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Types of Depression.

Clinical | Chronic | Manic / Bipolar

Anxiety | Seasonal | Substance Abuse | Pregnancy | Postpartum | Menopause

Clinical Depression.

Clinical depression, also known as major or unipolar depression, is the leading cause of disability in the United States. It is the number one psychological disorder in the developed countries of the world. It currently affects approximately 10% of the population, or 20 million Americans, every year. The estimates vary, but at the upper end the experts predict that 25% of women and 12% of men will become clinically depressed in their lifetimes. As the statistics above demonstrate, women have a depression rate twice that of men. And unfortunately, the rates continue to increase at an incredible pace for all ages groups, children to the elderly. The largest growth rates are for the young, especially teenagers.

The economic cost of depression is staggering, estimated at $30 billion or more each year. And studies have shown that two-thirds of those who suffer from depression never seek treatment. Left untreated, depression tends to reoccur. In general, reoccurrences tend to be of longer duration and more debilitating than earlier ones.

Clinical depression impairs a person's ability to enjoy life. They cannot function normally and must deal with depression's effect at the workplace as well at home. Eating, sleeping and social relationships are all affected. Depression invites a dark cloud of pessimism that creates negative thinking much of the time.

What is Clinical Depression ?

Clinical depression is a mood disorder so severe that it requires clinical intervention by a health care professional. When five or more symptoms listed on a standard depression quiz are present for at least two weeks, but tend to continue for four to six months, the mood disorder is considered clinical / major depression.

Symptoms of Clinical Depression

The symptoms of clinical depression can take many forms. The more common symptoms include feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, excessive sadness, excessive pessimism, and social withdrawal.

For more information, click on the following link to view a more complete list of the symptoms of depression.

What Causes Clinical Depression ?

The causes of depression are not fully understood. There are many risk factors that the experts think contribute to the onset of an episode of clinical depression. And most experts feel that it is usually a combination of these risk factors, working in tandem, that can trigger depression. The more serious of these risk factors are Biological Causes , Genetic Causes, Environmental Causes, Psychological Causes, Medical Illness Causes, and Other Causes.

However, another group of researchers think that clinical depression is primarily caused by society. They think that society is not meeting the basic emotional needs of the individual. People are not receiving emotional support from society or others when they have problems or challenges in their lives. They feel that modern society has "taught" individuals to be self-focused and to be concerned with how they look and what they have. They also feel that the traditional ideas / values of who you are and what you do have been lost.

Treatment of Clinical Depression

Take our quick depression quiz . . .

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