Approximately 9.9% of American adults suffer from major depression each year. This is different from the normal feelings of sadness or loss that are a normal part of living life day by day. Major depression is a lot more persistent than these feelings are and thus this illness can significantly interfere with your thoughts, behavior, mood, activity and physical health. In fact, it is expected that within the next few years major depression will become a leading cause of disability, second only to heart disease.

The Symptoms Of Major Depression

You may develop major depression gradually. As such the symptoms will not be immediately noticeable. Nevertheless there are still some signs that you should look for. These consist of a persistently sad mood; high irritability; noticeable changes in your habits, sleep and appetite; a lower level of energy; feelings of agitation; loss of interest in activities that use to be pleasurable; persistent feelings of guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness and emptiness; recurrent thoughts of death or suicide; and persistent physical symptoms such as headaches, digestive disorders and chronic pain for which there is no known cause and which do not respond to treatment.

If you are experiencing several of these symptoms for more than 2 weeks, you should talk to your doctor. This is especially true if you have noticed that these things interfere with your daily living.

The Causes Of Major Depression

There are a variety of causes of major depression. Sometimes it is also possible that the causes are too numerous to pinpoint just one that has caused you to have major depression. These causes can be physical, biological and even environmental. However, scientific research has shown that this is primarily a disorder of the brain. Herein there are 3 chemicals or neurotransmitters that act as messengers which transmit electric signals between your brain cells: norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine.

If you are suffering from major depression, then there is a chemical imbalance between these three neurotransmitters. This imbalance can be compensated for by antidepressant drugs, which work by increasing the availability of neurotransmitters. It can also change these receptors' sensitivity to accept chemical messengers. However, you cannot treat major depression through the use of these antidepressant drugs alone.

Cognitive therapy is also used to treat major depression. Herein you will be taught coping skills that you can use when it comes to the problematic areas of your life. You may also find that a combination of cognitive therapy and antidepressant drugs will work best for you.