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Depression is more than feeling sad or irritable for a few days. It's a serious mood disorder — one of the most common mental disorders in the United States — and it can change how you think, how you feel and how you get through the day. Sleeping, eating or working can all become hard, sometimes without any reason you can name.
Depression often needs long-term treatment, but getting help at the first sign makes symptoms easier to manage.
Types
| Type | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Major depression | a depressed mood or loss of interest that disrupts daily life for at least two weeks |
| Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) | milder symptoms that last longer — usually at least two years |
| Seasonal affective disorder | comes with late fall and early winter, lifts in spring and summer |
| Bipolar disorder (sometimes called manic depression) | intense mood swings |
| Depression with psychosis | a severe form with delusions (false beliefs) or hallucinations (seeing, hearing or feeling things that aren't there) |
Major depression and persistent depressive disorder are the most common.
Causes and risk
Depression can come from a mix of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors — and sometimes there's no clear cause. It can happen at any age to anyone, but it's more common in women, often because of physical and hormonal changes during menstruation, pregnancy, the postpartum period and menopause.
Your risk is higher if a close relative has depression or another mental health disorder, and higher still after trauma or stressful life events. Depression can also come with other mental disorders or long-term illnesses such as diabetes, cancer or heart disease, and each can make the other worse.
Signs
Depression doesn't look the same in everyone, and it isn't always sadness.
| Who | How it may show |
|---|---|
| Children | more irritable than sad |
| Teens | acting out or sleeping too much |
| Older adults | symptoms may be less obvious |
| Men | often anger or irritability rather than sadness |
Some medicines and medical conditions cause symptoms that look like depression.
Symptoms are ongoing and get in the way of daily life. They can include:
- feeling sad or "empty"; feeling hopeless, irritable, anxious or guilty;
- losing interest in things you used to enjoy;
- eating too much or not at all; sleeping too much or too little;
- feeling very tired;
- aches and pains, headaches, cramps or digestive trouble;
- changes in mood or behavior; drinking or using drugs more;
- pulling away from family and friends;
- thoughts of death or suicide.
Diagnosis
If you think you might be depressed, talk with your health care provider or a mental health provider. They may use:
- a medical history — your symptoms and your family's history. For a diagnosis, symptoms must be present most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, and one must be a depressed mood or loss of interest in most activities;
- medical tests to rule out other causes, such as viruses or thyroid disorders;
- a physical exam;
- a mental health evaluation.
Treatment
Most treatment combines medicine, psychotherapy or both.
- Antidepressants can help control symptoms. You may need to try several to find the one that works, they can take time, and they can have side effects. Don't stop a medicine without talking to your provider first, and tell them about any side effects that worry you.
- Psychotherapy (talk therapy), alone or in a group, helps you recognize and change troubling emotions, thoughts and behaviors, and can give you and your family support, education, skills and ways to cope.
- Light therapy has been shown to work for seasonal affective disorder.
If depression is severe or other treatment isn't working:
| Treatment | |
|---|---|
| Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) | a mild electric current applied under general anesthesia; used most for severe depression that hasn't improved with other treatment |
| Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) | uses magnetic waves; less powerful than ECT, but needs no anesthesia and carries a low risk to memory and thinking |
Prevention
Most depression can't be prevented, but healthy habits help your mental health over the long run: regular exercise, a consistent sleep schedule and managing stress.
If you or someone you love seems depressed, see a provider — and get help early. If someone has thoughts of hurting themselves or of suicide, get help right away; in an emergency, call 911.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Sources
Based on the MedlinePlus health topic "Depression," National Library of Medicine, drawing on the National Institute of Mental Health; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Лицензия: CC0 1.0 (общественное достояние) · По материалам medlineplus.gov
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