Depression

Depression: Introduction

Depression, also known as clinical depression, is a serious medical and mental health diagnosis that is associated with many factors, including the balance of chemicals in the brain. Depression can manifest as a large variety of symptoms. It is most often associated with feelings of sadness or despair that do not go away. Depression can negatively affect a person's ability to function effectively in the activities of daily living, such as going to work and school, caring for family, and taking care of basic needs. More than 20 million people in the United States have depression, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Depression is often thought of as experiencing feelings of sadness, "having the blues", or being disheartened. However, there is a major difference between having normal feelings of sadness in reaction to a situation, such as a death in the family, and having depression. Normal feelings of sadness, although painful, generally resolve after a short time. For example, feeling blue after losing a job is normal, and normally the feelings improve or resolve as the situation is addressed, by looking for a new job, going to interviews, and landing the new job. For people with depression, the experience of losing a job is very different. The feelings of sadness linger beyond a short time and intensify to the point that they begin to interfere with the ability to cope with the situation and look for a new job. This in turn can intensify the depression.

Feelings of sadness are also a normal part of the grieving process experienced when a person losses something or someone very important to him or her. For example, nearly everyone will normally experience some level of sadness after losing a loved one. Even very intense feelings of despair can be considered normal if they do not linger past a few days. Although there may always be a residual sadness when thinking of the deceased person, feelings normally diminish to a point that the bereaved person is able to continue on and function effectively in their lives. For other people, the death of a loved may be one precipitating factor in the development of depression or in exacerbation (worsening) of the condition, in which the feelings of despair and sadness do not go away.

Symptoms of Depression

• Depressed mood and other emotional problems
  • Persistent sadness
  • Inappropriate crying
  • Feelings of worthlessness
  • Hopelessness
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 80 symptoms of Depression

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Depression:

• Child Behavior: Home Testing
  • ADHD -- Home Test Kits
  • Concentration -- Home Testing
• Mental Health (Adults): Home Testing
  • Adult ADHD -- Home Testing
  • Concentration -- Home Tests
• Mental Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Emotional Stress Tests
  • ADHD -- Home Testing
  • Concentration -- Home Test Kits
• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Related Home Testing:
  • ADHD -- Home Tests
  • Drug Screening Kits
• more tests...»

Depression: Complications

Review possible medical complications related to Depression:

• Suicidal tendencies
• more complications...»

Medical Textbooks Online about Depression

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Depression?

• Misdiagnosis of Depression
• Failure to diagnose Depression
• Hidden causes of Depression (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Undiagnosed: Depression

Depression: Self Assessment Tools

• Stress -- Self Assessment Tools
• Depression -- Self Assessment Tools
• Weight Management -- Self Assessment Tools
• Mental Health -- Self Assessment Tools
• more tools...»

Depression: Medical Mistakes

• Concentration -- Health Mistakes
• ADHD -- Health Mistakes
• ADHD (Adults) -- Health Mistakes
• Depression -- Health Mistakes
• Bipolar -- Health Mistakes
• Sleep Disorders -- Health Mistakes
• more mistakes...»

Depression: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers

Products, offers and promotion categories available for Depression:

• Senior Health
• more product offers...»

Depression: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Undiagnosed:
  • Adult ADHD -- Undiagnosed - Often remains undiagnosed through to adulthood.
  • ADHD -- Undiagnosed
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Undiagnosed
  • Migraine -- Undiagnosed
  • Concentration Disorders -- Undiagnosed
  • Stroke -- Undiagnosed
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Undiagnosed
  • Schizophrenia -- Undiagnosed
  • Epilepsy -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Misdiagnosis and Depression

Rare epilepsy can cause a variety of severe emotional and depressive symptoms: The book "Preventing Misdiagnosis of Women" reports on a case of a woman with severe personality and behavioral symptoms,...read more »

High rate of misdiagnosis of psychiatric disorders: The book "Preventing Misdiagnosis of Women" reports on studies that estimate that 41% to 83% of people who are treated for psychiatric disorders, actually have a...read more »

Physical disorders often hidden causes of depression: It is a common misdiagnosis to diagnose a psychological or psychiatric disorder, such as depression, when symptoms are actually caused by an underlying physical disorder. Some of the...read more »

Underactive thryoid may be misdiagnosed as depression: Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is an endocrine gland disorder that is more common in women. It can mimic many diseases, including depression. The patient often...read more »

Adrenal gland disorder difficult to correctly diagnose: Addison's disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands, causes a variety of symptoms, and is often...read more »

Cushing's disease can be mistaken for depression: Cushing's disease (or similarly Cushing's syndrome) is a possible misdiagnosis for a person diagnosed with ...read more »

Manic-depressive (bipolar) disorder often misdiagnosed: Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive disorder, is often misdiagnosed before reaching...read more »

Calcium disorder a hidden cause of depression-like symptoms: Another uncommon endocrine disorder that can be misdiagnosed as depression is hypocalcemia (low blood...read more »

Various mental health symptoms caused by rare epilepsy: Temporal lobe epilepsy is a less common form of epilepsy that does not have the typical physical seizures. Patients can suffer from symptoms such as depression, moodiness, ...read more »

Rare seizure-less epilepsy misdiagnosed as various conditions: A complex partial seizure disorder, such as temporal lobe epilepsy can be misdiagnosed as various conditions. Some of the possible misdiagnoses include ...read more »

Multiple sclerosis often misdiagnosed as mental disorder: The early stages of multiple sclerosis may cause various general feelings of wellness, happiness, euphoria, or manic-type...read more »

Lupus is often misdiagnosed as other conditions: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), often simply called "lupus", is a difficult disease to diagnose and can manifest with numerous symptoms. Some...read more »

Rare copper disease insidious and misdiagnosed: Wilson's disease (a form of copper overload) is a rare disorder that has a slow and insidious onset that can often...read more »

Insidious cancer misdiagnosed as mental health condition: Pancreatic cancer is fortunately relatively rare, but this dangerous condition can be misdiagnosed as a mental condition in its early...read more »

Hidden diagnosis of chronic STD: The book "A Dose of Sanity" reports on a case of a many diagnosed with depression, who was correctly diagnosed with seronegative syphilis (see ...read more »

Cluster of diseases with difficult diagnosis issues: There is a well-known list of medical conditions that are all somewhat difficult to diagnose, and all can present in a variety of...read more »

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness...read more »

Alzheimer's disease over-diagnosed: The well-known disease of Alzheimer's disease is often over-diagnosed. Patients tend to assume that any memory loss or forgetulness symptom might be Alzheimer's, whereas there are many...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course,...read more »

Tremor need not be Parkinson's disease: There is the tendency to believe that any tremor symptom, or shakiness, means Parkinson's disease....read more »

ADHD under-diagnosed in adults: Although the over-diagnoses of ADHD in children is a well-known controversy, the reverse side related to adults. Some adults can remain...read more »

Rare diseases misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease: A rare genetic disorder is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease for men in their 50's. The disease Fragile X disorder can show only mild symptoms in the early years, and...read more »

Bipolar disorder misdiagosed as various conditions by primary physicians: Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder) often fails to be diagnosed correctly by primary care physicians....read more »

Eating disorders under-diagnosed in men: The typical patient with an eating disorder is female. The result is that men with eating disorders often fail to be diagnosed or have a delayed diagnosis. See misdiagnosis of eating disorders...read more »

Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be undiagnosed in teenagers. The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe medical depression to be overlooked. See misdiagnosis of depression or ...read more »

Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression) may also have undiagnosed anxiety disorders (see symptoms of anxiety disorders)....read more »

Subtle changes in hypothroidism can be missed: The early changes in hypothyroidism are subtle and can be misdiagnosed especially if only a...read more »

Dementia to be spotted early on: Dementia is an important diagnosis to consider in the elderly. A vigorous search for a possible cause of dementia is warranted since there are significant numbers of reversible conditions. It is...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Depression

Depression: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research related physicians and medical specialists:

• Mental Health Specialists:
  • Psychiatry (Mental Health)
  • Addiction Psychiatry
  • Geriatric Psychiatry (Seniors Mental Health)
  • Pediatric / Adolescent Psychiatry (Child/Teen Mental Health)
  • Pediatric Developmental Behavioral Health (Child Behavior Specialist)
  • Psychosomatic Medicine
  • Forensic Psychiatry
• Senior Health Specialists (Geriatrics):
  • Geriatric Medicine (Senior Health Specialist)
  • Geriatric Psychiatry (Senior Mental Health)
• more specialists...»

Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:

• Rate Your Doctor Online
• Research Your Doctor Online
• Review Patient Surveys About Your Doctor
• Research local specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Hospitals & Clinics: Depression

Research quality ratings and patient safety measures for medical facilities in specialties related to Depression:

• Mental Health -- Hospital Quality Ratings
• Senior Health -- Hospital Quality Ratings
• Nursing Homes & Aged Care Facilities -- Quality Ratings
• more hospital ratings...»

Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »

Choosing the Best Hospital: More general information, not necessarily in relation to Depression, on hospital performance and surgical care quality:

• 50 Best Hospitals Report
• Outstanding Patient Experinece Award Winning Hospitals
• Women's Health Best Hospitals
• Patient Safety
• Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence Study (2009)

Depression: Rare Types

Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Rare Types:
  • Adult ADHD -- Rare Types
  • ADHD -- Rare Types
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Rare Types
  • Migraine -- Rare Types
  • Concentration Disorders -- Rare Types
  • Stroke -- Rare Types
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Rare Types
  • Schizophrenia -- Rare Types
  • Epilepsy -- Rare Types
• more rare diseases...»

Causes of Depression

• Depression may be directly related to a significant event in our lives such as losing a loved one, experiencing trauma, or battling a chronic illness. Other caused may involve:
• Pre-menstrual and postnatal hormone changes
• Hormone deficiencies
• Alcoholism
• Drug dependency
• more causes...»

See full list of 13 causes of Depression

More information about causes of Depression:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Depression (833 listings)
• Drug interactions causing Depression (524 listings)
• Underlying causes of Depression
• Depression as a complication caused by other conditions
• Depression as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Depression

Treatments for Depression

• Psychotherapy
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Behavioral therapy
  • Exposure and response prevention - for OCD
• Antidepressants
• more treatments...»

See full list of 36 treatments for Depression

Latest Treatments for Depression

• Cognitive behaviour therapy
• Benzodiazepines
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
• Fluoxetine
• Sertraline
• more treatments...»

See full list of 10 latest treatments for Depression

News Archives for Depression

Medical news articles related to Depression include:

• Tailored Treatments Effective for Depression Due to Pain
• Study Links Cancerous Tumors With Depression
• Depression Hits 1 in 13 American Adults
• Organ Failure, Sedative Use in ICU May Lead to Depression
• Heart Disease and Depression Up Heart Failure Risk
• Mothers of Multiples May Face Higher Depression Risk
• Girls' Anti-Social Behavior Predictive of Later Depression
• Health Tip: Dealing With Depression After Pregnancy
• more health news...»

Source: HealthDay News

Videos for Depression

Patient Surveys for Depression

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Depression
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Depression

More about prognosis of Depression

Reseach about Depression

Visit our research pages for current research about Depression treatments.

Clinical Trials for Depression

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Depression include:

• A Study of the Effectiveness and Safety of Risperidone to Augment SSRI Therapy in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - risperidone
• The Effects of Buproprion on Residual and Cognitive Symptoms in SSRI-Treated Depression - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - buproprion
• Clinical Trials of Two Non-Drug Treatments for Chronic Depression - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Primary Prevention of Major Depression in Later Life - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Effectiveness of Supplemental Calcium in Preventing Postpartum Depression - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Elemental calcium (as carbonate)
• more trials...»

See full list of 822 Clinical Trials for Depression

Statistics for Depression

• Medical statistics for Depression
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Depression
• Death and Mortality statistics for Depression
• Society statistics for Depression

Depression: Broader Related Topics

• Mood disorders
• Depressive disorders
• Neurosis
• Mental illness
• Adolescent conditions
• more types...»

Types of Depression

Types of Depression

• Postpartum depression - depression after childbirth
• Dysthymia - a mild form of depression.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder - a seasonal sunlight-related form of depression.
• Panic disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• more types...»

See full list of 15 Types of Depression

Curable Types of Depression

Possibly curable types of Depression include:

• Bulimia nervosa related
• Anorexia nervosa related depression
• Obsessive compulsive disorder related depression
• Somatization disorder
• SLE related depression
• Obstructive sleep apnea related depression
• Lyme disease related depression
• more types...»

Rare Types of Depression:

Rare types of Depression include:

• Bulimia nervosa related depression
• Anorexia nervosa related depression
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Somatization disorder
• Multiple sclerosis
• more types...»

Stories from Users Related to Depression

• Anxiety/depression or more?
• Symptoms of depression or something else! need immidiete answer!!
• Looks like depression, but it's not
• Next Steps? I think my husband is severely depressed
• Depression
• I think about suicide but am not depressed
• Depression - Physical Symptoms?
• Post Partum Depression - Being On Medicaton While Breastfeeding
• Dizziness, Panic, And Depression
• Misdiagnosis - Depression and Anxiety
• Help with anxiety/depression
• Need Major Help
• 1 Year Now: No Meds for Depression Have Helped
• i recently started to suffer depression ?
• Provigil - do you have side affects?
• Depression or something else? Help!
• remarkable depression
• Self medicated thru a long depression and want my life back
• Fibro/CFS vs. Depression
• My story, help? Depression, Physical Pain

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Depression, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Depression

Everyone gets the blues now and then. It’s part of life. But when there is little joy or pleasure after visiting with friends or after seeing a good movie, there may be a more serious problem. A depressed mood that stays around for a while, without let-up, can change the way a person thinks or feels. Doctors call this "clinical depression." (Source: excerpt from Depression: NWHIC)

Definitions of Depression:

A mental state of depressed mood characterised by feelings of sadness, despair and discouragement. (On-line Medical Dictionary) - (Source - Diseases Database)

A mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity - (Source - WordNet 2.1)