Depression Depression Basics

Depression: An Overview

Whether you know it or not, you have firsthand knowledge of depression. You may work with someone that is depressed, have a friend or family member that is depressed, or you may be depressed yourself. How can I be so sure? Let's look at the facts.

Right now, there are more than 25 million depressed people living in the United States. There is a depressed person in one of every five American homes. Major depression (the more serious category of depressive illness) will probably affect 40 million Americans at least once in their lifetime.

If you are a woman or older than the age of 40, you are more likely to report that you are depressed. If you are a depressed male, there is a good chance that you will suffer in silence. This is why the statistics on depression probably underestimate the number of people who are suffering. In addition, more people are now developing depression at a younger age. For the baby-boomer generation (those born after 1940), the number of people that were depressed by the age of 25 is in the tens of millions!

Depression is a very costly affliction in both economic and human terms. Every year businesses in this country lose 15 to 35 billion dollars due to depression. This includes medical treatment, missed workdays, decreased productivity, and increased worker turnover. While businesses lose huge sums of money, people probably lose more, especially if their depression continues untreated. Depression leads to substance abuse, destroys careers and relationships, and wrecks a person's self-esteem.

As mentioned above, the depression statistics are almost certainly under-estimates. This is because many cases of depression are unreported or misdiagnosed. It has been estimated that as many as two-thirds of people who have depression fail to seek treatment. The symptoms of the condition itself often prevent a person from finding help. Difficulty making decisions, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, self loathing, and extreme fatigue are all symptoms of depression that can interfere with a person's motivation to seek treatment.

Another reason that many people do not seek treatment is because depressive illness is misunderstood. These people experience their depression as a sign of weakness. They expect that they should be able to "snap out of it" themselves. In a substantial number of cases these feelings of self-reproach are reinforced by the attitudes of family members or close friends. The truth is that depression is no more a personal failure than cancer, diabetes, or any other medical condition. You cannot "snap out of it" at will. In fact, without proper treatment, depression can last for many months, or even years.

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