However, in this article, we are talking about the medical illness of clinical depression which affects a person's mood, thoughts, body and functioning. For weeks, I was always on the verge of tears. I thought I had fallen into a black hole that I couldn't get out of. It became so difficult to concentrate at work that I felt worthless, like I couldn't do anything well. No two people experience clinical depression in the same manner.
Symptoms vary in severity and duration among different people.
Typically depression is the result of a combination of the person's biochemistry, genetic heredity, psychological factors such as pessimism and low self-esteem, or stressful life events. The root cause of depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain of neurotransmitters that regulate emotions, energy level, eating, and sleeping. The blues are a normal reaction to unhappy or stressful life situations. Clinical depression, however, is a serious medical illness. Irritability, chronic physical problems and trouble concentrating affect people on the job.