Depression isn’t the same as being sad or discouraged.  Those feelings are just part of being alive. Depression is an illness, one that can be controlled with proper treatment or that can ruin your life if you don’t get the help you need.

Are You In Depression?

Depression may look and sound likes the blues, but it lasts longer and has a more profound impact on a person’s life. If you’re clinically depressed, you live in a state of sadness and hopelessness so severe that it makes normal activi­ties seem impossible. You may lose interest in friends or hobbies, have suicidal thoughts, or feel overwhelming guilt because you can’t “snap out of it.” Depression can kill your appetite or make you want to eat all the time. Sleep­ing more or less than usual and having problems concentrating can also be warning signs.

Depression can happen to anyone. Sometimes it’s triggered by an emo­tional blow such as a divorce or the death of a loved one, but it can also appear out of nowhere.

A family history of depression can also put you at risk. We see depres­sion running in families just as diabetes and high blood pressure run in fam­ilies. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other causes, but a family history of depression makes a person more prone to it.

Depression often surfaces during times of transition, such as the teenage years, midlife, and retirement. The elderly are particularly vulnerable: doctor estimates that people over age 60 are four times as likely to be depressed as younger people.

Hormones can also play a role. Some women who take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy may experience depression as an effect of their pills and should see their doctors for guidance. Premenstrual and post­partum depressions are also common.

Not much has changed in our understanding of depression over the last decade except for this: Its incidence is rising. The National Institute of Men­tal Health estimates that depression is the leading cause of disability among Americans ages 15 to 44. In any given year, about 15 million Americans—or nearly 7 percent of the population—suffer from depression. But what’s most frightening is that children are the fastest-growing group that suffers from clinical depression—already, 23 percent of American children are considered depressed.