What is Depression?
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
What is Depression?
What do you think when you hear the word, "depression?"
Some people say they are depressed when they are feeling a little blue or are just having a bad day. This is common and normal, and it happens to everyone from time to time. Others will feel depressed in response to something sad or upsetting that has happened to them. This too is a normal response.
What is not Depression?
While having "the blues" or feeling down can feel pretty crummy at the time, it doesn't always mean you're depressed. It's normal to feel this way from time to time in our lives. We may feel sad for various reasons: Death, divorce, loss of a job, or separation from family and friends can all make us feel down. These feelings are normal. But most of the time we cope with our sadness and get over it without becoming clinically depressed. If your blues last for more than a couple of weeks, or start to interfere with your day-to-day life, however, you may have crossed the line from feeling down to suffering from clinical depression.
Some people believe depression is a sign of weakness or simply a character flaw. It's not. Depression is a medical illness, and it can affect anyone.
But these reactions are very different from Clinical Depression, a term used to describe any form of depression where some type of medical treatment could be helpful. It's a serious illness that affects your mood, thoughts, behavior, ability to function in everyday situations, and even your physical well-being.
Depression: A Medical Condition
Depression is actually a medical condition, which anyone can get, that requires medical attention and treatment.
The good news is that depression is very treatable. It's estimated that 80 to 90 percent of people with depression will respond well to treatment. The bad news is many people suffering from depression—as many as 66 percent—do not seek help and or receive the treatment they need. They might be too embarrassed or ashamed to get help or they may not realize that they are depressed and need help. Others think that depression is just part of life and their feelings of sadness will pass in time. While most people experience depression at some time during their lives, depression that last more than a few weeks requires treatment.
That's the odd thing about depression. Few of us think twice about going to the hospital to set a broken limb, because we know a health-care professional can help us. It's the same for depression. With so many treatments available now, why wouldn't you have a debilitating medical condition treated?
If you feel like you are depressed, please seek help by calling any of the following:
- Your physician
- A mental health specialist
- Your employee assistance plan (EAP)
- A health maintenance organization
- A community mental health center
- The outpatient psychiatric clinic at your local hospital
- Depression programs run by a university or medical school
- Family services or social agencies
- Private clinics or facilities
- Join a support group in your area or on the Internet
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