Depression

What is Depression and How Do You Deal With it?

Depression is a treatable illness involving an imbalance of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. It is not a character flaw or a sign of personal weakness. You can't make yourself well by trying to "snap out of it." Although it can run in families, you can't catch it from someone else. The direct causes of the illness are unclear, however it is known that body chemistry can bring on a depressive disorder, due to experiencing a traumatic event, hormonal changes, altered health habits, the presence of another illness or substance abuse.

There are many symptoms of identifying depression. Depression systems include; prolonged sadness or unexplained crying spells, significant changes in appetite and sleep patterns, irritability, anger, worry, agitation, anxiety, and/or recurring thoughts of death or suicide. If you experience five or more of these symptoms for more than two weeks, you need to talk with your doctor about getting evaluated for depression. You can diagnose yourself, or anyone else, only a health professional has the authority to do so.

There is not one specific age, race, or social classes that are at a higher rate to get diagnosed with depression. Though it does occur in all different ages, it tends to hit more at 25-44 year olds. And while you think you're the only one going through this illness, know that you are not alone, approximately 20 million Americans deal with depression everyday.

While many people deal with depression, the majority of them are women. Women are about twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression. One in four women will experience some sort of depression in their life. With all the changes women go through such as menstruation, pregnancy, and miscarriage all can contribute or trigger depression. Although men are less likely to suffer from depression than women, three to four million men in the United States are affected by the illness. As men like to be seen as masculine and unbreakable, it doesn't stop when getting diagnosed for something. Up to three or four million men in the United States have depression. Yet, most of them don't admit it to themselves or anyone else. It's also harder for doctors to detect depression in men also. It hard to see depression among men. They like to hide behind alcohol, drugs, and even working long hours. While women show depression in hopeless and helpless, men tend to angry and very irritable. Men, unlike women, are very unwilling to get help because of what they might look like to the outside world.

Treatment of depression may include medication, talk therapy, or any other strategies your doctor has in mind. The right treatment that works for your friend, may not work at all with you. You need to find a treatment that works best for you and your situation. When people seek treatment, studies show that 80% of them have major improvement in their lives and perception on life. Don't think this is a quick process though, it takes hard work and persistent. One route you could take for treatment would be medication. The hard part comes to which one to choose. There are dozens of medications out there on the market. Yet, each one different in their own way. You may need to try out a few different medications to find the one that works right for you. Which is the same for the dosage you'll need to take. Each person