Depression

Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home.

 The death of a loved one, loss of a job or the ending of a relationship are difficult experiences for a person to endure. It is normal for feelings of sadness or grief to develop in response to such situations. Those experiencing loss often might describe themselves as being “depressed.”

We’ve all had moments in our lives when we feel sad. But if weeks go by and those feelings linger, it may be a sign of clinical depression. More than mere sadness, depression is a mood disorder that can suck the joy out of life and leave you feeling too overwhelmed to engage in normal daily activities or to get much pleasure from people or things that you previously enjoyed.