depression

It is thought that depression can affect one in six people over a lifetime. It can take many different forms varying from
the everyday feelings of sadness that we all experience at one time or another to full blown clinical depression which
can lead to feelings that life is worthless and can eventually lead to suicide. 

There are also more specific types of depressive disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Bi-Polar disorder
(Manic Depression) and Post-Natal depression. 

When a person is suffering from depression it can be extremely hard for their friends or loved ones to appreciate that they
are not in control of their emotions. It is not simply a case that he or she can be told to "snap out of it" and make themselves
feel happy or valued. 

Depression can affect any person at any age although it would appear that more women are affected than men. However,
this might be explained by women finding it easier to express their feelings than men or in cultural terms in that men
are more likely to find it unacceptable to admit to feelings of unhappiness or of needing help. 

Typically, depression manifests itself with a bewildering variety of symptoms but feeling anxious, restless, waking up early,
frequent inexplicable crying, lack of sexual interest, feelings of helplessness and low self esteem, self harm and suicidal
thoughts are some of the more frequent feelings that a depressed person might have. 

Sometimes depression may have an obvious cause, such as a bereavement and sometimes it may just come out of the
blue. There are no clear reasons for it although it is thought that Bi-polar disorder may have a genetic cause but this is
still unproven and depression generally may be linked to an under active thyroid. It is most likely that a combination of
our innate personalities and the environment when we were growing up are the main contributory factors to whether
we will experience depression in later life.