This article clearly outlines the sign and symptoms of depression, and various types of depression

Essay by c0lriskUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, November 2003

download word file, 5 pages 4.6 4 reviews

The Effects of Depression

Rachel Jones

(I decided to write on depression, because I recently found out that I suffer from anxiety attacks.

A major cause of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety in individuals is stress. Anxiety disorders are sometimes confused with having a heart-attack; some symptoms are, pounding heart, or fast heart rate, sweating, trembling, or shaking, feeling as though you are choking, chest discomfort, dizzy, light-headed, nausea, stomach pain, fear of dying, or loosing control of yourself, (thinking you are going crazy. These symptoms, although harmless, are very real, and extremely scary.

Some types of depression run in families, suggesting that a biological vulnerability can be inherited. This seems to be the case with bipolar disorder. Studies of families in which members of each generation develop bipolar disorder found that those with the illness have a somewhat different genetic makeup than those who do not get ill.

However, the reverse is not true: Not everybody with the genetic makeup that causes vulnerability to bipolar disorder will have the illness. Apparently additional factors, possibly stresses at home, work, or school, are involved in its onset.

Depression symptoms come in forms such as: Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood , Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex ; Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"; Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions ; Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping; Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain; Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts; Restlessness, irritability ; Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain .

Mania Depression will usually show the following symptoms: Abnormal or excessive elation ; Unusual irritability; Decreased need for...