Life is a journey full of up’s and down’s. Hardships and adversities are part of everyone’s life. I’m sure we all have felt “the blues”, and been pessimistic at some point in our lives. It’s normal to feel these emotions but if they continue for a long period of time, they may be signs of depression. People are often angry because they are unhappy. If things continue to make a person feel unhappy for an extended period of time, it could lead to mild or major depression (To know the Wikipedia definition of Depression please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression).

Common physical signs of depression include changes in sleeping and eating pattern. Other signs of depression are fatigue, headaches, stomachaches, or other inexplicable aches and pains. It also affects behavior/attitude such as diminished interest and enjoyment of previously pleasurable activities-sex, sports, hobbies, going out with friends, etc. A person may also have difficulty concentrating or making decisions and neglect responsibilities and personal appearance. Emotional symptoms include feeling dejected, apathetic, apprehensive, guilty, pessimistic, irritable, hopeless, negative, empty, suicidal thoughts, and helplessness. Low self-esteem is common with depression.

If you notice signs of depression for two weeks or longer, you should contact your physician. Depression is a treatable disease. The first step for treatment is to recognize the signs of depression. If you or a loved one is suffering from this illness, there are several methods and organization that can help combat this situation. Other than this there are alternative therapies like relaxation, exercise, acupuncture etc which might be helpful.

Depression not only causes suffering to those who are depressed, but it also causes great difficulty for their family and friends who often do not know how to help. Therefore, it is mandatory for every one of us to address this problem the moment we realize its existence.