Depression And You

It is hard for those who suffer from depression to adequately convey the personal pain and suffering they experience with this mood disorder. All races, all ages, both males and females are susceptible to depressive episodes, although some individuals are more susceptible than others.

The fourth leading cause of disability in the United States, depression is on course to become the second leading cause of disability by the year 2020. The lifetime prevalence of a major depressive episode is 17%, up from 10% to 20% a few years ago. Most studies find that major depressive disorder (MDD) is twice as common in women at 12% as in men at 6.6%. The prevalence of rates for major depressive disorder appears unrelated to ethnicity, education, income or marital status. Chronic mild depression, known as Dysthymic disorder, occurs in about 5.1% of all people during their lifetimes and around 40% of those people will also meet the criteria for major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder in any given year.

Other psychiatric disorders such as anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, substance abuse, and eating disorders are frequently accompanied by depression. People with anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder are commonly first diagnosed with depression as are people with personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder, adjustment disorder, and brief depressive reactions.

Anxiety mixed with depression is probably one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses today. In cases of major depression the symptoms of anxiety occur in around 70% of all cases. The presence of anxiety disorder and depression at the same time has a negative impact on the course of this disease and has been shown to result in a higher suicide rate, greater severity of depression, greater impairment in social and occupational functioning, and a poorer response to treatment. This is especially true in the depressed elderly who also suffer from symptoms of anxiety or anxiety disorder.

People with medical disorders have a higher incidence of depression as well. People with chronic medical problems are at a higher risk for depression than those in the general population. In fact depression is often a secondary concern to any medical condition. Depression can also be a secondary concern to the use of substances such as alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and prescription medications.

Depression is a growing problem in this day and age and can affect anyone at any time. As such this depression website has been set up as a portal for you to help find the information and resources you need to understand and participate in the treatment of you or your loved ones depression. There are many sources for the knowledge you seek. The Internet allows you to quickly and easily find and access as much information as you need.

Explore all the information contained in the articles here. They give you the benefit of the expertise and research of the author, laid out for your review. You will find excellent depression info pulled together here.

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