| Author: Stephen White |
Depression can affect anyone, women, children, men you name it. Unfortunatley, a woman is more than twice as likely to suffer from depression than a man. For the percentages of women to men who are depressed, the statistics would say that 24% of all women experience depression, while only fifteen percent of all men are affected by depression. Depression tends to also be more severe with women with one out of four women will be clinically depressed. In this case, you might need to pursue professional treatment or medications.
Depression, or a depressed mood, may in everyday English refer to a state of melancholia, unhappiness or sadness, or to a relatively minor downturn in mood that may last only a few hours or days. This is quite distinct from the medical diagnosis of clinical depression. However, if depressed mood lasts at least two weeks, and is accompanied by other symptoms that interfere with daily living, it may be seen as a symptom of clinical depression, dysthymia or some other diagnosable mental illness, or alternatively as sub-syndromal depression.
In the field of psychiatry, the word depression can also have this meaning of low mood but more specifically refers to a mental illness when it has reached a severity and duration to warrant a diagnosis, whether there is an obvious situational cause or not; see Clinical depression. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) states that a depressed mood is often reported as being: "... depressed, sad, hopeless, discouraged, or 'down in the dumps'." In a clinical setting, a depressed mood can be something a patient reports (a symptom), or something a clinician observes (a sign), or both.
A depressed mood is generally situational and reactive, and associated with grief, loss, or a major social transition. A change of residence, marriage, divorce, the break-up of a significant relationship, graduation, or job loss are all examples of instances that might trigger a depressed mood.
Women can get depressed about far more than men can. Even a wrong glance from someone they were hoping to be romantic with can cause wild mood swings. Between the two hormonal states, a woman will be affected by depression numerous times. Usually, a woman will be affected by depression during the beginning of the menstruation cycle or period.
Many women will suffer from depression because of other triggers. A pregnancy or miscarriage can cause depression in women as well as postpartum. Trauma like the loss of a child or a lover will also cause women to hide from those who love and need them.
Depression affects everyone slightly differently. To address the issue rather than doing nothing about it, try talking with a good friend or family member. Therapy isn't the only solution, many Americans take medicines as well. If your mother or sister or loved one has been hit with a dramatic change in life or have been through some type of trauma, you may want to spend more time with them and let them know just how much you really care. With any luck, they won't need professional services and the depression will only be a mild one. |
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