression’s symptoms can vary greatly from person to person and may even change throughout the course of the illness. Symptoms may also vary depending on an individual’s gender, culture, or age.
Adolescents experiencing depression might appear irritable and agitated, and women may be more likely to admit to depression than men, while certain cultural groups might mask their feelings or display them differently.
Common symptoms of depression include:
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Changes in sleep such as excessive sleeping or the inability to sleep
- Changes in weight or eating habits
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty enjoying previously enjoyed activities
- Feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness
- Frequent crying and overwhelming feelings of sadness
- Thoughts of suicide
- Unexplained physical ailments such as headaches or muscle pain
What is unfortunate is that too many depressed people never get help.
The general public still thinks depression is something you can overcome through willpower.
When people in the midst of a major depressive episode are told this and believe it, they feel too ashamed to seek help.
Not only do people go through needless suffering because of this, they risk making their situation worse.
Both environmental and physiological factors can cause depression. Most mental health experts now agree that brain chemistry plays a major role. The level of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain can affect a person’s risk of becoming depressed.