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Serious Medical Conditions: Depression

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Depression is a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way. It brings together a variety of physical and psychological symptoms which together constitute a syndrome. At least 10% of people in the U.S. will experience major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. Twice as many women as men experience major depression and is known as the common cold among psychological disorders. Like the common cold, there are many types of depression.
Depression comes in many shapes and forms. The different types of depression have unique symptoms, causes, and effects. Knowing what type of depression you have can help you manage your symptoms and get the most effective treatment. The most general and popular depression is the major depression. “Major depression is characterized by the inability to enjoy life and experience pleasure,” (Smith 1). The symptoms are constant, but range from severe to moderate. Most of the time major depression is a recurrent disorder, but some people, though rare, experience only one episode. Dysthymia is a recurrent, mild depression, where you find yourself for many days “mildly or moderately depressed, although you may have brief periods of normal mood,” (Smith 1). The symptoms are not as strong and evident as major depression, but they last longer-- as in two years long. A condition known as “double depression” is when people have both major depression and dysthymia. People diagnosed with dysthymia feel like they’ve always been depressed or they may believe that having that low mood is normal because they lived that way for a long period of time. On the other hand, cyclothymia is another type of depression where it’s al...

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...nd causes, but the longer left untreated and undiagnosed, the more dangerous the situation becomes. Seeking help is the primary step in the process to recovery. Most of the time, depression is treatable, and has a cure. The important thing is to recognize depression and tell someone, whether it be a family member, a friend, or even you.

Works Cited
Deborah. “What does depression feel like?” Wing of madness. N.p., 1 July 2013. Web. 26 March
2014.
Ingber, Sasha. “Do Animals Get Depressed?” National Geographic Daily News. National
Geographic, 4 October 2012. Web. 26 March 2014.
Levinson, Douglas, and Walter Nichols. “Major Depression and Genetics.” Genetics of Brain
Function. Stanford Medicine, 2014. Web. 25 March 2014.
Smith, Melinda, Joanna Saisan, and Jeanne Segal. “Depression Symptoms & Warning Signs.”
Helpguide. N.p., February 2014. Web. 25 March 2014.
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