by Liane Laskoske

Created on: January 09, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

If you put a piece of charcoal under pressure and, eventually, you'll end up with a diamond. If you put a tomato under pressure, you end up with a mess on your countertop. That's what depression does to you. What causes depression can be either psychological, chemical, or physiological, meaning, in your head, in your blood, or even just your aching back.

Let's look at the description of depression first:

Depression is not just feeling sad. It's also not something you can just "get over".
Here is the list of symptoms of clinical depression taken from www.depression.com:
constant feelings of sadness, irritability, or tension
decreased interest or pleasure in usual activities or hobbies
loss of energy, feeling tired despite lack of activity
a change in appetite, with significant weight loss or weight gain
a change in sleeping patterns, such as difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or sleeping too much
restlessness or feeling slowed down
decreased ability to make decisions or concentrate
feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt
thoughts of suicide or death

Depression is caused by an imbalance of a chemical in the brain called a neurotransmitter. How the chemical gets imbalanced is still under study, but many things can trigger the imbalance. Life changes that cause stress or pressure such as divorce, family problems, death in the family, financial problems, and loss of a job can cause it. Constant physical pain or ill health can also cause it.

Anyone can become clinically depressed, and people in ill health, or in pain, are particularly susceptible. Depression is not limited to men or women, though women are twice as likely to have it. According to NIMH at www.nimh.nih.gov, women and men cope differently with depression. Men are more likely to turn to drugs or alcohol because of depression, become abusive, or become reckless. Women are more susceptible because of monthly hormonal changes due to menses, but childbirth and menopause can also be triggers. Children can also become victims of depression and can result in eating disorders, substance abuse, disruptive behavior or even suicide. The elderly are more likely not to get treatment as many are reluctant to talk about their symptoms and are the most likely to be undiagnosed.

Treatments include drug therapy with antidepressants or even herbal remedies such as St John's Wort, and psychotherapy. Sometimes a combination of treatments is more effective. Recently, a more refined version of the old "shock

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