Deppression - 1 of 10 Person has it !
by Dr.Hassan Farooq M.D

What ls Depression?
Depression is common. lt affects nearly 1 in 10 adults each year. lt is 2 times more common in women. Depression can occur at any age. Generally it appears during the late teens to mid- 20s. Depression is also common in older adults. Fortunately, depression is very treatable.

Depression is a serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feet, the way you think and how you act. Depression has a variety of symptoms:

1. Deep feeling of sadness
2. inappropriate guilt
3. Fatigue, low energy, tiredness
4. Restlessness or irritability
5. Sleeping too much or too little
6. Marked loss of interest in things that were enjoyable
7. Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
8. Thoughts of death, suicide or attempted suicide
9. Feeling worthless, hopeless or helpless
10. Appetite changes with or without weight changes

Depression is different from sadness
The death of a loved one, loss of a job, or the ending of a relationship are difficult experiences to endure. Person experiencing difficulty might describe their sadness as being "depressed." Sadness and depression are not the same. Feelings of sadness will decrease with time, the disorder of depression can continue for months, even years. Person experiencing depression may himself notice important differences between normal sadness and the disabling depression.

What Causes Depression?
Depression can affect anyone, even a person who appears to live in relatively ideal circumstances. Following factors may play a role in the onset of depression:

1. Chemical imbalance: Abnormal brain levels of serotonin and nor-epinephrine contribute to
   symptoms of depression, anxiety, irritability and fatigue.
2. Genetics: Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression, the
   other has a 70% chance of having the illness sometime during [life.
3. Personality: Persons with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who are
   generally pessimistic appear to be vulnerable to depression"
4. Environment:  Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty may place person at risk
   of depression. Also, medical conditions (e.g., chronic pain, vitamin deficiency, brain tumor) can
   cause depression, it is extremely important to be evaluated by physician to rule out medical causes
   of depression.

Treatment of depression
Depression is among the most treatable thinking disorders. Treatment is eventually effective in 80% to 90% with some relief in almost all patients.

1. Healthy habits: Exercise, proper diet, vacation or changing jobs are generally insufficient by themselves to treat depression.
2. Medication: Antidepressants are prescribed to correct chemical imbalances in the brain after an interview or history taking, physical examination and appropriate blood testing. The purpose of the evaluation is to find specific symptoms, medical and family history, cultural settings and environmental factors for proper diagnosis and selecting the most suitable medication.
3. Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy, or "talk therapy," is frequently used atone or in combination with medications to better understand the patient.

Depression is never normal - Causes needless suffering - With medical help most will overcome it