When to Seek Help for Depression
While almost everybody suffers from feelings of sadness from time to time, not all sad feelings may be considered as clinical depression. This is because this term refers to a much more critical mental health disorder. Clinical depression or major depressive order, as some may call it, is a mental disorder characterized by extreme sadness and such symptoms as sleep disturbances, change in appetite, fatigue, agitation, trouble concentrating, or loss of interest in family or social relationships. In most cases, those who are clinically depressed also show signs of panic disorders and anxiety.
Around 16% of the population experiences clinical depression and it happens in almost all types of people regardless of their race or socioeconomic origin. There are more women than men who suffer from clinical depression, but some experts believe this may merely because women have a greater tendency to seek help.
While the real cause of clinical depression is not yet known, some believe there is a genetic factor to this condition. Upsetting and stressful events such as job loss, poverty, death of a loved one or sexual abuse may aggravate the symptoms of clinical depression; however, researches have not yet established whether these traumatic experiences can actually lead to this condition. Sickness and poor diet are also believed to worsen depression in some individuals, but this requires further studies before it can be accepted as an accurate conclusion.
In the treatment of clinical depression, antidepressant medications are used in most cases. Psychotherapy may also be recommended in other cases.
It is important to treat clinical depression in its early stage. Otherwise, it could increase the risk of drug abuse and alcoholism. If depression is not treated in people who are also suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease they may have trouble in managing their health care. In extreme cases, untreated depression may even result in suicide.