Depression
...t interrupts the person’s life. With newly acquired knowledge of the myriad treatment options, a well-informed patient is able to choose a course of treatment that is suitable to their needs. He or she must weigh the advantages and disadvantages and decide whether conventional or alternative treatment is the best option The symptoms of depressive illness are highly recognizable. Some depressed people suffer a few of the following symptoms, some many. Severity of the symptoms differs among individuals and varies over time. Generally, some widely prevalent signs of depression include the following: persistent sadness or despair; restlessness, irritability; decreased energy, fatigue; difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions; feelings of hopelessness; sleep problems; disordered eating patterns; loss of interest or pleasure in once favorable activities, including sex; social withdrawal; and lastly, in its most extreme form, thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts. Depression is generally classified based on the way the illness manifests itself; there are five specific types of commonly diagnosed depression, which include major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, dysthymic disorder, postpartum depression, and seasonal affective disorder. Recognition of the specific symptoms that accompany the depression is critical because it helps determine which treatment will be most successful. Major depressive disorder is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with one’s ability to sleep, eat, study, work, and enjoy once enjoyable activities. People with this type of depression “experience a form of chronic mood disorder that involves, on a day-to-day basis, extreme and persistent sadness, despair, and hopelessness”. Bipolar disorder, also referred to as manic-depressive illness is another type of depressive illness. It is characterized by alternating mood changes, which include emotional lows called depression and highs known as mania. In the depression phase, symptoms follow those in a major depressive syndrome. In the manic phase, however, symptoms may include feelings of euphoria, extreme optimism, and inflated self-esteem. “Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment…Mania, left untreated, may wor...