Chronic Depression

Chronic Depression

According to recent research, about 3% of Americans – some 19 million- suffer from chronic depression. More then two million are children. Along with that Manic depressive illness afflicts about 2.3 million and is the second leading killer of young women and the third of young men (Solomon, 2001, p.25). According to Andrew Solomon author of The Noonday Demon; “An Atlas of Depression, “Worldwide, including the developing world, depression accounts for more of the disease burden, as calculated by premature death plus healthy life-years lost to disability, than anything else but heart disease. Depression claims more years than war, cancer, and AIDS put together. Other illnesses, from alcoholism to heart disease, mask depression when it causes them; if one takes that into consideration, depression may be the biggest killer on earth.”
1. Depression is more then just a feeling it’s a state of mind. It is a constant sadness, different from average emotions. These feelings last longer than normal sadness, and are usually much more severe. The text defines major depressive disorder as having at least five signs of depression that last two or more weeks and are not caused by drugs or a medical condition (Myers, 2007, p.477). Depression is felt due to neurotransmitters in the brain, which cause a chemical imbalance. There are many different signs and symptoms for diagnosing depression these can be eliminated or decreased by the many different available treatment options, such as psychotherapy and/or medications. In most cases anxiety disorders go hand in hand with depression.
Major depressive disorder is more then a feeling of sadness. Those diagnosed with this illness experience such symptoms as: prolonged sadness or unexplained crying, significant changes in appetite and sleep patterns, irritability, anger, worry, agitation,

anxiety, pessimism, indifference, loss of energy, persistent lethargy, feeling of guilt, worthlessness, inability to concentrate,...

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