Depression

Science Encyclopedia

Depression - Getting Help - Choosing The Right Therapist, Different Types Of Therapy, When Different Treatment Is Needed, Nondrug Therapies - What Therapy Can Do

Though depression is treatable, many Americans continue to believe otherwise. Although patients usually respond well to treatment, relatively few people get help when they need it. Among depressed adults, only one in three is treated. While it is estimated that about 80 percent of people with depression can improve their mental health with psychotherapy, medication, or both, people continue to bel…

1 minute read

Depression - How Can You Spot Depression - Are You Depressed?, Minor Depression Vs. Major Depression, What To Look For

While diagnosing depression can prove tricky, depression does have clear biochemical roots that affect nerve cells in the brain. Severely depressed people have unusually low levels of several brain chemicals: the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Neurotransmitters carry messages from one nerve cell to another. The unusual levels of these chemicals may be inherited, which m…

less than 1 minute read

Depression - Introduction

S asha had just moved to a new town with her family. Sasha's mom loved her job, and her sisters, Charlotte and Sophie, made new friends, but Sasha felt lonely. No one understood her. The kids at school seemed mean and false. They teased her for dressing like a “freak,” laughed at her when she spoke, and deliberately gave her the wrong directions. She felt misunderstood. Sasha …

1 minute read

Depression - What Causes Depression - Before Depression Strikes, How The Body Reacts To Stress, What Causes The Body To Develop Depression?

As discussed in the previous chapter, the physical basis of depression involves neurotransmitters in the brain. In the brain, the nerve cells do not touch. There are microscopic gaps between them called synapses. For a nerve impulse to travel from one nerve cell to another, the sending cell releases a tiny amount of one of the neurotransmitters, which transmits the signal to the second cell, and s…

1 minute read

Depression - When Depression Is in Your Home - How To Deal With Depression, What Not To Say To A Depressed Person, Be Kind To Yourself - To Guard Against Depression

The misery of depression extends beyond those suffering it to their families and friends. If you are close to someone who is depressed, try not to take it personally. He or she has an illness. Like a patient struggling with diabetes or cancer, a depressed person has a condition that is beyond his or her control. People often feel guilty around others who are depressed. If their efforts to cheer th…

1 minute read

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