Depression Treatment
Signs of Depression
Causes of Depression

Discover more about Depression

Understanding Depression

What is depression? In our search towards understanding, toward trying to determine its causes and effects can be a daunting task. The text books on the subject can run several hundred pages. The scope of information covered many times will cause confusion rather than understanding. This website has put together a series of articles, in which we will cover several different aspect of “Depression.” We will try to approach the subject so that you the reader may become more informed and will gain a more through understanding of depression, its causes, its effects and possibly some solutions.

Depression or a "depressed Emotional mood",  What does that really mean? If you look it up in the dictionary, it gives the definition as:

• The act of depressing
• State of being depressed

When we refer to as a state of Melancholia, unhappiness or sadness, or to a relatively minor downturn in mood, it is something that may last only a few hours or days. This is quite distinct from the medical diagnosis of "Clinical depression". However, if a depressed mood lasts at least two weeks, and is accompanied by other symptoms that interfere with daily living, it may be seen as a Symptom of clinical depression, Dysthymia or some other diagnosable "Mental illness", or alternatively as sub-syndromal depression.

In the field of Psychiatry, the word depression can also have this meaning of low mood but more specifically refers to a mental illness when it has reached a severity and duration to warrant a Diagnosis, whether there is an obvious situational cause or not; see "Clinical depression”. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ("Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" [DSM]) states that a depressed mood is often reported as being: "... depressed, sad, hopeless, discouraged, or 'down in the dumps'." In a clinical setting, a depressed mood can be something a patient reports (a Symptom), or something a clinician observes (a "Sign [medicine]”), or both.

A depressed mood is generally situational and reactive, and associated with grief, loss, or a major social transition. A change of residence, marriage, divorce, the break-up of a significant relationship, graduation, or job loss are all examples of instances that might trigger a depressed mood.

Alternative Medicine for Depression
Trying Something Natural Many of those who live with depression as part of their daily lives want to use something other than antidepressants to help them. Seeing the possibility of a lifetime of taking medication many sufferers of...more info on Depression


Augmentors Can Make Depression Medications Work Better
When treating depression with antidepressants all health care providers will usually follow similar steps. They begin by trying the most successful medications first and if they do not work then they continue on down the line. The patient will try...more info on Depression


Bipolar Disorder Depression and Mania
Bipolar disorder, formerly know as manic depression, is another form of metal illness but this one has two sides to it. One side leaves the person suffering from severe depression while the other side gives them a feeling of manic high that makes...more info on Depression


Childhood Depression a Serious Problem
There are still too many people who think that depression is an illness that is suffered either by adult premenstrual women or old men. These people have a lot to learn about this very difficult disorder. The scary thing is that with nearly sixteen...more info on Depression


Circadian Rhythm Disorder Can Cause Depression
There are some people who feel that the main thing behind depression is an upset of the body's circadian rhythms. The belief is that with the way modern man lives the lifestyle we have chosen our body clocks no longer run our bodies. We wake...more info on Depression

Dealing with Depression
Some depressive people spend a long time searching for answers before they feel ready to do anything significant as far as treatment is concerned. This is sometimes because of denial. Or it may be the fact that they do not want to admit that they...more info on Depression


Depression and Alcohol
There is a viscous circle that occurs because of depression and the way it makes a person feel. This mental illness causes the sufferer to feel intensely sad, sometimes worthless and alone. To counter these feelings many depressives turn to alcohol,...more info on Depression



Device for Epilepsy Helps Depression
Frequently in the treatment of certain medical conditions doctors and researchers stumble on something that will turn out to be equally capable of treating a condition they were not investigating. Many medical miracles have been discovered this way....more info on Depression


More Causes of Depression
There are more causes of depression than most people think. Aside from the standard ones that everyone is aware of like hormone deficiencies, a diet heavy in omega-3 acids, seasonal changes in sunlight or ups and downs of bipolar disorder there are...more info on Depression