Depression

Everyone feels down in the dumps sometimes, which is normal, but many adults in the United States feel sad for long periods of times. Depression is a chronic disease that affects over 18 million Americans. It affects 1 in 4 women and 1 in 8 men. Depression can strike very suddenly and last for a very long time. It can drastically change a person's life and can affect the people around the effected one. The three major types of depression are major depression, which has a mixture of symptoms, which can mess with a person's ability to work, sleep, and eat; dysthymia, which is a less severe type of depression; and bipolar disorder, which is depicted by severe highs called mania and severe lows called depression.

Back when no one knew what depression really was, it was considered that depression was a personal weakness. In the 1800's, depression was thought to be insanity or insane behavior. People were sent to mental institutions because they were thought to be insane while they were really just depressed. If someone died of "insanity" it usually would have been because of suicide resulting from the depression. As time moved on, people started to perform experiments on the brain. One of those people was Sigmund Freud. His theories were eventually accepted as commonplace. For many years psychotherapy was used as the major way to treat depression. Electro shock therapy, now known as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), was introduced in the late 1930's. It was used as a major treatment until after WWII when doctors prescribed sedatives to treat depression. It was not used as a long term medicine. In 1949, lithium was used as a mood stabilizer to treat manic depression. After all of this medicine was introduced, the number of mental institutions decreased and it was accepted that depression was not a form of insanity. Depression is currently believed to no be a personal weakness, but as a condition that affects the way you live.

Depression is believed to be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters which are chemical in the brain that are responsible for delivering messages throughout the brain. Factors from the external environment are also thought to cause depression. It can also be transmitted genetically. Depression can run in families for generations and generations. Experts say that people with a family history of depression are up to three times more likely to become depressed themselves. Depression can't be transmitted from person to person. A gene for depression has been found and is believed to cause depression in some recipients. So, it can be transmitted genetically.

Depression has many symptoms. Some of the symptoms can be minor but many can be major. It depends on the person on how many symptoms they experience, and how severe the symptoms are. The symptoms include a constant sad or empty mood; a feeling of hopelessness; a feeling of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness; decreased energy; difficulty concentrating and remembering; insomnia (trouble sleeping); weight loss and gain; thoughts of suicide or attempts; and restlessness or irritability. These can last for different amounts of time, depending on the type of depression and the person affected.

The diagnosis of depression contains many steps. It starts with an interview between a professional and the patient. After the interview is completed, a number of tests are done to determine the depth of the person's depression. These tests can be done by a number of different people including psychologists and psychiatrists. After they diagnosis is complete, there are many ways to treat depression. One method is to take drugs. There are many types of drugs including antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and sedatives. Most of the drugs work to change the way neurotransmitters work in the brain. The next method is psychosocial therapy. This involves interviews with a