REALITY CHECK !! DEPRESSION HAV U EVER BEEN A VICTIM TO IT?

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Sadness is not depression. Sad is when you miss someone; depressed is when you lose 20 pounds from malnutrition and don’t get out of bed for two weeks. Periodically feeling disappointment or sorrow, even to the point of missing work or losing a night’s sleep, is normal and natural. But depression is distinctly different and clearly defined. The primary criteria include disturbance in sleep patterns; loss of appetite; difficulty concentrating and making decisions; loss of energy; poor self-image; and dwelling on suicidal thoughts. Depressive people exhibit several of the symptoms persistently for prolonged periods (two weeks and longer), to the point where routine functioning is impaired. Depressed people have more vulnerable immune systems. Depression is a form of stress, and stress has been demonstrated to compromise the body’s ability to ward off disease. This is one of the most overt examples of the mind’s impact on the body’s health. It may also explain why so many elderly people, despondent at the loss of a spouse, pass away within months of their wife or husband. Manic depression is more than a severe case of depression. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterized by swings from euphoric, incredibly energetic highs (mania) to catatonic lows. The moods tend to change with the seasons and can sometimes be treated with a stabilizer such as lithium. Genetics play a significant role in susceptibility, and a disproportionate percentage of people with the disease are highly intelligent. Changing diet and lifestyle can accomplish the same ends as antidepressants. As far as it is currently understood, depression results from a disturbance in neurotransmitters, the chemicals that carry messages between nerve cells in the brain. Some people are able to correct the imbalance with high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets, stress reduction and exercise. Sunlight is also a proven mood enhancer. Antidepressant drugs correct the same problem synthetically. Women are twice more likely than men to have depressive episodes. A study released in November 2005, the first of its kind, found that 8 percent of Americans—an estimated 17 million adults—met the American Psychiatric Association’s criteria for depression in 2004. Twice as many women reported depressive episodes, and 70 percent of them sought help (compared to 52 percent of men). Need a Reality Check? DICUSS more on Health & Fitness: