What are the symptoms of depression?
Answer:
People who are depressed have five or more of the following symptoms for more than two weeks. They:
- are sad or easily irritated,
- lose interest in activities they once enjoyed,
- have changes in appetite and sleeping.
- have no energy,
- feel that they are worthless,
- have difficulty concentrating,
- have a hard time sleeping, or oversleep,
- lose their appetite, or overeat,
- think a lot about death and suicide, and
- changes in activity levels, including restlessness, agitation, or slowness.
What causes depression?
Answer:
No one thing causes depression. Depression tends to run in families. This indicates that genes have an effect on depression. Other things that may trigger depression include losing a parent or other loved one, divorce, learning or behavioral problems, physical or emotional abuse, and experiencing traumas such as violent crimes, floods, or tornadoes.
Who gets depression?
Answer:
Both adults and children can suffer from depression. For children, about the same number of boys and girls are affected. For teenagers and adults, women are more likely to have depression than men. People with a family history of depression are more likely to suffer from this illness.
What is the treatment for depression?
Answer:
Treatment involves counseling, medication, or a combination of these treatments.
Is there a cure for depression?
Answer:
There is no cure for depression, but 80 percent of people who are depressed are helped by counseling, medication, or both.
What happens if depression is not treated?
Answer:
Many people who are not treated get over depression after several months or years, but the illness tends to reappear throughout their lives. Children and teenagers who are depressed often have problems in school and difficult relationships with family and friends. They may also have social problems such as drug abuse. People who are seriously depressed may commit suicide.