There are many different symptoms of depression.



This doesn't mean that you will experience all of those symptoms. You may just feel some of them -- or even just one of them. There is no hard and fast rule that says that in order to be depressed, one must have all of the symptoms of depression.

Furthermore, you may be surprised at the number of people who are still able to function in their

day-to-day lives while suffering from depression.

The difference is that they don't function as well as they did before, or that they are just going through the motions, with absolutely no joy in life.

Throughout time, people have become very good at

hiding depression. It was once thought of as a mental weakness, and therefore, if you suffered from it, you hid it as much as possible. It wasn't to be discussed with people outside of the family -- and possibly not even with people in the family.

Even with all of the information concerning

depression and its causes, many people will still

force a smile on their faces when they have to

interact with other people -- to hide the depression. They will never reach out for help. Think about that, and realize -- for yourself and your loved ones --that these people are the ones that figure out how to continue functioning in their lives. They go to work. They go to school. They may fulfill social obligations. Just because they are still able to do this does not mean that depression doesn't exist.

In its own way, depression really can be a silent

killer. In fact, it is estimated that by 2020,

depression will be the second-leading cause of death, after heart disease. Pay attention to yourself and your loved ones -- even if they aren't displaying symptoms of depression.

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