Glossary of Medical Terms
Depression is an illness that causes a person to feel sad and hopeless for much of the time. It is different from normal feelings of sadness, grief, or low energy.
People who are depressed may also:
Lose interest in things they have enjoyed in the past.
Think and speak more slowly than normal.
Have trouble concentrating, remembering, and making decisions.
Have changes in their eating and sleeping habits.
Be preoccupied with death and/or suicide.
Have feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or hopelessness.
Depression affects men and women of all ages and has often been shown to run in families. A person can have one or many episodes of depression in a lifetime. Each episode of depression makes a person more likely to have another episode of depression.
Most people who are depressed get better with medicine, counseling, or a combination of the two. Some people with depression may need to be hospitalized.