Everyone has their own name for feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Vivian Leigh, Leo Tolstoy, Senator Eagleton, and astronaut Edwin Aldrin all suffered with depression. Depression is a disturbance of mood, a variation from your usual mood state, much like a fever is a variation from normal body temperature. If feelings of sadness are interfering with your everyday life, or if four or more of the following are true for you, then you should seek help from a mental health professional.
Untreated depression can last for years.
It is important to remember that depression is a very real and treatable condition, not a failure of will. Why Ten million Americans suffer with depression at any one point in time. Adolescent depression is becoming more common. Depression has many sources. Some researchers have identified genetic conditions that may predispose individuals to depression.