For someone with clinical depression, feelings of sadness, difficulty sleeping, and hopelessness can be almost impossible to overcome. Just like any other medical condition, clinical depression, or major depression, requires treatment. If not treated, these conditions can have serious consequences. One of these consequences could be suicide.

It can be difficult to differentiate temporary depression and clinical depression. Temporary depression can occur for a couple weeks or less, and may be caused by a bad test grade or a loss of relationship. However, these bad feelings eventually dissipate.

Emotions originate from the brain. Scientists still do not fully understand the process that creates emotions, but it is known that millions of chemical reactions are involved. The amygdala, thalamus, and the hippocampus of the brain are mainly responsible for regulating emotions. Antidepressants create more of these chemical reactions, producing new neurons and improving the connections between them.

On the other hand, clinical depression is characterized by prolonged symptoms that can greatly affect a person. These symptoms can include a loss of interest and passion in all activities, frequent tearfulness, feelings of guilt, a decrease in self-esteem, and hopelessness. These feelings often result in the consideration of suicide, and without help or counsel, these people often commit it.

More than three million people in the US are diagnosed with clinical depression yearly. Most of these three million seek medical and personal counseling, but some are led to take their own lives. Thirty-thousand people in the US commit suicide every year, and is the third most common cause for death among 15 to 24 year-olds. Each of these suicides intimately affects six other people on average, having the potential to cause them to be depressed as well.

Many treatments are available for depression. The earlier treatment is sought out, the more effective it will be, and will prevent the condition from worsening. Different treatments work better for some people, and a trial and error approach is the most efficient in finding the most effective one. Antidepressants, psychotherapies, and brain stimulation therapies are available.

There are also other things someone with depression can do that do not involve medical treatment. Simply getting half an hour of exercise daily releases endorphins, creating a natural high. Being with loved ones or friends can also increase a depressed person’s mood. Being with people they care about will let them know they have value in life. It is also important to know that medical treatment will take effect gradually, not instantaneously.

Sources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

http://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression

http://caps.ucsc.edu/resources/depression.html