Do You Think You Have Depression?


Do you have days where nothing can make you happy? You are not alone. I ignored my depressive thoughts about life for years. Unfortunately I didn't do anything to fix my situation until they became so dehabilitating that I had no choice.

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. In a given year, an estimated 22.1% of Americans aged 18 and older (about 1 in 5 adults) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. According to the 1998 United States Census population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people! In addition, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders, with major depression being the leading cause of disability.

It is estimated that depression alone will occur in approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5% of the United States population aged 18 or above. If you are a woman, you are twice as likely than a man (12% vs. 6.6%) to be affected by depression each year.

My symptoms of depression started with an occasional case of the blahs. I was able to cope with them for a long time. I thought that since this happens to a lot of people, that it would pass and I didn't need to worry. I didn't think about finding out why it was happening. Besides, after a few drinks I always felt much better. I later learned that depressive disorders commonly occur with substance abuse...

So what is the cause of all of this sadness in our society? Speaking from experience, I wasn't happy with my life and the direction it was taking me. I would look back at a past week and not be able to recall one thing that I enjoyed. It was a blur. Nor would I look forward to the coming weeks ahead. All I saw were potential stresses that were going to present themselves. But I didn't do anything about it. I accepted that this was life. Looking back I don't know how I could have ever believed this.

When we are suffering from depression, it seems that we lose our objectivity. Does thinking that we have nothing to look forward to sound rational to you? Where did my enjoyment in life disappear to? It was my perception of the world that had slowly changed and I was unable to see it because of the control that my depression had over me.

In the fast pace of today's world we often don't allow ourselves time to evaluate our lives and set goals to realize our ambitions. Whether you do or do not have depression, you're reading this article because you think something might be wrong with your life. Have you tried to identify the things you are unhappy with? The first step for me was to educate myself and find out what it was that I was dealing with. I started reading books. I consulted a psychologist to get some unbiased insight about myself.

Otherwise, how do we find solutions for problems that we don't yet understand? So let's get started. What's stopping you?

David Smith is the writer for My Depression Help, a resource site where he describes his feelings and experiences with depression and provides the depression help treatment he used for his recovery. Read more about me and my depression experiences.


MORE RESOURCES:

Depression is a genuine illness
STLtoday.com
Depression is a common illness that affects one out of five people at one time or more during their lives. It's not the ordinary sadness that people feel when misfortune strikes. It's something that often strikes out of the blue and lasts for what ...

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Science Codex

Tropical Depression Alberto expected to weaken
WSET
Tropical Depression Alberto is expected to stay well offshore as it moves up the Atlantic. Tropical Depression Alberto is expected to stay well offshore as it moves up the Atlantic. This time, private rocket maker SpaceX is hoping for an actual liftoff ...
Alberto now a tropical depression, seen by NASAScience Codex
Alberto weakens to tropical depression in AtlanticSeattle Post Intelligencer
Tropical Depression Bud maintains speed in PacificThe Times and Democrat
AccuWeather.com -NOLA.com -WECT-TV6
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Overcoming shame to seek help is key to living with depression
Spartanburg Herald Journal
Take it from Peggy Artison: Depression is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is a very real problem. Seated at a table inside New Day Clubhouse on Asheville Highway, Artison, 59. let her mind drift back to a time when clinical depression took hold and ...



Has depression become a cliché?
InjuryBoard.com
Recently, Cleveland, Ohio's medical writer for the Plain Dealer wrote “Depression: some experts think we might be over diagnosed and overmedicated.” Since 1 in 10 Americans takes an antidepressant, she wondered if people are actually sad or if they're ...



Atlanta Journal Constitution

Tropical Depression Bud maintains speed in Pacific
Atlanta Journal Constitution
This NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 1:45 am EDT shows Tropical Depression Alberto located 245 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. The depression is moving toward the east-northeast near 13 mph with maximum sustained ...



Science Codex

Scientists start explaining the vicious cycle of eating and depression
Science Codex
Fat Bastard's revelation "I eat because I'm depressed and I'm depressed because I eat" in the Austin Powers film series may be explained by sophisticated neuroscience research being undertaken by scientists affiliated with the University of Montreal ...

and more »


Depression, Obesity Linked in Older Women but Not Older Men
Family Practice News Digital Network
The odds of depression are significantly elevated for older, obese women and significantly decreased for older overweight men, a study of almost 8000 adults found. The results of the study also held in a longitudinal analysis of the same cohort 5 years ...

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PsychCentral.com

Depression Linked With More Internet Use
PsychCentral.com
By Candace Czernicki Managing News Editor Someday your phone or laptop might truly be smart: It could diagnose your depression based on your Internet surfing patterns. According to researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology, ...
Depressed people act differently onlineMSN NZ News
High internet use linked to depression - researchHerald Sun

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Atlanta Journal Constitution

Tropical Depression Alberto expected to weaken
Atlanta Journal Constitution
AP MIAMI — Tropical Depression Alberto is expected to stay well offshore as it moves up the Atlantic. This NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 1:45 am EDT shows Tropical Depression Alberto located 245 miles southeast of Charleston, ...



SF Weekly (blog)

Paul Krugman's 'End this Depression Now' a review
Examiner.com
But on reading his latest book, “End this Depression Now,” [WW Norton & Company 2012], I can't help coming away with the question, “How can he be so certain?” A good summary and extended excerpt from the book is recently available at the New York ...
How Can We End Our (Economic) Depression? Ask Paul KrugmanSF Weekly (blog)

all 9 news articles »

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