Depression is a whole body illness that affects both physical and emotional health. It influences factors like eating, sleeping, working, and relationships. There are several types of depression including major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, minor depression, psychotic depression, postpartum depression, and seasonal affective disorder. Clinical depression is diagnosed when 5 or more symptoms are present most days, such as sadness, loss of interest, feelings of worthlessness, changes in appetite or sleep, and thoughts of death or suicide. Depression is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors and can run in families. It is treated through medication, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and lifestyle changes.

1. Depression
A whole body illness

2. What is depression?
• Whole body illness that affects physical
health as well as emotional health.
• May influence factors such as
eating, sleeping, working and relationships
with others.

3. Types of depression
• Major depressive disorder: Combination of
symptoms that interfere with daily
functioning
• Dysthymic disorder: long term (2 yrs or
longer) symptoms which do not disable the
person but prevent normal functioning or
feeling well.
• Minor depression: Symptoms 2 weeks or
longer, but without full criteria.

4. Other forms of depression
• Psychotic depression (severe depression with psychosis
and breaks from reality)
• Postpartum depression (following child birth)
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) depression during the
winter months, can be treated with light therapy
• Bipolar disorder: Combination of depression and mania

5. Clinical Depression diagnosis
Clinical depression will show at least 5 of the following
symptoms, most days
• Sad, low, empty
• Loss of interest & pleasure
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
• Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
• Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling slower
• Changes in appetite and/or weight
• Oversleeping, early morning wakening or insomnia
• Thoughts of death, suicide

6. Causes of depression
• Combination of
genetic, biological, environmental and
psychological
• Brains of depressed people look different
than non depressed people
• Can run in families

7. How it is diagnosed
• Medications and some medical conditions can
mimic depression, so ask doctor first
• Other mental illnesses can come before
depression, such as anxiety disorders, obsessive
compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia
and more
• Can be accompanied by alcohol and/or substance
abuse
• Can occur with serious medical illness

8. Treatments
• Medication: Antidepressants work on brain
chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine and
dopamine
• St. John’s wort is an herb which may help.
However, it may interfere with other medications!
• Psychotherapy
• Electroconvulsive therapy and brain stimulation

9. Helping a friend or relative
• Offer emotional support & understanding
• Talk and then listen carefully
• Do not dismiss feelings
• Don’t ignore talk of suicide
• Invite them out for walks, outings etc.
• Provide assistance in getting to doctors office
• Remind that eventually, things do get better.

10. Helping yourself
• Seek treatment early
• Exercise and get out more
• Set realistic goals
• Break large tasks into small ones
• Spend time with people and confine in a friend
• Expect to feel better gradually
• Postpone important decisions until you feel better
• Allow positive thoughts to replace negative ones
• Educate yourself about depression

11. Some facts
• Estimated 17.5 million Americans have some depression
• 9.2 million have clinical depression
• 2/3 of depressed will not seek treatment
• 80% of those treated significantly improve quality of life
• Women experience depression twice as much as men
• By 2020, WHO estimates depression will be the 2nd
highest cause of loss of quality of life
• CDC reports in 1996 that suicide was 9th cause of death
• Major depression is 1.5 to 3.0 more common among
biological relatives of those depressed

12. Resources
• http://www.psychiatry.wustl.edu/depression
/depression_facts.htm
• http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depr
ession/index.shtml