Depression has many causes. Biological, emotional, environmental and physical factors can result in depression . The genetic link cannot be ignored as well. Family history plays a major role in many diseases that are passed on down the line.

It's not just family history but also family dynamics. Living comes along with a lot of stress. For some there is a constant struggle to survive from week to week. Even success and fitting into society can be the problem for others. Despair can stem from people having been sexually abused, or even emotionally scarred. The list isn't a short one.

Depression is an overwhelming feeling of sadness and hopelessness that the depression sufferer just can't take. Sometimes it's triggered by a sad event, such as a death in the family or a lost job. The person who goes through one of these traumatic experiences may start questioning the meaning of life.

Severe depression is ongoing and more serious than milder forms. It interferes with life and being able to function. Sleep disturbances either too much or too little have been noted. Eating disorders where one either eats too much or too little and extreme weight changes are also indicated.

There are two types of depression: One, which originates from bad or disturbing events in one's life and one, which appears without apparent cause. Out of the two the latter is the most common and the former type is easier to tackle because the cause is known. The first step is to deal with the event that set off the depression. The latter type is more difficult to deal with as the source is unknown.

Depression, also clinically known as major depressive disorder, affects millions of people around the world but most do not understand that depression is a very real disease. People that have never suffered with depression understand very little about this disease and feel that a person with it should 'get on with their life and get over the depression'.

By some estimates depression costs the country a staggering $43 billion dollars a year in costs resulting from medicine, hospitalization, lost work days and reduced productivity. One in six of us will experience a major depressive episode in our lives and 15 million Americans are suffering from depression at any given time.

They have a tough time enjoying things and having fun. The people with dysthymia worry habitually and criticized him or her being a failure, when they are withdrawn from their posts.
Dysthymia is a type of depression which affects women two to three times more than men. The diagnosis must be given for two years to the patients of such depression, and for children it's duration should be for one year. Remember that the mood of patient during medication may be irritable rather than sad or depressed.

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