Sad Today? Signs of Depression | Causes of Depression

Depression And Other Mood Disorders

Doctors used to believe that depression was a disease of late life, affecting older people more frequently than younger ones. In fact, recent studies have shown that quite the opposite is true. Depression is slightly more common in people between the ages of 18 and 64 than it is among those over 65. Even so, depression remains the most common psychiatric disorder among older adults, and it's particularly common among those who are hospitalized for illness or who are living in long-term care facilities. Depression causes untold misery for sufferers and their families alike, and in extreme cases it's so painful and debilitating that people consider and attempt suicide. The most common type of depressive illness is major depression. Other types of depression that affect older adults include bipolar disorder (also known as "manic depression" ) and dysthymia. Depression can be a special problem in people over age 65 for several reasons:

* While younger people who are depressed tend to have classic symptoms of depression sleep and appetite disturbances, crying, depressed mood older people often develop physical symptoms that may mask the disorder. These include aches and pains, intestinal complaints, breathing problems and feelings of anxiety. * When asked by a doctor if they feel depressed, older people are more likely to deny feelings of hopelessness and despair. * Doctors who lack experience with older patients may misdiagnose and mistreat depression, or they may believe it's a normal response to the pressures and losses of old age rather than an illness that can be treated. * It's often easier for older people who no longer work or care for families to conceal their depression than it is for younger people, who must still show up at the office or take their children to school. * Because of the stigma associated with depression and other mental illnesses, older people may be reluctant to seek help. They tend to turn their distress in to physical symptoms and then seek medical attention for unexplained headaches, back pain and intestinal problems.

Family History

If a close relative (a grandparent, parent or sibling) has suffered from depression, you are at increased risk. Although this suggests a genetic component to the illness, it's also possible that depression runs in families for other reasons for example, children who are raised by a depressed parent may fail to learn healthy ways of coping with stress, and this can leave them vulnerable to depression. But this doesn't explain why depression is more likely to affect someone whose aunt, uncle or a distant grandparent suffered from it than someone who has no family history of depression. Early Loss

Researchers have noted a striking pattern of childhood loss among people who suffer from depression for example, the early loss of a parent because of death, divorce or serious illness. This may cause deep-rooted emotional problems that leave them open to depression later in life, especially when they experience other losses. Physical Illness

Depression often accompanies physical illness, although researchers aren't sure why. It's possible that the stress of illness triggers depression, but in some cases particularly with depression after stroke biochemical changes in the brain may occur that cause depression. Certain diseases and conditions that seem to trigger depression are more common in older adults for example, cancer, chronic pain, stroke, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, thyroid failure and vitamin B 12 deficiency. One study found that about half of all people who suffered a heart attack became clinically depressed, and more than 70 percent of them remained that way for at least a year. Medication

Certain drugs that older people take to treat other illnesses are known to cause mood changes as a side effect. If you think your depressed mood may be related to a medication, tell your doctor. She may decide to switch you to a different class of drug.

Depression often accompanies physical illness, although researchers aren't sure why. Learn more about depression help and know why it happens. Also know about natural herbal supplements which will help you cure depression more rapidly.

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The Different Types Of Depression
There are many different types of depression. Depression can take many forms, and so many healthcare professionals use a number of different terms when referring to depression. Seasonal affective disorder, clinical depression, and bipolar depression are all commonly diagnosed types of depression. What really causes a lot of confusion when someone is diagnosed with depression is that it can very often overlap with another illness. Conditions such as substance abuse or an eating disorder may be confused with depression, and can make any form of depression rather hard to diagnose. The following are some very common forms of depression.

Easy Ways to find the Right Treatment for Depression.
Depression or prolonged sadness is actually quite common in the United States, around 9.5 percent of the American population actually suffers from this illness, however, not all of them get to be treated, thus, and depression and its ill-effects continue to be a burden to some individuals.

Depression Tests - How To Diagnose Depression with Depression Tests
Depression is a very vague term, that confuses a lot of people. It's hard to tell whether you suffer from depression or not. However, there are certain depression tests are out there to help diagnose someone suffering from depression, and what kind of treatment is required, based on the type of depression they may suffer from. If you want to learn about the different depression tests potential depression patients undergo, then you should read this article.

Recognizing Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder
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Herbs for Depression: A Suitable Alternative to Depression Pharmaceuticals?
Herbs for depression are often seen as a viable alternative to pharmaceutical treatment of depression. However, actual data showing an effectiveness of herbs for depression is rare and thus it is currently hardly possible to make a final verdict on the usefulness of herbal treatment for depression in general. Also, there seems to be only limited interest from western medicine to study the effects of herbs for depression in a clinically relevant setting. So from a patient's perspective the question remains: What is the evidence that herbal treatment for depression works? By far the best studied herbal treatment for depression is without doubt St. John's wort.

When Traditional Depression Treatment Isn?'t Enough
Whether you?'ve suffered from depression symptoms periodically, or continuously for a significant amount of time, there may be a point where you need to ask yourself, ??Isn?'t there another way to control this disease??? Though you may have tried medical interventions and prescription drugs as depression treatments, you long for a more holistic health remedy that won?'t tax your body (or your wallet) the way some medications can.

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The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) launches its 2007 Bipolar Disorder Awareness campaign, emphasizing the importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment for people living with bipolar disorder, including the role of mania and depression.

Chronic Depression: Disease or Charcter Flaw?
A major survey on depression symptoms from the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), released in july 2001, revealed a dramatic degree of progress in public understanding. Yet even amid this promising trend, the survey sheds light on the difficulties faced by millions of people striving to manage this sometimes chronic, life-long illness.

Why Bipolar Disorder Usually Develops in Late Teens or Early Adulthood?
Bipolar disorder is manic-depressive illness, based on a persons mood swings, energy and capacity for action is very concentrated Unlike the usual ups and downs of working with mental health and mental disorders are associated

New Report Dispels Greatest Myths about Bipolar Disorder
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I Live with a Depressed Person: What Can I Do?
Depression has become a modern day epidemic, with 20 million Americans experiencing major depression at some point during their lives. Many more experience mild or moderate depression symptoms.

Oprah Recently Covered the Important Topic of Bipolar Disorder, Finally Giving It the Attention It Deserves - Now Learn Even More in Bipolar Disorder
Commonly referred to as manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is characterized by cycles of mania, depression or mixed emotional states that often disrupt work, school, family and social life. To help sufferers and their loved ones, Bipolar Disorder For Dummies breaks down the barriers to understanding, treating and living with this complex disease.

Bipolar Disorder: Signs, Symptoms, And Causes
Symptoms of Bipolar disorder have been found in a greater percentage of women across America Survey suggests that the count of women getting diagnosed with the disorder increases every year

Depression Tests: A Great Help in Diagnosing Depression Disorders
Depression tests are given by health providers in order to assess the level of depression of the patient Different Depression Tests vary not only in their set of questions but on their assessment procedures as well