Depression

Depression is a serious illness that affects a person's mood.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health there are five different types of depression. One of the types of depression is persistent depressive disorder. Persistent Depressive disorder "is a depressed mood that lasts for at least two years. A person diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms, but symptoms must last for two years to be considered persistent depressive disorder." Episodes can range from a very short period to an extremely long period, such as two years. Another form of depression is perinatal depression. "Perinatal depression is much more serious than the "baby blues" (relatively mild depression and anxiety symptoms that typically clear within two weeks after delivery) that many women experience after giving birth. Women with perinatal depression experience full-blown major depression during pregnancy or after delivery (postpartum depression). The feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that accompany perinatal depression may make it difficult for these new mothers to complete daily care activities for themselves and/or for their babies." This type of depression only occurs to women and it doesn't always happy. Psychotic depression is another form of depression. "Psychotic depression occurs when a person has severe depression plus some form of psychosis, such as having disturbing false fixed beliefs (delusions) or hearing or seeing upsetting things that others can not hear or see (hallucinations). The psychotic symptoms typically have a depressive "theme," such as delusions of guilt, poverty, or illness." There is another type of depression that only occurs during the winter months. "Seasonal affective disorder is character by the onset of depression during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. This depression generally lifts during springs and summer. Winter depression, typically accompanied by social withdrawal, increased sleep, and weight gain, predictably returns every year in seasonal affective disorder." Bipolar disorder is also included in this list. "Bipolar disorder is different from depression, but it is included in this list is because someone with bipolar disorder experiences extremely low moods that meet the criteria for major depression (called "bipolar depression"). But a person with bipolar disorder also experiences extreme high - euphoric or irritable - moods called "mania" or a less severe form called "hypomania." There is a wide range of depressions to offer people a diagnosis.
Just like every other disorder or disease there are symptoms. WebMD wrote an article going over the main symptoms someone would likely have if they had depression. The symptoms are "difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions, fatigue and decreased energy, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and or helplessness, feelings of hopelessness and or pessimism, insomnia, early-morning wakefulness or excessive sleeping, irritability, restlessness, loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex, overeating or appetite loss, persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems, that do not ease even with treatment, persistent, sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings, and or thoughts of suicide , suicide attempts." Some people don't even realize they have depression. They think that they are either just super tired or sick.
Almost every disorder has a treatment that can either cure the whole disorder or just their symptoms. A main type of treatment for depression is medication subscribed to patients by doctors and or therapist. The four main prescriptions that are given to people suffering from depression are selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, antidepressant, anxiolytic, and an anti-psychotic. A selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor eases symptoms of depressed mood or anxiety which allows the person affected to take back their life and do things that they used to do. An antidepressant alleviates a person's mood. Also an anxiolytic relieves anxiety and can promote sleep. Finally, an anti-psychotic reduces the symptoms of certain psychiatric conditions.
Depression can be a very serious illness if it is not taken care of properly. Almost all suicides have been of people that have been depressed for a little while in their lives. There are a lot of people in the United States that have depression and that are on medications to reduce their symptoms. One of my best friends from high school was and still is on anti-depressants to help relieve her mood so she can go to school and be involved with what high school students are supposed to be involved in. Don't feel like you are alone if you do have depression because everyone probably has or will be depressed at least once in their lives. They might not be diagnosed with it but they could have gone though a short period of depression.