Depression: Symptoms And Treatment Of Depression

“Globally, an estimated 350 million people of all ages are affected by depression” (World. 2015, p. 1). Depression is a very common mental health disease, in which many cases are not treated. People all around the world go day to day without ever seeking or receiving the help that they need. While there is no 100 percent effective treatment, there are very beneficial treatment options which vary from person to person. Depression is a very serious mental health disease, which if left untreated can lead to even further problems down the road. While people often feel sad, lonely, or down, having too much of these feelings is a sign of depression. Often times people with depression do not know why they feel so sad or down, they just do with …show more content…
Many researchers and medical professionals stat that at least 5 main symptoms have to occur everyday for a few weeks in order to diagnose someone with depression. While the symptoms can vary based on the severity and the type of depression, some of the symptoms that occur in many different types of depression include a decrease in their mood, they tend to care less and less about things they were once very passionate about. To go along with decrease in mood there is a lack of interest. While many of the symptoms are emotional, there are physical symptoms as well. People who suffer depression tend to lose or gain weight. Depending on the person, they can either lose their appetite, or eat in large amounts and not participate in any physical activity causing them to gain weight. Other symptoms include lack of sleep or oversleeping, feeling worthless, and unable to concentrate for long periods of time. One of the larger more serious symptoms of depression is thoughts or attempts of suicide. People with depression tend to think that the world would be better without them, that they are just dragging everyone down with them. In severe cases, the final outcome is often death by suicide. When people do not get the help they need in a timely manner it is often too late. Every year there are over 750,000 suicide attempts (Hales, 1989, p. …show more content…
While most of the research is done on chronic depression, it is not the only form. Different types of depression have different symptoms, but the basis or start of them are very similar. Some of the other more common types of depression include manic depression, seasonal depression, and psychotic depression. Manic depression is also known as bipolar illness. People with manic depression, or people who are bipolar rotate from being in a very good mood, to a very bad mood, and a normal mood where they are not extremely happy or sad. Bipolar disorder tends to appear during adolescence and can affect both men and women. Some symptoms of bipolar disorder include being in a manic state and becoming very violent and reckless. When in this state people do not think straight and tend to act without knowing or thinking about the consequences (Peacock, 2000, p.