Depression is a serious medical illness. It's more than just a feeling of being sad or "blue" for a few days. If you are one of the more than 19 million teens and adults in the United States who have depression, the feelings do not go away. They persist and interfere with your everyday life. Symptoms can include:
- Feeling sad or "empty"
- Loss of interest in favorite activities
- Overeating, or not wanting to eat at all
- Not being able to sleep, or sleeping too much
- Feeling very tired
- Feeling hopeless, irritable, anxious, or guilty
- Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Depression is a disorder of the brain. There are a variety of causes, including genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors. Depression can happen at any age, but it often begins in teens and young adults. It is much more common in women. Women can also get postpartum depression after the birth of a baby. Some people get seasonal affective disorder in the winter. Depression is one part of bipolar disorder.
- Depression (National Library of Medicine)Depression is a serious medical illness. It's more than just a feeling of being sad or "blue" for a few days. If you are one of the more than 19 million teens and ...
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Dysthymic Disorder (National Institutes of Health)Depression/Clinical Trials ... Depression ... National Institutes of Health ... From the National Institutes of Health
- Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) (American Academy of Family Physicians)Depression/Specifics ... Depression ... American Academy of Family Physicians
- Depression (National Institute of Mental Health)Depression/Start Here ... Depression ... National Institute of Mental Health ... This brochure provides information about depression including the different types of ...
- Depression (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)Depression/Women ... Depression ... Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health
- Mental Illness Statistics (National Institute of Mental Health)Mental Disorders/Statistics and Research ... Mental Disorders ... National Institute of Mental Health ... From the National Institutes of Health ... NIMH statistics pages ...