Depression is a complex disease that can remain hidden unless someone who knows the signs looks.  Many people don’t even know they’re suffering from depression, and 15 million of those people are in America.  2/3 of those never seek help.  Why is depression hard to spot?  Unlike depression, the answer is easy.  Depression is often confused with every day issues people face, such as remorse over negative event .  It’s therefore not easy to discern the difference between a danger sign and an every day experience. 

Sadness is part of living.  For example we may become a little shaken when we reach the age of 40.  There are many who see this as some milestone of reflection that causes us to ponder and evaluate our lives.  It may be depressing to see that passed investment opportunity when you were 20 now worth a fortune.  That’s not depression.  Short term feelings and normal moods are not depression.  If not treated depression will last forever and will get worse and worse.  It may require years to get a handle on this illness. 

Symptoms of depression include insomnia and binge eating, or starvation.  This isn’t to say a sleepless night or a day of over eating are symptoms, rather it would be an ongoing pattern.  Depressed individuals tend to recede into a shell.  Constant remorse and regret are common.  Their feelings of loneliness and despair are constant and real.  Sufferers want someone to help, but can’t find the courage to ask.  They may find it hard to relate to those around them.  Where they once may have been the life of the party they may now be barely noticeable.  Early stage sufferers exhibit these symptoms.

Depression in later stages creates a seeming incompatibility between the victim and other people.  Their employment and or educational activities will begin to be affected by their lack of communication and participation.  They find it harder to face others as well as themselves.  Eventually suicide becomes an attractive option to escape the worthless life they now lead.  Early detection is a key to avoiding this terrible end.  Depression victims can find assistance.  The proper care and treatment can return the victims from suffering  to normalcy.  Ongoing symptoms of depression should prompt you to look for help.  Lives depend on it.

Find more on depression here Causes of Depression