hi Raven,
thats true. wud love to have u help. posting a request for ur reading in the psychics section.
swetha

how wud u define depression as? is it a state if mind that can be reversed or something that u have to face at times? what causes it?
how do u prevent it?

Everyone gets sad or loses interest in things from time to time. With clinical depression (also called major depressive disorder and depression), these feelings can last for weeks, months and even years. It's a medical condition that, like other diseases, can be treated. The key is seeking help.

Two-thirds of people with depression don't get treated¹ because they don't realize it is an illness that usually won't go away on its own. Some feel ashamed that they can't just "snap out of it." Others worry that family, friends and coworkers would treat them differently if they knew.

Depression can include a wide range of emotional and physical symptoms that vary from person to person. Doctors think that many different factors can trigger depression, from external events to physical changes in the body. These factors make it challenging to recognize the symptoms in yourself or a loved one and to seek help.

Which one of these statements could signal depression?
"I feel sad all the time."
"I just don't feel like myself."
"I don't enjoy being with my friends or doing any of the things I usually love to do."
"I feel completely overwhelmed by my life. I can't see a way out."
"I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately."
"I keep having aches and pains, and my doctor doesn't know why."


Answer: All of the above.
Depression is not just a temporary mood, and it's not a sign of personal weakness. People with depression can experience a variety of emotional and physical symptoms.

For some people, it's a matter of feeling sad, overwhelmed, or stressed out. For others, aches, pains, fatigue and other physical problems are part of their depression too. In fact, research suggests that about two-thirds of people diagnosed with depression talk to their family doctors first about physical symptoms.¹

Linked to Serotonin and Norepinephrine
Many researchers believe depression is caused by an imbalance of naturally occurring chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine, in the brain and the body. In the brain, these two chemicals are thought to be associated with mood. These same chemicals are thought to be associated with regulating and reducing feelings of pain that come from the body.

Experts believe that if these chemicals are out of balance, the effect can be felt in both the brain and body. You can feel both the emotional and painful physical symptoms of depression.

Family history may be important
People with a family history of depression may be more likely to get the disease, but anyone can become depressed. Sometimes the triggers are external – for example, relationship troubles or financial problems. At other times the disease may begin with physical illness or hormonal shifts. Depression also may occur without any identifiable trigger at all.

Seek help
Many people suffer in silence while depression slowly eats away at their quality of life. Some are ashamed or afraid to seek help; others try to downplay the severity of their symptoms. It's important to remember, depression isn't something that's "all in your head."

Learn about symptoms and causes of depression.

A note about suicidal thoughts
Not everyone with depression thinks about death or suicide, but it's important to take such thoughts seriously. If you feel like giving up or as if you might hurt yourself, get help immediately:
Call your doctor
Go to the emergency room
Call 911
Call the national hotline, 1-800-SUICIDE [1-800-784-2433]


My mother is a manic depressive..For years I did not understand why she was so mean and hateful to me ...I now understand but ..i find it hard to let go of the hurtful things she has done to me and still trys to do to me.

Hope this helps!
Deborah

thanks deborah,
i personally feel that depression is more dangerous than any physical disease. i have a question: how is one supposed to know that he is suffering frm depression and needs treatment???
sometimes i feel i am suffering... but am not sure since i dont really know what depression is all about. i do all the stuff that i have to even if i dont feel like it and life goes on as normal.
seema

In Victorian times it was called meloncholy, neither happy or sad. As someone who lives with depression it cant be prevent and sometimes may even run in families. Some scietensists think shock therapy can reverse it or at least tone the syptoms down but the side effect is lost of some memory. It is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and that chemical being seritonian. You cant really face it you just learn to tolerate, live and cope with it. I am hoping that I can talk my shrink into letting me try a more natural approach to dealing with my depression. I am on generic prozac and I feel like it is making me misserable with some of the side effects. I would much rather be taking St John's Wart or vitiamn B-12 instead.