Depression is a mental illness that affects millions of people every year. This illness is characterized by an inescapable feeling of sadness, despair, loneliness, and lost of interest in anything that was once pleasurable (Longe, Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine 1). The feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and guilt can become so severe that they can take over every aspect of a person’s lif

e and in turn, cause them to lose all feeling of happiness. Depression is due to a combination of internal and external factors that affect people’s life. The internal factors include reproductive elements and biological changes that occur in the brain. The external factors include many reactions to life problems such as minor failures, disappointments, and disruptions. (Gotlib. Hammen, Psychosocial Aspects of Depression 3). These feelings may last from a few minutes, to many years, which depends on the severity of the condition. Certain behaviors reflect how severe the depression is, and how it should be treated. Like other illnesses, there are low, moderate, and high severities. Moderate and high levels are the most common, and lower levels of the illness are the least. Depression ranks as one of the most devastating and painful experiences for people. Fortunately depression can be treated effectively, however, it is the person’s job to recognize the problem and seek proper treatment in order to improve their quality of life.

Self-help is another method to overcome depression. There are many self-help organizations that help people face the problem of depression. These organizations may put you into a group with others that have a common problem. These programs are peer- oriented where each member is the helper and the one that needs to be helped. This gives the victim the realization that she is not alone, and there are others that have the same problem (Roesch, Encyclopedia of Depression 166). This way, you can talk to your peers and try to work out your problem without taking medication.

The first external factor that causes depression in people has to do with low social and economic status. The feelings of inferiority can become so strong, that they can take over the victim’s life by making them feel helpless and useless to society. Role also plays a large part in the causes of depression in people. Some people may be brought up in an environment that teaches them to be a successful businessman, a loving wife, or a loving mother. These expectations can cause one to have certain expectations for themselves throughout life. If something happens in life that disturbs the expectations, a person may develop feelings of failure, due to inability to carry out their role. Because of many external factors such as divorce, or job loss, one may feel like they are not playing a proper role in being an employee, a wife, or mother.

Medical conditions are also a major cause of depression. Having a medical condition may cause a person

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