Thursday, February 12, 2009

What You Should Know About Medical Depression

By Russell Kemerling

Depression is a medical condition. Depression is comprised of many stages of illness. They can range from mild depression, Bi-polar disorders or manic depression, all the way up to major depression. Depression is no doubt considered a disease. It's a mental disease, but a disease nonetheless. It strikes a critical organ, the brain. Depression doesn't make a person a lesser person. It does not place you in a category that is stereotyped as weird or nuts. Just like other illnesses it can be treated.

Early depression is hard to detect. Sadness is part of life. People can become sad for a variety of reasons. This alone does not constitute depression. Depression isn't short term. Depression is long term. If the depressed mood seems to linger week after week and begins to affect your daily life than that is a sure sign of depression . Radical mood swings are a sure sign of depression. Bad eating and inability to sleep are also signals.

Medical depression has complex causes. It leaves open many possibilities and factors that must be taken into consideration. Stress is certainly one of the major causes of depression. There is so much stress in our lives today. Stress is part of personal interaction. Stress comes from balancing the books. Raising children is stressful and so can result in medical depression. Some forms of medical depression come on after losing a loved one. Chemical, environmental and even genetic issues further complicate the situation.

There are treatments for medical depression. Over 17 million Americans each and every year are affected in some way by medical depression. The negative result is that only a third will ever seek medical assistance. A cure isn't possible without diagnosis. Treatment usually involves a combination of therapy and medications or herbs. Support groups where patients meet and talk with people with the same problem exist. It's not wise to go it alone when dealing with medical depression. It will not heal itself. Consult a doctor if you or someone you know shows signs of medical depression. - 16004

About the Author: