While everybody feels sad or down every once in a while, many people suffer from an actual medical condition, known as depression or major depressive disorder, which impacts their lives on a daily basis.
Causes of Depression
While the exact cause of depression isn’t known research has show that as with many mental disorders, a variety of factors may be involved, such as:
- Stressful life events
- Genetics
- Hormones
- Brain chemistry
- Trauma during childhood
- Biological differences
Symptoms & Diagnosis
For many people with depression, symptoms can be severe enough to impact their daily activities. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day for a period of two weeks or more and may include but are not limited to:
- Constant feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
- Loss of interest in normal activities
- Crying spells
- Trouble concentrating or remembering
- Irritability and frustration accompanied with angry outburst
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Fatigue, being tired and having a lack of energy
- Unexplained aches and pains
- Sleep disturbances such as insomnia or sleeping too much
- Changes in appetite and weight
- Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
According to the National Institute of Mental Healthin 2017 an estimated:
0
Adults age 18+ were diagnosed with at least one major depressive order
0
Adolescents ages 12 - 17 years old were diagnosed with at least one major depressive order
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