Depression Information

Do You Think You Have Depression?


Do you have days where nothing can make you happy? You are not alone. I ignored my depressive thoughts about life for years. Unfortunately I didn't do anything to fix my situation until they became so dehabilitating that I had no choice.

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. In a given year, an estimated 22.1% of Americans aged 18 and older (about 1 in 5 adults) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. According to the 1998 United States Census population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people! In addition, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders, with major depression being the leading cause of disability.

It is estimated that depression alone will occur in approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5% of the United States population aged 18 or above. If you are a woman, you are twice as likely than a man (12% vs. 6.6%) to be affected by depression each year.

My symptoms of depression started with an occasional case of the blahs. I was able to cope with them for a long time. I thought that since this happens to a lot of people, that it would pass and I didn't need to worry. I didn't think about finding out why it was happening. Besides, after a few drinks I always felt much better. I later learned that depressive disorders commonly occur with substance abuse...

So what is the cause of all of this sadness in our society? Speaking from experience, I wasn't happy with my life and the direction it was taking me. I would look back at a past week and not be able to recall one thing that I enjoyed. It was a blur. Nor would I look forward to the coming weeks ahead. All I saw were potential stresses that were going to present themselves. But I didn't do anything about it. I accepted that this was life. Looking back I don't know how I could have ever believed this.

When we are suffering from depression, it seems that we lose our objectivity. Does thinking that we have nothing to look forward to sound rational to you? Where did my enjoyment in life disappear to? It was my perception of the world that had slowly changed and I was unable to see it because of the control that my depression had over me.

In the fast pace of today's world we often don't allow ourselves time to evaluate our lives and set goals to realize our ambitions. Whether you do or do not have depression, you're reading this article because you think something might be wrong with your life. Have you tried to identify the things you are unhappy with? The first step for me was to educate myself and find out what it was that I was dealing with. I started reading books. I consulted a psychologist to get some unbiased insight about myself.

Otherwise, how do we find solutions for problems that we don't yet understand? So let's get started. What's stopping you?

David Smith is the writer for My Depression Help, a resource site where he describes his feelings and experiences with depression and provides the depression help treatment he used for his recovery. Read more about me and my depression experiences.

  


MORE RESOURCES:

Lifescript Launches New Online Depression Center
MarketWatch (press release)
Lifescript.com, a women's health and wellness website headquartered in Mission Viejo, Calif., has launched a new online Depression Health Center to help women recognize and overcome symptoms of depression. MISSION VIEJO, Calif., May 24, ...

and more »


R&D Trends: Depression - Clinical attrition driven by mature market conditions
MarketWatch (press release)
Several drugs have progressed through the pipeline for depression in recent years, including Pristiq (desvenlafaxine; Pfizer), Oleptro (trazodone extended release; Labopharm), and Viibryd (Forest) in the US, and Valdoxan (agomelatine; Servier/Novartis) ...

and more »


Depression Recovery Groups Launches Online Peer-to-Peer Support Groups and ...
PR Web (press release)
Depression and other mental health issues are involved in 90% of these avoidable deaths. Today Depression Recovery Groups announced the launch of a new service expressly for young people; these teenage web conference depression support groups will ...

and more »


The Atlantic Wire

High-Fat Diets Have Pro-Depressive Effects
Food Product Design
"In addition to causing obesity, rich foods can actually cause chemical reactions in the brain in a similar way to illicit drugs, ultimately leading to depression as the 'come-downs' take their toll," says lead researcher, Dr. Stephanie Fulton.
Cheeseburger blues: High-fat foods may be making us depressedVancouver Sun
Cheeseburger blues: could high-fat foods be making us depressed?Ottawa Citizen
A Heart Made of Face Parts; The Eating Depression Cycle ExplainedThe Atlantic Wire
Irish Health
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Predicting Postpartum Depression
Wellington Daily News
By Angela Taylor Many studies have been completed to see if there is a way to predict postpartum depression. These studies have determined that iron deficiency and postpartum fatigue are linked to postpartum depression.

and more »


The Economist

Depression through the ages
The Economist
From Melancholia to Prozac: A History of Depression. By Clark Lawlor. Oxford University Press; 265 pages; $24.99 and £14.99. Buy from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk WHAT is depression? The ancient Greeks believed it resulted from an imbalance in the body's ...



IMF Chief: World Facing Possibly Worst Economic Insecurity Since Great Depression
Wall Street Journal
"Your generation is facing probably the worst economic insecurity in decades, possibly ever since the Great Depression," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in her commencement speech to the John F. Kennedy School of Government graduates.

and more »


BigPond News

'Cheerful' Corby out of depression as clemency lifts spirits
The Canberra Times
Schapelle Corby is believed to be recovering from depression and bouts of psychosis that have affected her in jail. Kerobokan jail's doctor Agung Hartawan said yesterday that Corby was in good spirits following the news of her clemency.
Corby stages dramatic recoveryBigPond News
man whose love keeps Schapelle Corby saneNEWS.com.au

all 954 news articles »


One-Third of Arthritis Patients Also Experience Anxiety, Depression
PR Web (press release)
Impairments like arthritis can be complicated by other conditions, such as depression, so it's important that patients fully explain all symptoms to their physicians. A new national study finds that one-third of people with arthritis also experience ...

and more »


The many faces of depression
Chicago Tribune
Sadness touches all of our lives at different times, but depression can have enormous depth and staying power. It's more than a passing bout of sadness or dejection, or feeling down in the dumps. It can leave you feeling continuously burdened and can ...
Has depression become a cliché?InjuryBoard.com

all 2 news articles »

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