Depression affects every aspect of a person's life. It can take the joy out of a life that was once full of meaning, and destroy relationships that once flourished. Individuals suffering from depression can loose their jobs and other valuable opportunities due to the effects of this far reaching disease.

For those who suffer from it, the daily effects of depression are painfully obvious. If you have depression, you wake up in the morning and you open your eyes only to realize that much to your dismay another day has come. Just getting out of bed can be a monumental obstacle that requires a substantial amount of effort. Then of course there is the daunting task of your daily hygiene routine.

For the average person, getting out of bed, taking a shower and brushing their teeth is no big deal, but to the depressed person, that routine may be all that they can bring themselves to accomplish in a day. Sometimes taking a shower just seems like to much work to the depressed individual and that step is simply skipped.

Personal hygiene can greatly suffer as a result of depression. Even the simplest task can feel completely overwhelming. Have you ever considered how inconvenient it is to have to eat several times every day for your entire life in order for your body to function? I guarantee that the severely depressed individual considers this inconvenient fact of life often.

A common side effect of depression is loss of appetite, so some may experience weight loss. Others eat compulsively in an attempt to bury their grief in yet another dish of ice cream. Both extremes can be harmful and can affect self esteem if weight changes are extreme.

Depression can also greatly affect everyday relationships. The spouse of someone with depression may feel helpless and confused at the symptoms that come without any real physiological proof of the underlying problem. They may feel that they are somehow to blame for the unhappiness of their partner. Many a relationship have been immeasurably affected by the crippling reaches of depression.

Even children can be severely affected by a parent who has depression. Studies show that children who have parents that suffer from depression are more likely to struggle with depression in their own lives.

Undoubtedly, depression can also cause serious consequences in the workplace. Because depression often causes decreased motivation and energy, a person might be less efficient at their job than they were previously. This can create problems at work and may cost the individual their job in the end.

When depression is the diagnosis, life can be miserable not only for the person suffering, but for those in their life as well.

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