 What is Depression?  Causes of Depression  Symptoms of Depression  Treatment of Depression  Suicide  Depression & Suicide Statistics  Works Cited

 Depression is a common but serious mental illness that interferes with daily life  There are several types of depression.  A general definition of depression: an illness that affects, mood, thoughts, behavior, and overall health.

 Major depressive disorder › Can be very disabling › Some people have recurrences  Dysthmic disorder › Also known as mild chronic depression › Symptoms are suffered for a long time › Symptoms are not as sever as major depression, but still hard to function  Psychotic depression › Symptoms include hallucinations and delusions  Postpartum depression › Develops a few weeks after giving birth › 10% to 15% of women PND  SAD › Common the further from the equator you go › Symptoms usually go away during spring and summer › Light therapy works for about half of the patients with SAD  Bipolar disorder › Also known as manic depressive disorder › Patients experience highs and lows

 Biology – Certain parts of the brain not working or chemical changes/imbalance  Genetics – Family history of depression  Health Conditions  Age  Trauma – Abuse, death of a loved one, etc.  Changes and Stressful Events – Divorce, sick relative, job changes, marriage, etc.  Medication & Substances – Certain prescriptions have depressive side effects and substance abuse.

 Loss of interest in day to day activities  Weight change: weight gain or weight loss  Sleep change  Irritability  Loss of energy or fatigue  insomnia  Low Self-esteem: Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and emptiness  Changes in typical behavior  Difficulty thinking and concentrating  Increased aches and pains  Thoughts of suicide

 Consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.  Possible treatment: › Medication › Psychotherapy (talk therapy) › Brain stimulant therapies like Electroconvulsive therapy are sometimes used when medication and talk therapy do not work

 Untreated depression can greatly increase the risk of possible suicide  Some warning signs of suicide with depression: › A switch from being sad to calm › Always talking about death and/or suicide › Taking extreme risks › Putting affairs in order  Risk Factors: › In adults the strongest factors of attempted suicide are depression, alcohol abuse, cocaine use, separation, or divorce › In youth the strongest factors of attempted suicide are depression, alcohol or other drug abuse, aggressive behavior, and disruptive behavior

Malignant Neoplasm 184,190 Heart Disease 126,738 Unintentional Injury 78,327 SUICIDE 28,628 Diabetes Mellitus 21,143 Cerebrovasular 21,093 Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease 20,231 Liver Disease 19,796 Homicide 15,627 HIV 10,770

 Everyone in their life will be affected by depression in some way  Depression can be reliably diagnosed by a primary care physician, but fewer than 25% have access to effective treatment.  1 in 33 children suffer from depression  The elderly have higher suicidal tendencies, and the cost of treating depression in the elderly is 50% higher.  54% of people believe that depression is a personal weakness  41% of women with depression are to embarrassed to seek help  80% of people with depression are not being treated  15% of people with a depressive disorder will commit suicide  More than 4 times as many men than women die by suicide  Every 2 hours and 11 minutes, a person under the age of 25 completes suicide.

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