Depression....are you?

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.

• 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.