Depression is a condition that affects many Americans. Depression is a potentially a serious mental condition. Minor depression may last from a couple of days to a month. Major depression may last 6 months or more. Depression may occur as repeated episodes over a lifetime, with periods free of depression in between (“Depression as,”). . A person experiencing depression may encounter sadness, fatigue, weight loss or weight gain, and even thoughts of suicide and death. It is important to understand the effect of depression. It may allow a person suffering from minor depression the means for self-treatment before it develops into a full-blown episode of major depression.