FAQs About Major Depression

Depression impacts the lives of millions of people across the world. It can be a debilitating condition that can affect not just the life of the person suffering from the condition, but also the lives of their family and friends and others around them.

The first key to dealing with major depression is understanding what it is and how it comes about. Following are a list of frequently asked questions concerning major depression.

• Q: What is major depression? 


• A: It is a serious, recurring condition that affects the person for long periods of time. It is not a single episode of depression (commonly called situational depression), but a condition that persists and continues over time, with frequent recurrences.

• Q: What causes major depression?


• A: An imbalance of the two chemicals in your brain (norepinephrine and serotonin) is the most common cause of the condition.

• Q: What are the symptoms?


• A: There are a number of possible symptoms. They do not all have to be present for a diagnosis of depression, but most commonly are present. These symptoms are: depressed mood for most of the day (feeling sad, empty), major loss of interest in formerly pleasant activities, weight loss of weight gain (coinciding with loss or increase in appetite), insomnia or hypersomnia, fatigue or loss of energy, agitation, feelings of hopelessness, suicidal ideation, loss of concentration.

• Q: What treatments are available? 


• A: Treatment includes counseling and therapy and medication.

• Q: What about medication? 


• A: There are a number of different antidepressants that are commonly used to treat depression, with varying results. Prozac, Paxil, Wellbutrin, and Seroquel are commonly prescribed.