Depression and How to Help
By: Ellie Lantos
What Exactly is Depression?
Most people have the occasional bad day, but someone with depression is stuck in their bad day. The majority of people who get depression are students or teens and they most likely don't seek medical attention to get better. There are many different types, or stages, of depression; Major depression, Persistent depression disorder, Psychotic depression, Postpartum depression, and Seasonal affective disorder. Bipolar disease can also cause depression. Depression is a constant feeling of being sad or bad all of the time. Many people with depression either self harm frequently or try suicide because they can't find a way to be happy. Depression is most common in women and when men have it they experience it very differently.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
Quotes
- Depression is "More than just a bout of the blues, depression isn't a weakness, nor is it something you can simply 'snap out' of."
- "... sadness and depression are not the same."
http://www.psychiatry.org/depression
- "There is no one way that people look and behave when they have major depression. "
- Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older, in a given year.
- As many as one in 33 children and one in eight adolescents have clinical depression.
- About six million people are affected by late life depression, but only 10% ever receive treatment.
How to Help Yourself
- Get help from a doctor
- Exercise
- Find your warning signs and pay attention to them
- Stick to your treatment plan or medicine
- Research and find out more about depression
How to Help Others
- Talk to your friend or family to see how they feel
- Let them tell you what is bothering them; if they have lost a loved one, let them tell you about it, to get it off their chest
- Instead of leaving them out, invite them places
- If they come to you asking for help, give it to them