What Is Depression?

Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects
how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes
feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of
emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home.

Depression is classified as a mood disorder. It may be described as feelings of sadness, loss, or anger
that interfere with a person’s everyday activities.

Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:

 Feeling sad or having a depressed mood

 Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed

 Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting

 Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

 Loss of energy or increased fatigue

 Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or
slowed movements or speech (these actions must be severe enough to be observable by others)

 Feeling worthless or guilty

 Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions

 Thoughts of death or suicide

 Symptoms must last at least two weeks and must represent a change in your previous level of
functioning for a diagnosis of depression.

Also, medical conditions (e.g., thyroid problems, a brain tumor or vitamin deficiency) can mimic
symptoms of depression so it is important to rule out general medical causes.

Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year. And one in six people (16.6%)
will experience depression at some time in their life. Depression can occur at any time, but on average,
first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are more likely than men to experience
depression. Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in
their lifetime. There is a high degree of heritability (approximately 40%) when first-degree relatives
(parents/children/siblings) have depression.
Conditions that can get worse due to depression include:

 Arthritis
 Asthma
 Cardiovascular disease
 Cancer
 Diabetes
 Obesity
The symptoms of depression can be experienced differently among men, women, and children
differently.

Men may experience symptoms related to their:

mood, such as anger, aggressiveness, irritability, anxiousness, restlessness

emotional well-being, such as feeling empty, sad, hopeless
behavior, such as loss of interest, no longer finding pleasure in favorite activities, feeling tired easily,
thoughts of suicide, drinking excessively, using drugs, engaging in high-risk activities
sexual interest, such as reduced sexual desire, lack of sexual performance
cognitive abilities, such as inability to concentrate, difficulty completing tasks, delayed responses during
conversations
sleep patterns, such as insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleepiness, not sleeping through the night
physical well-being, such as fatigue, pains, headache, digestive problems

Women may experience symptoms related to their:

mood, such as irritability

emotional well-being, such as feeling sad or empty, anxious or hopeless
behavior, such as loss of interest in activities, withdrawing from social engagements, thoughts of suicide
cognitive abilities, such as thinking or talking more slowly
sleep patterns, such as difficulty sleeping through the night, waking early, sleeping too much
physical well-being, such as decreased energy, greater fatigue, changes in appetite, weight changes,
aches, pain, headaches, increased cramps.

Children may experience symptoms related to their:

mood, such as irritability, anger, mood swings, crying

emotional well-being, such as feelings of incompetence (e.g. “I can’t do anything right”) or despair,
crying, intense sadness
behavior, such as getting into trouble at school or refusing to go to school, avoiding friends or siblings,
thoughts of death or suicide
cognitive abilities, such as difficulty concentrating, decline in school performance, changes in grades
sleep patterns, such as difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
physical well-being, such as loss of energy, digestive problems, changes in appetite, weight loss or gain
Depression causes
There are several possible causes of depression. They can range from biological to circumstantial.

Common causes include:

Family history. You’re at a higher risk for developing depression if you have a family history of
depression or another mood disorder.

Early childhood trauma. Some events affect the way your body reacts to fear and stressful situations.

Brain structure. There’s a greater risk for depression if the frontal lobe of your brain is less active.
However, scientists don’t know if this happens before or after the onset of depressive symptoms.

Medical conditions. Certain conditions may put you at higher risk, such as chronic illness, insomnia,
chronic pain, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Drug use. A history of drug or alcohol misuse can affect your risk.

About 21 percent of people who have a substance use problem also experience depression. In addition
to these causes, other risk factors for depression include:

low self-esteem or being self-critical

personal history of mental illness

certain medications

stressful events, such as loss of a loved one, economic problems, or a divorce

Many factors can influence feelings of depression, as well as who develops the condition and who
doesn’t.

RESEARCH SITE: Healthline.com