M.D. Perhaps you have noticed that over the last few months you have been needing an excessive amount of sleep or you cannot seem to stay asleep, you are exhausted, your appetite seems to have decreased and you are losing weight without even trying , or you are eating voraciously. Your friends, roommates and professors are irritating you more than usual and you find yourself preferring to be alone, withdrawing from your usual activities and interests. You may be crying excessively and unexplainably. You may be preoccupied with self-depreciating thoughts, a general belief that the world would be better off if you were not here or frank thoughts of committing suicide.
Depression can appear in individuals at any age, from childhood through the geriatric age group.
No racial, ethnic or religious group is immune to it. Depression is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. This syndrome is one of the most common debilitating, destructive and deadly illnesses in our society today. Depression is almost always caused by a combination of factors, both external and internal. Underlying the symptoms, however, are definite chemical changes in the brain.