Depression

Depression

Depression is a common illness that is often misunderstood, many who suffer from depression are unaware of the symptoms, fail to receive professional treatment, and as a result are hindered from maintaining a healthy social life.

Depression is a serious illness that can affect anybody, including teenagers. It can affect your thoughts, feelings, behavior, and overall health. Most people with depression can be helped with treatment. But, most depressed people never get the help they need. And when depression isn't treated, it can get worse, last longer, and prevent you from getting the most out of your life.

First, there are two kinds of depression. "The sad kind called major depression dysthymia or reactive depression, and manic-depression or bipolar illness, when feeling down and depressed alternates with being speeded-up and sometimes acting reckless." Having depression doesn't mean that a person is weak, or a failure, or isn't really trying. It means they need treatment. Most people with depression can be helped with counseling provided by a professional psychologist and some are helped with counseling and medicine.

Counseling or psychotherapy means talking about feelings with a psychologist who can help you change the relationships, thoughts, or behaviors that are causing the depression.

Medicine is used to treat depression that is severe or disabling. Antidepressant medications are not "uppers" and are not addictive. But most often, counseling alone is sufficient. With treatment, most depressed people start to feel better in just a few weeks.

Most people who are depressed do not commit suicide. But depression increases the risk for suicide or suicide attempts. It is Not true that people who talk about suicide do not attempt it.

Sometimes people get seriously depressed after something like a divorce in the family, major financial problems, someone you love dying, a messed up home life, or breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Other times, depression just happens. Often teenagers react to the pain of depression by getting into trouble. Trouble with alcohol, drugs, sex, trouble with school or bad grades; problems with family or friends. This is another reason why it is important to get treatment for depression before it leads to other trouble.

A lot of depressed people especially teenagers also