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Would You Like To Take Our Depression Test?
Depression Chat and Depression Support Group
Inroduction to Depression
Here you find information on Clinical, Manic, and Teenage Depression as well
as discussions as to it's cause, treatment and ways to get help. We also have
a simple Depression Test you can take to give you an idea if you need to see
a doctor.
Often you hear the term Bipolar Depression, or Manic Depression, both of these
are actually better clarified in our section on Bipolar Disorder.
Depression is a serious mental illness not just a "bad feeling" you
can "get over" or just control with your mind. A depressive illness
can be very devastating, both health wise as well as economically. The estimates
for depressive related illness state that in any given 1-year period, 9.5% of
the population, or about 19 million American adults,suffer from a depressive
illness. The economic cost is estimated at $30.4 billion a year, but the cost
in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depression can and does interfere with
normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a
disorder, but also to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy
family life as well as the life of the ill person. But much of this suffering
is unnecessary.
Most people with a depression or a depressive illness do not seek treatment,
although the great majority, even those whose depression is extremely severe
can be helped. Thanks to years of fruitful research, the medications and psychosocial
therapies that ease the pain of depression are at hand.
Unfortunately, many people do not recognize that depression is a treat able
illness. If you feel that you or someone you care about is one of the many undiagnosed
people in this country that suffer from depression or a depressive illness,
the information presented here may help you take the steps that may save your
own or someone else's life.
With available treatment, 80 percent of the people with serious depression,
even those with the most severe forms can improve significantly. Symptoms can
be relieved, usually in a matter of weeks.
Many Do Not Recognize Their Depressive Illness
Nearly two-thirds of depressed people do not get appropriate treatment because
their symptoms:
- Are not recognized.
- Are blamed on personal weakness.
- Are so disabling that people cannot reach out for help.
- Are misdiagnosed and wrongly treated.
A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts.
It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself,
and the way one thinks about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as
a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that
can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely
"pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms
can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help
most people who suffer from depression.
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