Depression is a common mental illness that can affect people of all ages. Although everyone experiences periodic bouts of sadness, clinical depression is characterized by an inability to get over these feelings, even with the support of family and friends, or the occurrence of happy events. When someone is depressed they are often bogged down with thoughts of helplessness, hopelessness, and general irritability. These feelings can make all aspects of one s life more difficult, eventually interfering with family, friends, work, and the pleasure activities in one s life.
Researchers believe depression is caused by the combination of several factors.
Some depression is linked to genetic origins, explaining why some families have higher occurrences of depression than others do. Other research has shown depression to be associated with chemical imbalances in the brain. Finally it is also possible that depression can be triggered by the use of medication or other physiological changes such as thyroid disorders. Depression may also occur in the absence of any obvious triggers.