Depression
Featured Article
Some people have described depression as a heavy black curtain of despair that envelops their lives. Depression affects your life, and the lives of those around you. It can severely disrupt how you function, eat, sleep, and get along with others. Although most people who suffer from depression feel as though they are suffering alone, roughly 20% of the American population suffers from depression. Depression is a disease, and like any other disease, it can be treated and managed. Read on to learn more about depression and what you can do to get help.
The Invisible Disease: Depression
Depression is a serious medical condition. In contrast to the normal emotional experiences of sadness, loss, or passing mood states, clinical depression is persistent and can interfere significantly with an individual’s ability to function. There are three main types of depressive disorders: major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness).
Depression: What Every Woman Should Know
Depression is a pervasive and impairing illness that affects both women and men, but women experience depression at roughly twice the rate of men. Researchers continue to explore how special issues unique to women-biological, life cycle, and psycho-social-may be associated with women’s higher rate of depression. No two people become depressed in exactly the same way. Many people have only some of the symptoms, varying in severity and duration. For some, symptoms occur in time-limited episodes; for others, symptoms can be present for long periods if no treatment is sought. Having some depressive symptoms does not mean a person is clinically depressed.
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Depression Can Break Your Heart
Research over the past two decades has shown that depression and heart disease are common companions and, what is worse, each can lead to the other. It appears now that depression is an important risk factor for heart disease along with high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.
The Lowdown on Depression
An estimated 22 percent of Americans 18 and older–about 1 in 5 adults–have a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). To complicate matters, many people struggle with more than one mental disorder at a time. The pain and suffering that goes along with these illnesses is felt not only by those who have a disorder, but also by the people who care about them.
Depression and Heart Disease
Depression can strike anyone. However, research over the past two decades has shown that people with heart disease are more likely to suffer from depression than otherwise healthy people, and conversely, that people with depression are at greater risk for developing heart disease. Furthermore, people with heart disease who are depressed have an increased risk of death after a heart attack compared to those who are not depressed. Depression may make it harder to take the medications needed and to carry out the treatment for heart disease. Treatment for depression helps people manage both diseases, thus enhancing survival and quality of life.
Depression and Diabetes
Depression can strike anyone, but people with diabetes, a serious disorder that afflicts an estimated 16 million Americans, may be at greater risk. In addition, individuals with depression may be at greater risk for developing diabetes. Treatment for depression helps people manage symptoms of both diseases, thus improving the quality of their lives.
Depression and Cancer
Research has enabled many men, women, and young people with cancer to survive and to lead fuller, more productive lives, both while they are undergoing treatment, and afterwards. As with other serious illnesses, such as HIV, heart disease, or stroke, cancer can be accompanied by depression, which can affect mind, mood, body and behavior. Treatment for depression helps people manage both diseases, thus enhancing survival and quality of life.
What to do When a Friend is Depressed: Guide for Students
You know that these school years can be complicated and demanding. Deep down, you are not quite sure of who you are, what you want to be, or whether the choices you make from day to day are the best decisions. Sometimes the many changes and pressures you are facing threaten to overwhelm you. So, it isn’t surprising that from time to time you or one of your friends feels “down” or discouraged. But what about those times when a friend’s activity and outlook on life stay “down” for weeks and begin to affect your relationship? If you know someone like this, your friend might be suffering from depression. As a friend, you can help.
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How to Help Yourself If You Are Depressed
Depressive disorders make one feel exhausted, worthless, helpless, and hopeless. Such negative thoughts and feelings make some people feel like giving up. It is important to realize that these negative views are part of the depression and typically do not accurately reflect the actual circumstances. Negative thinking fades as treatment begins to take effect.
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Diagnostic Evaluation and Treatment of Depression
The first step to getting appropriate treatment for depression is a physical examination by a physician. Certain medications as well as some medical conditions such as a viral infection can cause the same symptoms as depression, and the physician should rule out these possibilities through examination, interview, and lab tests. If a physical cause for the depression is ruled out, a psychological evaluation should be done, by the physician or by referral to a psychiatrist or psychologist.
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