Major Depression Disorder: Information, Causes, Sign and Symptoms

When people say "seriously depressed," this is what they mean. Major depression often causes despair and hopelessness so profound that the person loses interest in life, becomes incapable of feeling pleasure and sexual arousal, and may be unable to get out of bed or eat for days at a time. But this illness may also cause other symptoms not easily recognized as depression: weight loss or gain; anxiety, irritability, or agitation; chronic indecisiveness; or sleep disturbances (insomnia or sleeping all the time). In other words, you can suffer a major depression and NOT FEEL BLUE.

Very often, major depression strikes without any triggering loss. This can be confusing and frustrating for both the person affected, and his or her loved ones. We want our illnesses to have clear causes. But many serious diseases do not: diabetes, cancer, arthritis. That's how it is with major depression. It's a serious disease that often develops with no discernible triggering event.

Major Depression Symptom

Sleep problems. Insomnia or sleeping all the time. Appetite problems. Loss of appetite or major weight gain. Lack of energy. Apathy, lethargy, no interest in anything. Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and/or terrible guilt. Difficulty concentrating, or unusual indecisiveness. Suicidal thoughts, or suicide attempts.

Beyond the almost unbearable misery it causes, the big risk in major depression is suicide. Within five years of suffering a major depression, an estimated 25 percent of sufferers try to kill themselves. The myth is that people who talk about suicide don't attempt it. The fact is that many people announce their intention before their suicide attempts. Take any talk of suicide very seriously. Call the person's doctor immediately.

Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depression)

This illness involves major depressive episodes alternating with high-energy periods of wildly unrealistic activity. A manic friend might, for example, call at 3 a.m. to announce in all seriousness that she's flying to Hollywood immediately to marry Robert Redford, and star in his next movie.

Typically, bipolar disorder develops without any clear cause.

Leave your comments