What is Depression?

Depression is not limited to any single ethnicity, sex or age. Depression appears in all groups, though it appears in women twice as often as men. In America depression affects over 19 million adults and 5 million children.

Depression Symptoms

Symptoms of depression include:

Prolonged sadness
Feeling negative, hopeless and overly pessimistic
Having difficulty concentrating and focusing
Avoiding friends and loved ones
Difficulty sleeping
Being unable to control your mood
Feeling worthless
Feeling guilty

When depression strikes it is not the same as common highs and lows that all people suffer from, but are prolonged bouts that can last for days weeks and months. Depression can occur more often and more intense with time if untreated.

Depression Types

There is more than one type of depression.

The most common types of depression include:

Manic Depression / Bipolar Disorder
Clinical Depression
Post Partum Depression
Mood Disorder
Seasonal Effective Disorder

There are many other specific types. Seek medical attention if you suspect that you are experiencing depression.

Depression Treatment

Treatment for depression is generally through forms of medication and behavioral therapy.

Treating depression with medication comes in two forms, prescription and alternative medicines.

Alternative Depression Medication

Alternative depression medication has increasingly become popular due to stories about prescription depression medications having unwanted or dangerous side effects. Forms of alternative medication to treat depression include St. Johns Wort, Valerian root, Kava Kava, 5-HTP, SAM-e and general supplements like vitamins and minerals. One thing of note on alternative medicines is that they are not a controlled substance and while many have been used for decades with no major side effects there is no regulatory process for these medicines.

Prescription Depression Medication

Millions of people everyday take depression medication for treating depression. Most prescription drugs claim to solve a chemical balance in the brain that is the cause of depression. There have been many recent articles on prescription drugs that have raised the red flag that some of the most common prescription drugs have dangerous side effects and that some are addictive.

Behavioral Therapy For Treating Depression

Behavioral therapy generally consists of recognizing what is triggering depression, disrupting the pattern that causes depression and implementing a method for counteracting the depression. Clinical studies have shown that behavior therapy combined with medicines is more effective than medicines alone and overall more successful in the long term.