Those who suffer from major depression may also experience social withdrawal and begin to lose interest in daily activities. These episodes of depression can occur once, twice or several times during a lifetime. Major depression is like being in a hole and not having the resources to pull yourself out of it. Chronic depression, or dysthymia, though a lower grade of depression, is a long-term mood disorder. The third most prevalent type of depression is bipolar illness, also known as manic-depressive illness.
Bipolar illness is a combination of intense, energetic highs and extreme lows.
Statistics show it can be hereditary. Some symptoms of depression include prolonged sadness, decreased energy, social withdrawal, guilt, sleeping and eating problems, negativity and pessimism and chronic aches and pains that are not caused by another physical condition. The negative ideas are 'chewed' over and over in their heads and it beats a person down. Engstrom also suggested increasing the level of physical activity. In addition to cognitive behavior treatment, neurochemical drugs such as Prozac are often used to treat depression as well.