Depression
What to know
Statistics
- 1 in 10 Americans are effected some time in their lives by depression
- About 6 million people are affected by late life depression, but only 10% ever receive treatment
- Women experience depression at twice the rate of men.
- Depression is the cause of over two-thirds of the 30,000 reported suicides in the U.S. each year
- Up to 80% of those treated for depression show an improvement in their symptoms generally within four to six weeks of beginning medication, psychotherapy, attending support groups or a combination of these treatments.
Signs and Symptoms
A person may be depressed if, for more than two weeks, he or she has felt sad, down or miserable most of the time or has lost interest or in usual activities
Signs & Symptoms
Signs & Symptoms
- tired all of the time
- sick and run down
- headaches and muscle pains
- sleep problems
- change in appetite
- sad & miserable
Types of Depression
Melancholia
There are major changes that the person can be observed to move more slowly. The person is also more likely to have a depressed mood that is by completely loss of pleasure in everything, or almost everything.
Psychotic depression
This can involve hallucinations or delusions, such as believing they are bad or evil, or that they are being watched or followed. They can also be paranoid, feeling as though everyone is against them or that they are the cause of illness or bad events occurring around them.
Antenatal and postnatal depression
Women are at an increased risk of depression during pregnancy and in the year following childbirth. Days immediately following birth, many women experience the 'baby blues' which is a common condition related to hormonal changes, affecting up to 80 per cent of women.