what is depression - Depression symptoms!!

Today more than 19 million Americans suffer from Depression which is the most common mental health problem in the United States.

Depression affects at least 16 million American each year, it becomes the illness of the moment, it is a serious condition that everyone should have some knowledge about, it is necessary to know how to deal with it  whether you're a  sufferer  or just want to help a friend or a person to find his way out of this hell. It is important to familiarize yourself with it so it would be easier for you to recognize the symptoms and have an earlier diagnosis that will help you overcome such a widespread disease.

What is Depression?

Feeling down or being sad for a certain time doesn’t mean you have depression it is just a part of our daily life that can be vanished within a short time.
But if you are depressed for more than two weeks or you constantly have a down mood and a lack of energy that limits your daily activities then you can talk about depression.

There are many types of depression:

• Major depression: it is the most common type of depression and it is a down “mood” that last for several weeks or months.
• Dysthymia: it is less severe than major depression but it lasts much longer.
• Bipolar disorder: it’s also called manic depressive illness because it’s not like the other types of depression it doesn’t have only periods of down ”moods” but also periods of up “moods”.
• Seasonal affective disorder (S-A-D): it is a seasonal depression that usually occurs in winter time.
• Postpartum depression: caused by hormonal changes after the birth of a baby.

Depression Symptoms:

People with depression may experience many symptoms but the severity and the duration may vary from one to another according to his or her particular situation.
These are the different signs and symptoms of depression:

1. The first and common symptom is the persistent feeling of sadness, the feeling of the emptiness along with some anxiousness.
2. Fatigue and low energy levels.
3. The feeling of guilt and helplessness and the lake of worth.
4. Depression sufferers tend to lose interest in activities or hobbies that they once enjoyed even sex.
5. The feeling that your situation is hopeless and an increasing degree of pessimism.
6. A depressive person may find it hard to concentrate or remember details or information and also it’s too difficult to make decisions.
7. The feeling of irritability, restlessness and mood swings.
8. A very common symptom of depression is sleeping disorders such insomnia and the difficulty to fall asleep in the other hand some tend to sleep for a long time more than necessary and some may experience unwanted early-morning wakefulness when they need more sleep.
9. Depression often affects the appetite; many sufferers lose their appetite and lose their weight on the other hand some may gain so much weight by overeating.  
10. The most severe symptom of depression is suicidal thoughts that may lead to a suicide attempt.
11. Many sufferers may have gastrointestinal complications related to depression such as digestive problems that cannot be resolved with treatment, diarrhea, constipation and cramps, and some may experience various types of pain such as headaches and muscle soreness.

==>   Depression Causes - What causes depression?   <==