Depression: Hell on Earth and Within Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population, aged 18 and older. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depression and/or major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. Depression is like a never-ending sad story, where you're the main character. About 15% of those who suffer from some form of depression take their lives each year. “Depression is like a bruise that never goes away. A bruise in your mind, you just got to be careful not to touch it where it hurts. It's always there, though.” (Eugenides, 288) Both men and women suffer from some form of negative mental state. However, men and women experience depression very differently, and are treated differently. According to the DSM- V, manual used by clinicians and researchers to diagnose and classify mental disorders, the criteria for depression are: a mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities for more than two weeks. Mood represents a negative change from the person's life, and causes impaired social, occupational, and educational functions. Specific symptoms happen at least 5 times every day. For example, a depressed person experience a negative mood of irritability every day, as indicated by a feeling of either sadness or empty. There is a decreased interest or pleasure in most activities, most of each day for the depressed person. A person with depression feels fatigue or loss of energy. He or she can experience significant weight change or change in appetite. Change in sleep, Insomnia or hypersomnia also occurs. The feeling of guilt and worthlessness happen; the feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt also occurs almost daily. Their ability to concentrate diminishes. Their thoughts of thinking are more indecisiveness. Depressed people have suicidal thoughts of death or suicide, or they develop a suicide plan. There are all types of depression that affect men and women differently. Psychotic depression is when a person has severe depression plus some form of psychosis, such as having disturbing false beliefs or a break from reality which cause delusions, or hearing or seeing upsetting things that others cannot hear or see. Postpartum depression, which is much more serious than the "baby blues" that many women experience after giving birth, when hormonal and physical changes and the new responsibility of caring for a newborn can be overwhelming. “It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of women experience postpartum depression after giving birth”. (Phillips) Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs during certain times of the year, especially in the winter months. The disorder is more common among women than men. People with SAD may eat or sleep excessively and often crave either sugary or starchy foods, or both. Other symptoms may include having trouble waking in the morning or wanting to nap in the afternoon; feeling sluggish; having a lowered interest in sex or other pleasurable activities; having trouble concentrating; and gaining weight associated with food cravings. A combination of genetic, chemical, biological, psychological, social and environmental factors likely contributes to depression disorder. Depression is often a signal that certain mental, emotional and physical aspects of a person's life are out of balance. Chronic and serious illness such as heart disease or cancer may be accompanied by depression. Major life stressors such as the death of a loved one or the loss of a job can make a person depressed. Other factors that lead to depression can be the loss of self-identity or self-esteem. The causes of depression are not always apparent, so the disorder requires evaluation and diagnosis
