Define Depression

Everyone feels sad every once in a while, but if you find your sadness getting in the way of everyday life, you may be suffering from depression. According to The Uplift Program, approximately 18.8 million Americans are affected by depressive disorders in any given year. Luckily, there are medications and treatments that your doctor can prescribe to help you overcome your depression.

The Facts

• The formal names for depression are major depression, clinical depression and depressive disorder. Depression is not something you can just snap out of, it is a real physical illness that affects both the mind and the body. There are several different forms of depression, which include: major depressive disorder, psychotic depression, dysthymic disorder, postpartum depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder.

Symptoms

• Depression carries a wide variety of symptoms, many of which can get in the way of your normal daily activities. Symptoms of depression include: sadness, hopelessness, crying for no apparent reason, trouble concentrating, insomnia, difficulty making decisions, irritability, unintentional weight loss or gain, restlessness, fatigue, being easily annoyed, feeling worthless, thoughts of suicide, decreased libido, backaches and headaches. You may experience one or all of these symptoms, and they can range from mild to severe. You can feel generally miserable without knowing that you're depressed, or your symptoms can be so severe that you will know without a doubt that something is wrong.

Causes

• Doctors aren't completely sure about what causes depression. However, they do acknowledge that there are certain key factors that lead to a depression diagnosis. These factors are: biochemical, environment and genetic. A biochemical cause for depression is when the neurotransmitters in your brain are out of balance. Environmental factors are things like financial woes, stress and the loss of a loved one. Depression can be genetic, meaning that you can have a higher probability to develop depression if you have a family member that is suffering from the disorder.

Diagnosis

• In order to make a depression diagnosis, your doctor will ask you a series of questions about your mood and your symptoms. He may also perform a physical exam on you, do a psychological evaluation, or run laboratory tests such as a complete blood count test. Your doctor will also check for underlying reasons for your depression, as there are other conditions that can cause the disorder. In order to be diagnosed with major depression, you must experience symptoms of depression nearly every day for at least two weeks.

Treatment

• There are various methods for treating depression. Once your doctor determines the type of depression that you are suffering from, she can give you a treatment plan specially tailored for you. Treatment methods for depression include: psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy and medication. You will most likely get the best results from a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Your doctor will usually perform a blood test before prescribing any medication. This is to check for any genetic factors that may cause you to have a reaction to a certain medication.