What Is Depression facts?

• A depressive disorder is a syndrome (group of symptoms) that reflects a sad, blue mood exceeding normal sadness or grief.
• Depressive disorders are characterized not only by negative thoughts, moods, and behaviors but also by specific changes in bodily functions (for example, eating, sleeping, and sexualactivity).
• One in 10 people will have a depressive disorder in their lifetime, and in one of 10 cases, the depression is a fatal disease as a result of suicide.
• Some types of depression, especially bipolar depression, run in families.
• While there are many social, psychological, and environmental risk factors for developing depression, some are particularly prevalent in one gender or the other, or in particular age or ethnic groups.
• There can be some differences in symptoms of depression depending on age, gender, and ethnicity.
• Depression is diagnosed only clinically in that there is no laboratory test or X-ray for depression. Therefore, it is crucial to see a health professional as soon as you notice symptoms of depression in yourself, your friends, or family.
• The first step in getting appropriate treatment is a complete physical and psychological evaluation to determine whether the person, in fact, has a depressive disorder.
• Depression is not a weakness but a serious illness with biological, psychological, and social aspects to its cause, symptoms, and treatment. A person cannot will it away. Untreated, it will worsen. Undertreated, it will return.
• There are many safe and effective medications, particularly the SSRIs, that can be of great help in depression.
• For full recovery from a mood disorder, regardless of whether there is a precipitating factor or it seems to come out of the blue, treatments with medications and/or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and psychotherapy are necessary.
• In the future, through depression research and education, we will continue to improve our treatments, decrease society's burden, and hopefully improve prevention of this illness.