What is Depression (and What is it Not?)
“People who don’t know [what depression is], who say it’s self-indulgence, sound callous, but it’s not callousness born of indifference; I think it’s callousness born of ignorance. That kind of ignorance we’ve got to get rid of, and little by little I suppose, we will. You say to them,…
Bipolar Disorder (Easy to Read) from the NIMH
An easy-to-read booklet on Bipolar Disorder that explains what it is, when it starts and how to get help. (2008). Do you go through intense moods? What is bipolar disorder? Who develops bipolar disorder? What causes bipolar disorder? What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder? Can bipolar disorder coexist…
Depression – NIMH
Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad, but these feelings are usually fleeting and pass within a couple of days. When a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him…
Real-Life Depression Symptoms
I think that one reason it took so long for my depression to be diagnosed is that depression symptoms lists can be kind of out of touch with a large number of people. I can look at them now and see why nothing clicked with me. Appetite problems? Nope.…
Depression Symptoms and Screening
“I am the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be a cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better I cannot tell; I awfully forbode I shall not. To remain as I am is…
Are you at risk for depression?
Most people know the risk factors for illnesses such as heart disease or high blood pressure, but not many people realize that clinical depression has risk factors associated with it also. Having these risk factors doesn’t mean you will suffer from depression, only that you may be predisposed to…
Dysthymia (Persistent Depressive Disorder)
For much of my childhood and young adulthood, I suffered from depression. Although I did have some periods of major depression, the bulk of the time my depression was a type called dysthymia. Dysthymia is also known as “persistent depressive disorder.” Dysthymia is a low-grade form of depression that lasts…
How Does Depression Affect Your Daily Life?
Sometimes, instead of looking for depression symptoms, looking at how you’re behaving every day helps you to recognize that you have depression. Here are a few ways that your behavior might have changed. Your place is a mess; laundry and dishes are piled up, mail is unopened, etc. (Assuming…