Depression – Symptoms, Types and Treatment

Depression is a listed mental disorder which includes altered mood; it may occur daily associated with diminished interest or pleasure in most or all of the activities.Depression is considered to be a disorder. This is because it involves everything in the patient's body, mood and thoughts.Anyone who has this won't be able to eat properly, sleep well, think about oneself and practically do anything.Depression affects teenagers, pensioners and everyone in between; married people, single people, rich and poor.

Depression is an illness and has to be treated. It will not just go away. Depression can be cured by proper treatment. You are not alone. Millions of people across the world suffer from depression.

Women are about twice as likely as men in the United States to be diagnosed and treated for depression. About 20-25% of women and 12% of men will experience a serious bout of depression at least one time in their lifetimes. As for children, depression shows up equally in both boys and girls. As children begin to grow and reach the adolescence stage however, girls tend to become more depressed than boys.This gender imbalance of major depression then continues on into adulthood.

Bipolar depression is the depressed phase of a condition called bipolar disorder. In many cases, the symptom presentation of depression does not fit the criteria as described in the DSM-IV-TR. Symptoms, however, may be causing impairment in functioning. The diagnosis of depressive disorder not otherwise specified can be used in those cases. Although the type of depression informs as to prognosis and best treatment modality, in general, all types respond to both medication therapy and talk therapy.

Situational depression is just how it sounds, depression based on what is going on in your life. Have you just lost your job? Did your girlfriend just break up with you? It's common to be depressed after these events. While therapy would be beneficial here, medication most likely would not.

People with depressive symptoms will use alcohol to self-medicate - relieve the depression symptoms, relax, get a better view on life, and escape. Many times the drinker is not even remotely aware that the depression is present, but on some level does recognize that he or she feels better, at least in the short term, with the use of alcohol. The irony is alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, so it will actually make the depression worse.

For many, treating depression will give them their life back. Through the use of medication and therapy, depression can be relieved and it may or may not return down the road. No matter what has caused the depression in you or your loved one, you will not be able to cure depression on your own. You can find ways to lessen the effects on your body and mind through positive energy and forcing yourself to work through it.

Some cases of depression may require therapy, lifestyle changes, acquiring new skills, or medical intervention. The truth is that the only real "best cure for depression" is getting to know yourself and understanding what the underlying cause of the depression is; keeping in mind that depression is often a symptom of something else. When you understand your own depression and what makes it, and you, unique from everyone else then you will be on the road to finding your own best cure for depression.