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Depression Types, Symptoms, and Treatment

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What is Depression? Depression is a medical illness that causes a constant feeling of hopelessness and lack of interest. Depression affects how the person feels, behaves and thinks. This can lead to emotional and physical problems. Typically, people with depression find it hard to go about their day-to-day activities, and may also feel that life is not worth living. However, depression is not uniform. Signs and symptoms may be experienced by some sufferers and not by others. How severe the symptoms are, and how long they last depends on the individual person and their illness. Warning signs include symptoms such as: constant feeling of sadness, anxiety, and emptiness , a general feeling of pessimism, feelings of restlessness or hopelessness, loss of interest in activities, low energy or fatigue, disturbed sleep patterns, and in extreme cases suicidal thoughts. Many people are ashamed to ask for help because they are afraid of what other people might think. However, depression is a common illness for which there are many treatments.
Types of Depression There are many different types of depression. Events in your life can trigger some, while others are caused by chemical changes in your brain. A few examples include: Major Depression, in which you feel depressed most of the time for most days of the week. Bipolar depression, in which you have high and low extremes. During the low phase, patients have the symptoms of major depression, while in the high phase they exhibit mania. Seasonal Affective disorder is a period of major depression that most often happens during winter, when you get less sunlight. Treatment is light therapy in which the patient sits in front of a special light for a period of time each day. Lastly, postpartum depression is when women have major depression in the weeks or months after childbirth. Antidepressant drugs can help.
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