Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way a person eats, sleep, feels about himself or herself, and think about things. Depression is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be wished away.
•Feeling sad or having a depress mood
•Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once
enjoyed
•Change in Apettite -- weight loss or gain unrelated
to dieting
•Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
•Loss of energy or increase fatigue
•Increase in purposeless physical activity(e.g.,
inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing)or slowed
movements or speech(this actions must be severge
enough to be observable by others)
•Feeling worthless or guilty
•Difficulty thingking, consentration or making
decisions
•Thoughts of dead or suicide.
Symptoms must last at least two weeks and
must represent a change in your previous level of functioning for a diagnosis of depression.
Also medical function(e.g., thyroid problems a brain tumor or vitamin deficiency)can mimic symptomps of depression so it is important to rule out general medical causes.
Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%)in a any given year. And any one in six people(16.6%)will experience depression at some time in their life.Depression can occur at any time, but on evarage, first appears during the late teens to mid- 20s. Women are more likely than men to experience depression. Some studies that show one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime. There is a high degree of heritability(approximately 40%)when first-degree relatives(parents/children/siblings)have depression.
