Depression

Depression is an illness which involves either a depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities. Depression affects your body, mood, and behavior. It effects your appetite, your sleep cycle, the way feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. Symptoms of depression and the severity of the symptoms vary with individuals. Signs of depression can include:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
• Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism.
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities you once enjoyed.
• Insomnia, early morning awakening, or oversleeping.
• Loss of appetite and weight loss or overeating and weight gain.
• Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling “slowed down”
• Thoughts of death or suicide.

 There is a risk for developing depression when there is a family history of depression. However, not everyone with a genetic vulnerability develops the illness. Environmental factors as well as psychological makeup can also influence the development of a depressive illness. Very often it is a combination of genetic, psychological, and environment factors that lead to the onset of depression.

Depression can be treated with psychotherapy and anti-depressant medications. Effectiveness and types of treatments depend on the individual. Some people do well with psychotherapy, some with anti-depressant medication, and some do best with a combination of both psychotherapy and anti-depressants. Anti-depressant medications help relieve the individual’s depressive symptoms, while psychotherapy helps the individual learn more effective ways to deal with life stressors. Both types of treatment have been proven to be effective for depression.