Not Medical Advice: Research conducted by scientists at NIMH suggests that a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors play a role in depression.
Depression can occur along with other serious illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Depression can make these conditions worse and vice versa. Sometimes medications taken for these illnesses may cause side effects that contribute to depression symptoms.
Depression—also called “clinical depression” or a “depressive disorder”—is a mood disorder that causes distressing symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. To be diagnosed with depression, symptoms must be present most of the day, nearly every day for at least 2 weeks.
Two of the most common forms of depression are:
Major depression — having symptoms of depression most of the day, nearly every day for at least 2 weeks that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. An episode can occur only once in a person’s lifetime, but more often, a person has several episodes.
Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) — having symptoms of depression that last for at least 2 years. A person diagnosed with this form of depression may have episodes of major depression along with periods of less severe symptoms.
Read more important info about depression at The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Discover these 9 Surprising Depression Symptoms from Prevention.
In health buzz, Google is getting involved with people’s mental health, rolling out a tool to help steer people who may have depression toward treatment.
They’ve partnered up with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to reach out to people who may be depressed, by asking a simple question: Are you depressed? The hope is that getting people to begin to evaluate their own mental health will act as a catalyst to seeking treatment. Find out more at Forbes.