Experiencing sadness or grief when an unhappy event occurs is normal. Being unable to bounce back from the situation, even after several weeks, is not. Depression is a mental illness that causes a person to feel sad and hopeless much of the time, to the point where it interferes with normal activities. It’s more than just a bad mood: Studies have shown that physical changes in the brain contribute to depression, and many patients can’t just “snap out of it.”

Depression often runs in families, but it can happen to anyone at any time. A depressive episode may begin during an illness or a stressful event—such as childbirth or a death in the family—or may be linked to medication, alcohol, or illegal drug use. These triggers can interfere with the production of brain chemicals that regulate mood, causing people to become irritable, forgetful, or uninterested in things they used to enjoy. They may gain or lose weight, sleep too much or too little, or complain about pains that don’t have a physical cause. Severe depression can lead to thoughts about or attempts at suicide. If a person experiences these symptoms consistently for more than 2 weeks, he or she may be diagnosed with depression.

Treatment for depression typically involves psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy, in which patients talk to mental health professionals about potential causes of and solutions for their problems. More severe depression may require antidepressant medications that normalize chemicals in the brain, but it can take several tries to find a drug that’s effective for a certain individual, and it usually takes a few weeks for the drug to start working. Some people need to take medication for the rest of their lives, because it’s likely that they will relapse even after they’ve recovered. For extreme cases of depression that don’t respond to other treatments, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be used. The safety and effectiveness of ECT—electrical currents sent through the brain that trigger brief seizures—has improved, so this treatment can now provide hope where previously there was very little.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men are, but men are more likely to commit suicide because of it.
  2.   Specific diagnoses include psychotic depression (characterized by hallucinations or delusions), postpartum depression (occurring within a month after giving birth), and seasonal affective disorder (triggered by dark, cold winters). Having mild symptoms of depression for 2 years or longer is known as dysthymic disorder.
  3. St. John’s wort, an ancient herbal remedy for depression, is widely used as a supplement to fight depression; however, studies have shown that is ineffective against major depression.