Depression is a serious but treatable medical condition that can strike anyone. Depression is caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals, along with other factors. Depression is not simply a passing sadness or blue mood that lifts in a few hours or days, but is persistent. Depression is frequently ignored or untreated; the condition will often prevent people from taking steps to help themselves.Depression drains your energy, diminishes your interest in everyday activities, and if serious enough and/or left untreated, it can lead to thoughts of overwhelming despair or even suicide. Anyone who feels down nearly every day for weeks or months may be clinically depressed.Depression is a pervasive and impairing disorder that affects both women and men--however, it seems women experience depression at roughly twice the rate of men. Depression can strike anyone, but people with serious illnesses such as stroke are at greater risk.Depression is usually characterized by any number of the following symptoms: feelings of sadness or hopelessness; pessimism; low activity levels; motivational difficulties; problems in relating to others, such as dissatisfaction in relationships, social anxiety, or loneliness; guilt; feeling overwhelmed or out of control; physical problems such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, appetite irregularities, and other physical complaints. Depression can also be expressed as apathy, or an inability to feel anything. Depression can be characterized by feelings of hopelessness and despair.Depression is so complex, and personal, that often you need an objective opinion that you just can't get from reading a book and attempting exercises on your own.Instead of getting help for their symptoms of depression, too many frequently try to make themselves feel better by "self medicating" with alcohol or drugs. Frequently, men suffering with depression first experience physical symptoms, such as headaches, gastrointestinal distress, and sexual dysfunction.Depression is a serious medical condition that affects your body, mood, and thoughts--and like any medical problem requires professional treatment to help make the symptoms diminish and finally go away. When seeking treatment for depression, it is important to obtain a medical examination, as many symptoms of depression can be caused by medications and other medical conditions. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment, making any changes to existing treatment, or altering in any way your current exercise or diet regimen.We know that the earlier someone consults their family doctor, the quicker and more effective treatment is likely to be. Which treatment is best depends both on the type of depression and on the particular needs of the person concerned. You need to talk frankly with your physician or therapist to get the right kind of treatment. While it may take courage to reach out and ask for help, treatment brings relief.There are two main types of treatment: talking treatments, such as problem-solving, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or other forms of psychotherapy, and antidepressant tablets. Talking about feelings is often helpful in itself. Both of these are given as a course of treatment over a period of months. Without treatment, symptoms may last a few weeks, months, or even years. Depression will take a while to control and bipolar disorder especially will not be contained at once.Once a physician and client have decided that antidepressants will be useful in the treatment process, they must then begin to identify which of the nearly 20 FDA approved antidepressant compounds will be best for that particular case.With appropriate diagnosis and treatment, however, most people recover. The good news is that, in more than 80% of cases, treatment is effective. The majority of people with more severe depression can be helped by a number of treatments which can be provided by doctors or other trained professionals.If you have symptoms of depression, you are not alone. At some point in their life, around 1 in every 5 women and 1 in every 10 men will suffer from depression. At any given time, 1 in every 20 adults is experiencing a serious 'major' depression. If you have not suffered from depression yourself, or do not know anyone who has, it can be difficult to appreciate what it is like. When you're suffering with depression you can't just "snap out of it"-you need help, just as a diabetic needs insulin. Support from your spouse and family is also important to overcome depression. If you don't have a trusted friend, then maybe you should consider joining a support group which will enable you to talk freely about your chronic depression.