All college students have been there. Bad grades, bad break-ups, long way away from home, loved ones died, or simply just feeling at an ultimate low. These are obvious reasons why one would feel like falling in depression, but the question is: is this true depression or heart ache? There is a fine line between diagnosable depression that needs to be treated and just feeling the effects of depression that students need to be aware of.Depression is not just a feeling, but a state of mind. In people with depression there has been a physical change in the brain which is connected to an imbalance of a type of chemical that carries signals to the nerves. Sixteen percent of Americans will experience depression in their lifetime. Anyone can get depression, but women are twice as likely to become depressed as men due to hormonal changes. In men, depression is usually covered up by anger, hostility, or alcohol/ drug abuse. Men are four times more likely to kill themselves during depression than women are. With the elderly community, depression usually occurs with the loss of loved ones, physical illness, and aging.
Depression often results due to a combination of things. Such things can be that depression is genetic, caused by trauma and stress, pessimistic personality- low self-esteem, physical conditions- heart disease, cancer, HIV, and etc., and other psychological disorders such as eating disorders and anxiety.
There are several related mood disorders associated with depression. The most severe type of depression is MDD (major depression disorder) which can be associated with constant feelings of sadness, appetite change, sleeping too much, and thoughts of suicide and death. Dysthymia is a mild depression disorder that usually lasts every day for a two-year period. Seasonal Affective Disorder is marked by the recurrence of depression during certain seasons. Postpartum depression is usually experienced by a woman after child birth and can interfere with the bonding of a mother and her newborn.
At www.health.yahoo.com it is stated that there is a general regimen for the treatment of depression. Most patients seek psychotherapy- counseling and patients are often given antidepressant medications to help restore the chemical balance in the brain.
Information for this article has been gathered from www.depression.com.