To perceive depression as a sign of weakness or as a flaw in character would not be fair to those people who continue to suffer from depression disorders.  Much as they would like to snap out of a state of constant panic, worry, and sadness, the problem does not go away if you simply ignore it. You have to recognize that there is a scientific basis to it and acknowledge that it is a medical illness which has to be treated.  Most types of depression are triggered by an imbalance in neurotransmitters and neuropeptides which convey brain signals throughout the nervous system.  Mild cases of depression can be treated with antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs which try to restore this balance.

You can be predisposed to depression when this disorder runs in your family, or you can experience depression even without any family history on it.  Imagine the combination when both your genetic makeup and your life experiences contribute to aggravating your condition.  Everything about your life, from your sleep, to your appetite, to your interest in life gets disoriented.  You lose the ability to work, socialize, and enjoy the comforts of life.  When you are in such a state of OCD, nothing about you feels right and you have to keep putting some semblance of order into your life without any success that sometimes, you simply fall apart.  People technically refer to it as a nervous breakdown, but to the one personally involved, it’s so much worse.

There are different types and degrees of depression which you could be subjected to depending on the interplay of both your personal nature and the nurture of your environment.  In a list of possible causes of depression, there are those who experience temporary episodes after giving birth, and this is known as postpartum depression.  There are also those who experience occasional mood swings which coincide with the changing of the seasons in a condition known as seasonal affective disorder.  Some people are natural worrywarts who are so prone to anxiety and panic attacks.  Chronic worriers are likely candidates for a dysthmic type of depression unless they will themselves and learn to fight it.

Depression is hard enough when you have a clinical or unipolar type wherein you have major bouts of depression which lower your mood and recur every time you are faced with stressful events like the passing away of a loved one or a breakdown in a personal relationship.  It can be so much worse when you are ridden with a bipolar disorder wherein you go through the low moods which are typical of bipolar depression and the high moods which express themselves as a mania or a compulsion to do things which border on the psychotic.

People who experience depression go through so many extremes.  Sometimes, they are so quiet and withdrawn.  They are unable to explain why they feel sad or are compelled to cry.  On the other hand, they are easily irritated with people and they have issues with anger management.  They feel pessimistic with life and are indifferent to the feelings of others.  It is like they cannot take pleasure in anything and they cannot find worth in themselves.  One thing all depressed people share in common is that they are all utterly unhappy.

Cases of depression are hardest to treat when they are combined with mental illness and substance abuse.  Not only do they lead to manic forms of behavior like hyperactivity and violence, but they also lead to suicidal and homicidal tendencies.    Serious mental disorders like schizophrenia in advanced stages and long term abuse of drugs and alcohol already interfere with a person’s perception of reality and his or her reactions toward attempts to give help and
administer therapy.  How to cure them would be a major challenge both for the doctor handling the case and the family rallying behind them.

Aside from constant medication, patients suffering from depression disorders will have to go through long-term, regular sessions of psychotherapy and talk therapy with support groups.  As with any form of treatment, the symptoms which apply to one patient may not necessarily be shown by another such that the medication and psychological remedy to be given by a health provider should be the one which works best for the individual person.

* Disclaimer:  DepressionDisorders.org is meant to be informative in nature only and not give any medical recommendations. For medical recommendations please see your family doctor of physician.