A Definition of Depresion

Depression is an illness in which factors such as genetics, chemical changes in the body and external events may play an important role.  is a psychological condition that changes how you think and feel, and also affects your social behavior and sense of physical well-being.

Symptoms include sadness, inactivity, difficulty thinking and concentrating, and feelings of despair.

Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but also to those who care about them.  A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood.  Depressive disorders come in different forms, just as is the case with other illnesses such as heart disease.

Medications generally are not seen as substitutes for therapy,

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
 Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) continues to provoke arguments. For some it represents little more than a haphazard and degrading technique not fit to be termed a treatment. For others it represents an alternative and highly effective treatment that does not deserve the bad press it sometimes receives. So why does ECT remain so controversial - surely the facts should speak for themselves?   ECT involves passing an electrical...
Older People with Depression are Ignored or Misdiagnosed
Millions of older people may be denied proper treatment for depression on the assumption that depression is a natural part of getting older. The U.K. based charity Age Concern has found a culture of casual disregard towards people over the age of 65 when it comes to their mental health needs.   Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern states, "fewer than 10 percent of older people with clinical depression are referred to specialist...
When Grief Won’t Go Away
Depression, following the death of someone close, is an intense, traumatic but essentially natural process. In the normal course of events the process of bereavement may last anything from a few weeks to several months. The passage of time helps people to move on, but a few people find the debilitating effects of loss become a permanent feature of their lives. Psychologists call this complicated grief.   Why is it that some people are...
Abstinence from Moderate Drinking Can Lead to Depression
  Those laboratory mice have been at it again. This time, we discover that when mice stop drinking moderate levels of alcohol they can become depressed around two weeks later. Mice are commonly used to model the effects of a number of conditions associated with human behavior. But how do we know when a mouse is depressed?   According to Clyde W.Hodge, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine, the...
Treatment Guide for Doctors Moves to Next Phase
  After six years of work and a budget of $33 million, the Sequences Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) project, is set to move away from academic centers and into the busy real world environment of clinical practice.   During the research phase, more than 4,000 treatment-resistive patients with depression took part in trials that encompassed a variety of clinics across the country. STAR*D provided the basis for...
Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistive Depression
  Recently hailed by some sections of the media as the, ‘brain pacemaker for depression', deep brain stimulation continues to show promising results in people with depression who are otherwise treatment-resistive. Such patients will almost inevitably have tried a variety of medications, alone or in combination, and electroconvulsive therapy with little or no therapeutic effect. It is estimated that up to 20 percent of people with...
"Special K" Eases Depression
  The club drug known as ketamine has been shown to have a rapid positive effect on an area of the brain associated with depression. Scientists who made the discovery are hopeful that this could signal new treatments for depression.   Ketamine, sometimes referred to as "Special K" or "Vitamin K" gained popularity in the club scene during the 1980s when it was discovered that it produces a dream-like state and hallucinations if...
Sleep, Health and Depression
  The association between sleep disturbances and depression is quite well known but research is revealing a number of other implications. Insomnia used to be thought of as a symptom of depression but growing evidence suggests it may actually precede depression and increases our risk of other health problems including obesity, heart disease and diabetes.   Most sleep disturbances fall into one of three categories. Sleep continuity...
Identifying Depression in Children
Identifying depression in children is not always easy. Children, especially younger children, may not yet have acquired the vocabulary, skills or even the comprehension to articulate their experiences. Some children withdraw and become sullen and others may become hyperactive or aggressive. Children therefore manifest depression in very different ways, but some of the commonest features do tend to reflect those of adults, especially after...
Hostility with Depression Predicts Heart Disease
Depression coupled with hostility form a destructive alliance in terms of elevating the risk of heart disease. Professor Jesse Stewart, assistant professor of psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, revealed a complex interaction of psychology and physiology in which inflammatory proteins are triggered to predict heart disease.  There is a long-standing interest in the relationship between psychological states and...

but work best together with therapy not only to relieve the depressive symptoms but to enhance the person's understanding of the and expand his or her coping strategies for dealing with the conditions that led to in the first place.  Medications of any kind prescribed, over-the counter, or borrowed should never be mixed without consulting the doctor.  Medication simply brings about a restoration, so to speak, of that balance needed to free the struggling person from the effects of depression.

Depression is an illness that affects the entire body, not just the mind.  is the leading cause of alcoholism, drug abuse and other addictions.  is frequently ignored or untreated; the condition often prevents people from taking steps to help themselves.