Depression is one of the most debilitating diseases in society today. Unfortunately, most people have no idea about the



effects of depression or what someone that actually suffers from this diseases is going through. Many people, both friends and family members, can be quite cruel by not even trying to understand how someone with depression feels. As a matter of fact, many people tend to think that it's something that can just be "turned off" instantly, but it doesn't work that way at all.

Depression attacks many people from all walks of life. It's not particular about who it affects. Many people in different professions including doctors, teachers, police officers and people from practically all walks of life are not immune to the effects of depression. Some people suffer from mild depression which may last for a few weeks at a time and go away. Others may suffer from what is known of major depression, where their symptoms may last for several months at a time and be deep and dark. Sufferers of major depression have symptoms such as mood swings, sometimes violent, suicidal thoughts, feelings of hopelessness, irritability, isolating themselves and may also have a tendency to use alcohol and drugs as an escape from their symptoms.

Another form of depression is called bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic depression. Manic depression is one of the most difficult types of depression to diagnose. Unfortunately, this type of disorder has many of the same symptoms of other forms of depression, but can include its own unique symptoms such as self mutilation, in addition to violent tendencies, in some people. Bipolar disorder can be controlled as long as the person continues to take medication. Lithium is one drug that has been prescribed for sufferers of bipolar disorder and has been found to be effective for many people.

Researchers have come up with many different types of antidepressant medications. Each person tends to be unique as to how they react to these medications, therefore it's not always possible for doctors to prescribe the correct medication on the first try. Sometimes it may take several attempts or different combinations of medicines in order to become effective for each individual patient. Also, it can take as much as three to four weeks for these medicines to be sufficiently absorbed into a persons system to know whether they're working or not. In some cases, the patient must gradually reduce the dosage in order to wean themselves off of the medicine, because stopping it cold turkey could prove to be dangerous.

The next time that you run across someone who suffers from depression, whether it be friend, family member or stranger for that matter, try to have a little bit of patience and compassion. No one is immune to this debilitating disease. Who knows, it may even happen to you someday.