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Depression, Not Just a Bad Mood

Depression is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by extreme feelings of sadness, anehedonia (or loss of pleasure), guilt, helplessness or hopelessness, an inability to concentrate, an increase or decrease of appetite, and thoughts of death. Depressive illness often interferes with an individual's normal functioning and often goes without being diagnosed for long periods of time causing a lot of problems for the both the individual with the illness and those around them.
Depression involves the body, mood and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about themselves and the way one approaches life in general.

	Quick Facts			Symptoms

	Types of Depression			Causes of Depression

	Depression in Women			Depression in Men

	Depression in the Elderly			Depression in Children

	Treatment			Help For Depression

The symptoms of depression are broad and vary depending on the individual and his or her situation. They include a persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood, feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, worthlessness, restlessness, irritability and feelings of guilt. The individual may experience loss of interest or pleasure (referred to as anhedonia) in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex. A decrease in energy or fatigue, difficulty concentrating, remembering details or making decisions may occur. The individual may also go to different extremes either overeating or under eating, may experience insomnia or may also oversleep. Depressed individuals often experience physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment such as headaches, digestive disorders and chronic pain. In extreme cases, an individual may have suicide ideations and in worst case scenario have attempted suicide.

Symptoms of Mania

Mania, which is the flip side to depression for someone with bipolar (or manic depressive disorder) can be characterized by the following symptoms: Feelings or illusions of grandeur, unusual irritability, decreased need for sleep, abnormally good mood, increased talking, racing thoughts, noticeably increased energy, and poor judgment are just a few possible side effects.

A Portrait of Depression

Opening with a sobering quotation from Andrew Solomon s 1998 confession of suicidal depression in The New Yorker , Helen dives into this painful mental illness with sensitivity and grace.

Tropical depression forms over the Bahamas

The third tropical depression of the 2010 hurricane season has formed in the southeast Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center says.

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