Many of the symptoms of depression are easy to miss. They are often your mind's way of telling you something is wrong. Sometimes depression can be caused by serious life events like death or divorce. Many times it can appear in someone's life for no apparent reason. If you think you might be depressed, help is available.
Depression is a real illness with real causes.
One out of eight Americans will suffer from depression at least once in their lifetime. It is estimated that over 18 million people a year suffer from depression. Many doctors believe that depression is caused by an imbalance of serotonin - a chemical in the brain that helps carry messages from one cell to another. Watch a graphical depiction of what happens in the brain. This means depression isn't caused by personal weakness - it's not just a down period that you can snap out of.