Do you suffer from Depression?

Do you suffer from depression? That is the question we ask ourselves when we have days where nothing can make us happy?

Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. In a given year, an estimated 22.1% of Americans aged 18 and older (about 1 in 5 adults) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. According to the 1998 United States Census population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people! In addition, 4 / 10 leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are mental disorders, with major depression being the leading cause of disability.

It is estimated that depression alone will occur in approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5% of the United States population aged 18 or above. If you are a woman, you are twice as likely than a man (12% vs. 6.6%) to be affected by depression each year.

Many individual's symptoms of depression start with an occasional case of the blahs. They are able to cope with it for a while. They think that since it happens to a lot of people, it would pass and they don't really need to worry about looking for help. This is when they have a few drinks and as a result feel much better, only to find out later that depressive disorders commonly occur with substance abuse…

So what is the cause of all of this sadness in our society? Most people are not happy with their lives and the direction it takes them in. They would look back at a week past and not be able to recall one thing that they enjoyed, nor would they look forward to the coming weeks ahead. All they see is potential stresses that are going to present themselves.

When we are suffering from depression, it seems that we lose our objectivity. Does thinking that we have nothing to look forward to sound rational to you? Where do most people's enjoyment in life disappear to? It's the perception of the world that slowly changes and you are unable to see it because of the control that depression has over you.

In the fast pace of today's world we often don't allow ourselves time to evaluate our lives and set goals to realize our ambitions. Whether you do or do not have depression, you're reading this article because you think something might be wrong with your life. Have you tried to identify the things you are unhappy with?

The first step for anyone should be to educate oneself and find out what it is that you are dealing with. Start reading books, consult a psychologist to get some unbiased insight about yourself.
 

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