Don’’t Let Depression Ruin a Good Thing Feeling down Got the blues You’’re not alone. Everyone gets sad (yes, everyone you’’ve ever met). Some people have sad feelings just once in a while, and others may have sad feelings pretty often. More than half of agers go through a sad period at least once a month and plenty of younger kids do, too. When you’’re in a sad mood, it may feel like it will last forever, but usually feelings of sadness don’’t last very long — a few hours, or maybe a day or two. A deeper, more intense kind of sadness that lasts a lot longer is called depression. Each year millions of people are estimated to suffer from depression, a condition so widespread that it has been dubbed (起绰号，叫做) "the common cold of mental illness." Symptoms of Depression Depression is associated with many symptoms and not everyone has the same ones. Some people have many symptoms, while others may only have a few. The symptoms below may signal that you or someone you love may be depressed: --Appearance — sad face, slow movements, absent-minded look --Unhappy feelings — feeling sad, hopeless, discouraged, or listless --Negative thoughts — "I’’m a failure." "I’’m no good." "No one cares about me." --Reduced activity — "I just sit around and mope." "Doing anything is just too much of an effort." --People problems — "I don’’t want anybody to see me." "I feel so lonely." --Guilt and low self-esteem — "It’’s all my fault." "I should be punished." --Physical problems — sleeping problems, weight loss or gain, decreased ual interest, or head aches --Suicidal thoughts or wishes — "I’’d better off dead." "I wonder if it hurts to die." Causes of Depression The exact cause of depression remains unclear. The most probable explanation is that it is an imbalance in neurotransmitters (神经传递素) in the brain. But what triggers it in the first place First, genetic factors. There is growing interest in genetic approaches to understanding a variety of diseases and depression is no exception. Some people certainly seem to be more vulnerable to depression than others and there is growing evidence that some genes could make individuals susceptible (易受感染的) to the disease. Some studies have shown that people who have relatives with depression have a one in four chance of developing it themselves, compared with only one in four for the general population. Secondly, external triggers. In most cases just having these genes is probably not enough to cause depression on its own. Depression can be triggered by a number of factors such as unemployment, bereavement (丧亡), social isolation or even a severe physical illness. Victims of Depression Anyone may suffer from depression, regardless of age, gender, race and belief. It is "normal" for certain people to feel depressed — such as women, older people, employees with work-related stress, or people with chronic illness. Women are more than twice as likely as men to experience depression. Although the reasons for this difference are not known, research suggests that biological differences in women — such as hormonal (荷尔蒙) changes and genetics — may contribute to depression. Additionally, social reasons, such as greater stresses from work and family responsibilities, and even the increased rates of ual abuse and poverty among women, may lead to higher rates of clinical depression. Depression affects employees at all levels of the corporate ladder. One in every 20 employees experience the illness. An estimated 200 million workdays are lost each year due to employee depression. Depression tends to affect people in their prime working years and if left untreated may last a lifetime. Clinical Depression and Treatment Unfortunately, many employees with depression don’’t seek the treatment they need. Some people are embarrassed to get help for depression, or are reluctant to talk about how they are feeling. Others believe that depression will simply go away on its own, and that they should just "tough it out." Such views are simply wrong — like any other medical illness, depression requires professional treatment. Talking to friends, family members can often give you the support needed when going through life’’s difficulties. However, for those with clinical depression, such support is no substitute for the care of a health professional. Clinical depression is a serious illness that you cannot treat on your own. Clinical depression is one of the most treatable of all medical illnesses. In fact, more than 80% of people with depression can be treated successfully with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both. Many people believe that psychological therapies make more sense than the use of antidepressants (抗抑郁病药) — but this ignores the fact that depression is a genuine physical illness. However, the choice of right treatment depends on a variety of factors, such as severity of illness, presenting symptoms, age, etc. Only a qualified healthcare professional can decide if someone has clinical depression. As with many illnesses, if treatment is needed, the earlier it begins the more effective it can be. Furthermore, early treatment decreases the likelihood of recurrence. The commonest forms of psychotherapy aim to help the depressed person replace negative thoughts and attitudes with a more realistic view of themselves and the world about them. Interpersonal psychotherapy focuses more on past and present relationships and examines how they affect the patient’’s current functioning. Antidepressant therapies (抗抑郁症药物疗法) began in 1956. Now there is a wide choice of antidepressants available. They are the recognized treatment for all forms of moderate and severe depression regardless of cause. About 70 per cent of patients with depression respond to treatment with antidepressants. Antidepressants are useful and effective, they are not addictive and do not lose efficacy (效力，功效) with continued use. Visit www.depression-screening.org/screeningtest.htm, you can determine whether you have symptoms of depression. The website may help identify any depressive symptoms and determine whether a further evaluation by a medical or mental health professional is necessary. Talk with your doctor or a qualified mental health professional if you think you may have symptoms of clinical depression. With recognition and treatment, depression can be overcome! Life can be enjoyable again! Whether depression is a physical disease has not been confirmed yet.