Depression affects more than 19 million people in the United States.  It’s different from normal sadness in that it engulfs your day to day life and interferes with your ability to work, eat, sleep, and enjoy doing the activities you normally do.  Depression may leave you feeling lifeless, empty, and disinterested.

To distinguish your condition as major depression, one of your symptoms must be either depressed mood or loss of interest and must be present for most of the day everyday or nearly everyday for at least two weeks.

The exact cause of depression is not known. Many researchers believe it is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, which may be hereditary or caused by events in a person's life.

Some types of depression seem to run in families, but depression can also occur in people who have no family history of the illness. Stressful life changes or events can trigger depression in some people. Usually, a combination of factors is involved.

Depression can be a contributing factor to:

• Suicide or self harm
• Alcohol and drug related problems
• Tobacco dependence
• Weight gain or loss, obesity, or eating disorders
• Problems with physical health and premature death due to medical illnes