Depression is an illness that one in five people will suffer during their lifetime. Depression is the leading cause of alcoholism, drug abuse and other addictions. Depression is an illness that can be successfully treated in more than eighty percent of the people who have it. Women, however, suffer from depression twice as much as men do. At least half of the people suffering from depression do not get proper treatment.
Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide.
Depression is second only to heart disease in causing lost work days in America. Depression is not a character flaw or the sign of a weak personality. Depression is not fully recognized as an illness by most health care insurance providers. Depression affects every aspect of a person. It affects your mood, as you start growing short of temper for no apparent reason, or withdrawing from friends or social events that you once enjoyed .