Depression

Everyoneoccasionally feels blue or sad.But these feelings are usually short-lived andpass within a couple of days.Depression is a common but serious illness.

Major depressionprevents a person from functioning normally.It interferes with a person'sability to work,sleep,study,eat,and enjoy once-pleasurable activities.Minor

depression ischaracter-ized by having symptoms for 2 weeks or longer that do not meet fullcriteria for major depression. Without treatment,people with minor depressionare

at high risk fordeveloping major depressive disorder.

Theseverity,frequency,and duration of symptoms vary depending on the individualand his or her particular illness.They include persistent sad,anxious,feelingsof

hopelessness,guilt,worth-lessness,orhelplessness,loss of interest in activities or hobbies once-pleasurable,fatigueand decreased energy,difficulty in

concentrating,rememberingdetails,and making decisions,insomnia, early-morning wakefulness,or excessivesleeping,suicide attempts.

Depression also mayoccur with other serious medical illnesses such as heart disease,stroke,cancer,HI V/AIDS,diabetes,and Parkinson's disease.

Depression isrelated to a combination of genetic,biological,environmental,and psychologicalfactors.Research indicates that depressive illnesses are disorders of the

brain.Brain-imagingtech-nologies,such as magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),have shown that thebrains of people who have depression look different than those of people

withoutdepression.Some types of depression tend to run in families.Inaddition,trauma,loss of a loved one,a difficult relationship,or any stressfulsituation may trigger a

depressive episode.

Biological,lifecycle,hormonal,and psychosocial factors that women experience may be related towomen's higher depression rate.For example,women are especially

vulnerable todeveloping postpartum depression after giving birth.Besides,during thetransition into menopause,some women experience an increased risk fordepression.It is

stillunclear,though,why some women faced with enormous challenges developdepression,while others with similar challenges do not.Paragraph3__________

A.What is depression

B.Signs and symptomsof depression

C.What causesdepression

D.Illness thatco-exist with depression

E.How do womenexperience depression