No one is quite sure where depression comes from or where it goes.  Sometimes there are very specific triggers, as is the case when there are environmental causes of depression.  Much of the time, however, there is no particular trigger that causes people to revolt against themselves and their own minds remains unknown. There are, a few things that make depression that much more likely, and would more appropriately be called an actual cause of depression.  Causes tend to be events and items that most people can handle without problem, but for some reason, those minds that succumb to depression and suicide are just that much more likely to be affected by such triggers.What is certain is that major or clinical depression is not just another mood swing.  No, real physical changes take place in the brain, causing the mind to simply work differently and process inputs differently enough to cause the most common complaints of depression.

It is thought that a propensity towards developing major depression is a complex series of events, including a hereto unnamed and unidentified genetic component.   Also apparently required are an emotional as well as an environmental trigger.  It is unknown what sort of environmental triggers are most prevalent, especially since it wasn’t’ even thought that chemicals could interact on the brain directly until relatively recently.  However, there are certainly plenty of them out there, natural and synthetic.Another environmental cause can by a physical injury to the brain or a physical ailment such as hypoglycemia that literally starves the brain of “food.”  In such cases, some other cognitive disorders often accompany the patient, such as color blindness and loss of concentration, as well as the most common symptoms of depression.  Causes found in the physical world can also include medical malpractice or dental surgery gone awry.

While women are twice as likely to suffer a major depressive episode in their lives, men are more likely to commit suicide.  Whether this is evidence of a social or genetic component to depression, though this trend is universally represented in countries all over the world, is unclear.  Just as it also tends to run in families, it remains difficult to determine how much of that is a consequence of family life.

Nevertheless, depression treatments usually take this into account, often checking with the family members of those who have strong depressive tendencies.  Other things to take into consideration is a possible nutrition-related component, especially in the case of individuals with eating disorders or highly restrictive diets that include very little fat or sugar or any kind.

When treating depression, causes aren’t always necessary to find the appropriate depression treatments that will speed the patient on the way to recovery.  Much of the time, no one is quite sure if there is a physical problem causing a depressive episode, though there is very often an emotional trigger.

Such emotional triggers, however, are very often events that the sufferer would normally be able to handle without problem.  When someone is already in the midst of a depressive episode lasting two weeks or more, just about any personal or emotional setback can be devastating.  In essence, depression is something like a moving target that many clinicians attempt to knock out by simply prescribing the pharmaceutical equivalent of a shotgun, in the form of SRI medications and their more advanced cousins.

If you believe you know someone with clinical or major depression, there could be more wrong with her or him than a bad case of the blues.  For this reason, professional diagnosis tries to rule out all the physical problems before focusing upon the emotional realm.  While not everyone responds to any one treatment, depression treatments tend to be broad spectrum, encompassing many different specialties.

Drugs are very often prescribed when there are physical manifestation of depression symptoms or if there is an extenuating physical reason why drugs are the best course of action.  For example, bi polar depression is one type of depression that is usually treated with drugs, given the severity and complexity of the problem.  While there are quite a few different causes of depression – several of which may be in play at any given moment depending on innumerable personal factors that can be all but impossible to tease out into individual causes.

Of course, that is not to say that psychotherapy doesn’t work.  In about six months of sessions, most people report being “helped” by a therapist. However, unlike a given prescription medication, not all therapists are equal.  Frankly, some therapists aren’t very good at getting to the root of what is keeping people depressed – some therapists are much better at making clients feel good in the short term.

Also, therapy requires the patient to actively participate in their own recovery.  This is done partly through talking things out and partly by actually making changes to one’s own life that are significant enough to have an impact.  Eventually, depression symptoms become a thing of the past as those negative thought patterns are slowly replaced by more worthwhile internal dialog.

Regardless of the actual causes of depression that bring people in to seek the advice of mental health professionals, most causes of depression have treatment options that include both pharmaceuticals and therapy.  In all but a few select cases that have a very specific treatment regimen, such as bi polar depression and other disorders that seem to have a very physical or genetic component.

That said, most insurance companies look at the equation from a purely fiscal standpoint – it’s much cheaper to take a pill than to pay someone to listen to you for months or years on end.  In the case of most types of depression, medication is considered a cost-effective option, even if it isn’t deemed medically necessary.

Many medical practitioners chafe at the idea of a “bean counter” telling well-trained physicians and councilors how to do their job in the best interest of the patient.  By the same token, there are also plenty of free items that the representatives of drug companies bring with them while visiting physicians and nurse practitioner.

The third, though largely obscure way to treat depression of all types is to use medicinal herbs and flowers to get well.  Though a combination of of therapies, it is hoped that the herbal remedies will become good enough to compare favorably with the more commonly used options.  These can be prescribed and prepared by just about anyone.  They tend to be more preventative rather than curative, but over time, some “folk” remedies can be quite effective.

Either way, if you’re seeking assistance for depression, be sure to get the advice of at least one professional, but also take charge of the situation and take the curative route that works best for you.

Dealing

Symptoms then, as today, include plenty of the typical signs of regular or “unipolar” depression but are augmented with a manic phase where all those signs of melancholy give way to to the often productive elation of a manic episode.

Now more commonly known by the term “bi polar depression,” this disorder is actually has a rather high rate of suicide, reaching as much as 20 percent higher than the nationwide average.  For those who suspect depression, signs in themselves or others can be very helpful in making a valid assessment and choosing a treatment option.

Very often occurring for the very first time when young adults leave for college, bi polar depression is often thought of a a boon by those who have it, especially during one of the manic episodes when creativity often comes much faster than at other times. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that some people don’t’ seek treatment because they consider their manic episodes a very handy part of their personal or processional lives.

Some of the more common manic depression signs to keep a look out for include the relatively common symptoms of lethargy, sadness, irratability, self-medication (most often in the form of tobacco,  marijuana or alcohol), lack of interest in otherwise pleasurable activities (especially sex) and excessive crying or irritability.

Interspersed with these episodes of depression are manic episodes that can take the form of great and unexpected bursts of energy or a propensity towards making outbursts that the subject would otherwise not even consider making.  The inability to control one’s self in situations where is it is not usually a problem may also indicate a manic episode.

The presence of both is necessary to be one of the millions of North Americans that are currently suffering from the ravages of bi polar disorder.  The cycle between the two can take place over the course of several days or weeks, while “rapid cycling” is a condition that can very often be triggered by an incorrect dose of such pharmaceutical chemicals.  Such rapid-cycling often takes place during the course of 24 hours, if not less.

Though professionals have a specific set of diagnostic criteria, one need not be so careful in making the decision to visit a doctor, nurse or other medical professional who can diagnose this potentially life-threatening condition.  Health care professionals will also be able to check for some of the other physical conditions that can give rise to similarly erratic behavior.

No one knows what causes any kind of depression, though it is suggested that manic depression or bi-polar disorder has a complex genetic component.  Regardless, there are several known factors that can encourage the disorder to appear again or make it particularly difficult to control it, even with some of the medication that now has a long history of being used to treat this disorder.

Some triggers include not keeping a regular sleep schedule, with too much sleep actually leading to the depressive state as well as being a symptom, once it has started up.  While many sufferers drink a great deal of coffee, it has been shown that high doses of caffeine can actually increase the likelihood of having a relapse into both manic and depressive behavior

While medication is the most often prescribed treatment for bipolar disorder, changes to the medication, changes in body chemistry over time and individuals changing their dosage of already prescribed medications.

Depression Signs

It is useful for just about anyone to be able to spot depression.  Signs and symptoms include very obvious depression warning signs like threatened suicide, but it can be something as seemingly benign as a change in long-established sleeping patterns or forgetfulness.When you’re concerned about the well-being of your family and friends and suspect depression, causes are less important that noting the symptoms and taking action.  Given the rather high rates of suicide among those suffering depression for more than 6 months, it is very possible that you could save a life.

Perhaps the most important depression warning signs you should be looking out for is a sudden and unexplained change in behavior.  Though that is also a common sign of a new drug-habit (or at least, one that just got out of control), episodes of depression often are cited as the cause of such an episode.This is, perhaps, one of the reasons that many people who have recently moved are prone to suffer some side effects of a depressed emotional state – because no one knows how they usually are and don’t see the onset of depression.  Warning sings also include the yearly cycle of the winter season and its short-length days, reaction to chemicals (such as a natural gas leak) or hormonal shifts due to age or monthly cycling.

However, even if you’re not known someone for a long time, there are plenty of other clues that they’re having a tough time of things.  People (both men and women) who report that they cry a lot or engage in random and violent activities can both be suffering from depression.  Causes many vary, but reactions to the very same sadness vary by person, too.  Even individuals who’ve experienced depression in one form or another in the past can have a subsequent bout of depression with very different symptoms.

If you suspect someone you know might be having a problem with depression and are simply lacking their usual courage to tell you about it, look for patterns in her or his behavior that supports your theory.  For instance, if your friend mentions that he or she is having trouble sleeping, you might want to take note of how they react to things they usually love to do.  If you notice that they don’t seem to enjoy otherwise enjoyable things and activities, you might want to ask further about whether they’ve been feeling sad or not.

Of course, there are plenty of other questions you might want to ask that are more appropriate for a physician to question them about, but some other symptoms include a loss of sexual appetite, difficulty concentrating, a general malaise and loss of energy, sudden weight fluctuations, unexplained pains and a very short temper.

With depression, sings and symptoms tend to stem from a deep and incessant dialog of self-loathing that causes extreme feelings of worthlessness, sadness and hopelessness.  The physical manifestations can be real, as a result of the way someone feeling that badly about themselves is like to take care of themselves.  Nutritional deficiencies, for instance, are common among depressed people, especially when eating and preparing food looses its appeal.

While many of the symptoms feed into each other when someone is depressed, this can be very helpful for someone trying to decide if some sort of intervention should be attempted with a friend or not.  Such a serious step must be taken very carefully and after you give someone a chance to seek help on their own.  However, don’t be fooled, if the signs of depression are there and someone seems to be on the verge of taking their own life, someone should certainly do something.  Accurately recognizing the symptoms of depression can be the difference between life and death.

Even with a diagnosis of manic depression, symptoms can be rather pleasurable (during the manic phase, anyhow).  Not all those who suffer from bi-polar disorder are interested in ridding themselves of what makes them “special.”  In fact, it is no uncommon for those suffering from such disorders for a very long time to actually construct their personal and professional lives around their up and down cycles.  It takes a very dedicated professional and a strong will on the part of the depression sufferer to change to affect a lifetime of coping.

For most, the first depression sign is noted in their teens and early twenties.  This coincides with the first onset of a lot of other mental health disorders, giving some credence to the theory that depression is an inherited condition.  For this reason, when someone in a family does get a positive diagnosis, there are a lot of questions among other family members as to whether or not they should be tested.

Sadly, it is even more common for family members or friends to get in the habit of dismissing the opinions and position of the person who is bold enough to admit that they’ve been diagnosed with clinical, major or bipolar depression.  It is partly for this reason that many people with depression don’t’ bother with a diagnosis or medication – to avoid the scorn (or sideways glances) of their peers.

Other issues that affect those who have been diagnosed with depression is the methods of treating it.  While it was most recently popular in the 1970s to treat most forms of depression with talking therapy, the method of choice since the early 1990s has increasingly relied upon the use of pharmaceutical drugs.  This fact has caused many people who might have sought treatment to avoid getting in “the system,” for fear of having their personalities and senses dulled by drugs.

Though most insurance companies do now pay for mental health care, not all do, and there are nearly 50 million people in the United States with no or inadequate health care.  These people have little or no access to public health services unless they are actually threatening suicide.  Moreover, there are few or no public mental health workers who can follow up on someone who is brave enough to come into the emergency room for such an ordeal.

In short, there are quite a few reasons that someone suffering from bi polar depression might find it difficult or impossible to seek treatment for mental illness.  There are still quite a few obstacles to making sure that everyone can feel comfortable seeking professional help for depression.

Spotting the early signs of depression can be key in keeping these rates down, from both a personal and a public health standpoint.  When dealing with major depression, warning signs are usually present for a matter of weeks or months before “the blues” turn fatal.

There are at least 10 signs of depression that are commonly seen, with many more being variations on a theme.  Most of these stem from how people choose to deal with an overwhelming sadness and personal negativity that characterizes the depressive condition.  Regardless of the cause, a person’s stage in life or gender may have far more to do with how they handle depression.

Whether the person suffering depression is yourself or someone you love, spotting a significant number of those 10 signs of depression may be the best way to address the underlying issues that present themselves as depression.  Even just displaying a few of the signs can mean suffering from an illness that takes so very many lives each year.

While help can come in the form of medication or therapy,early signs of depressionare often treatable by simply talking about the problem  If allowed to progress further, hospitalization may very well be required.  This can be as simple and rest and supervision or as complicated as actual treatment with a cocktail of mental heath drugs.

That said, the most obvious signs of depression are the sadness and the very common side effect of very regular weeping.  While it is not uncommon for someone to occasionally complain of crying attacks that occur here and there, such things becoming a regular occurrence, especially if that is highly out of character.

It is, in fact, out of character or unlikely behavioral that is out of the ordinary that is the most dangerous to keep an eye on.  Far more significant than a regular mood swing, sudden and profound changes in behavior are almost always a sign that something is very seriously wrong, for most people.

While this can be a problem when dealing with people you don’t know very well, there are a few common signs such as a sudden change in sleeping patterns, usually involving not getting enough sleep or keeping odd hours where that wasn’t previously the case.

Gaining or loosing a fairly significant amount of weight in a short period of time is also indicative of depression and, is most commonly observed in women, though such symptoms can happen to anyone.  Men are usually more likely to engage in restless, angry or violent behavior.

A sure giveaway that someone is suffering from depression is an inability to feel much of anything other than sadness.  While some people are especially skilled at concealing their emotions, those with depression don’t usually enjoy the things and events that they’ve always enjoyed in the past.

This particularly dangerous condition is part of the sadness and negative self-image that are behind much of the ultimately self-destructive behavior that categorizes depression.  Often, this manifests as a particularly critical inner voice that provides a constant dialog of disparaging commentary.  It is easy to see why such a constant barrage of negativity can result in the characteristic hopelessness that sufferers of depression must contend with.

When dealing with depression in yourself or others, sometimes confronting the signs and symptoms of this condition is the nudge that one needs to get help from a mental health practitioner.

Though there are undoubtedly more than 10 signs of depression that can affect people, but the specific way they impact a sufferer each time can be profoundly different.  Even if one has suffered previous bouts of depression, signs and symptoms can be different or in different measure each time.

By learning to spot the early signs of depression , it is possible to keep each episode from becoming a major depressive episode or even being life-threatening.  While one can often spot such sings in the themselves, it can be very difficult to see in others, especially if they’re being evasive about it. 

1.     Recurring and incessant sadness – perhaps the most obvious and common symptom of depression is a sadness – “the blues” — that simply don’t go away.  While this isn’t so much of a problem for a few days, when it goes on for even as long as a week, it is a sign of trouble.

2.     Long crying jags – Associated with the sadness is the outward sign of very regular weeping.  While it is certainly normal for anyone to cry from time to time, clinical depression in both men and women can result in highly emotional responses to what would normally be benign happenings.

3.     Difficulty with concentration and decision making – inner thoughts of worthlessness and sadness can get in the way of normal, daily life.  By the same token, making decisions can seem fraught with innumerable conflicts, paralyzing the decision-maker with far too many options, all of them bad.

4.     Recurrent feelings of hopelessness – Perhaps one of the most destructive signs of clinical depression, the feeling of hopelessness is what many who attempt suicide cite as their motivation.  This is also often accompanied by very harsh self-criticism and self-loathing that further contributes to the unreasonably pessimistic outlook that so often characterizes clinical depression.  Signs and symptoms that accompany such feeling usually include a constantly critical inner dialog.

5.     Restlessness and irritability – When dealing with depression, signs and symptoms don’t always seem to follow.  While    it is also common to become listless, depression also can take the form of unease that can lead to very erratic behavior that some lay-people refer to as manic depression.

6.     Apathy regarding formerly interesting and pleasurable activities – Though perhaps just as common as “the blues,” many report that activities and media they once found enjoyable are no longer of interest.  This clearly indicates a changed perspective that characterizes clinical depression.  For adults, a loss of interest in sex is among the most common early signs of depression .

7.     significant weight loss or gain over a short period of time – generally more than 5% of a person’s body mass lost or gained in the span of a month or so is considered a warning sign, unless there’s something else going on.

8.     Difficulty sleeping or irregular sleeping patterns – because the normal patterns of behavior have been changed, those suffering from depression often find themselves up at night.  While a lifetime of being a night-owl is not something to be concerned about, a sudden and otherwise unexplained change to such a schedule is often a sign of depression.

9.     Physical weakness and other physical problems – among the most common physical problems that can plague those suffering from depression are backaches and headaches.  These are very often brought about as a result of stress and tension.

10.   Suicidal thoughts – perhaps more dangerous than any other sign of depression are thoughts of suicide.  These can sometimes be overwhelming for someone suffering from depression.  It is very important in such cases that any mention of such thoughts is taken very seriously.

These signs and symptoms will occur in different measure at different times, even in the same person’s life.  The presence of one is reasonable cause to be on the lookout for others.