Depression is sometimes referred to as the psychological equivalent of the common cold. That is to say, depression is a highly common problem, the most frequent psychological disorder in fact. Descriptive statistics can vary, but it's believed that roughly twenty percent of US adults are depressed. Twenty percent may not sound like a lot, until you consider it as an actual number. Twenty percent of the US population amounts to tens of millions of people. Numbers that high might legitimately be considered epidemic.

One of the problems with depression is treatment. In actuality, depression is typically a highly treatable condition with an impressive treatment success rate. While it's true that some people don't respond to certain types of depression treatments, odds are that at least one form or another of depression treatment will work for the person who needs it. This is meaningful as there are numerous depression treatments to be had, among them talk counseling and treatment with medications.

The problem with depression treatment is that most people with depression don't get any sort of treatment at all. There are certainly a number of different potential reasons for this, including the stigma that still exists about admitting to being depressed. Another reason for lack of treatment for depression however is likely due to a lack of motivation. People tend to think of depression as completely psychological in nature, but the truth of the matter is that depression also has physical characteristics. People who become depressed can become so listless that physical activity may seem almost overwhelming.

There may be a tendency to label the depressed person as being in some sort of funk or even being temporarily lazy, but the frequency of lethargy within depressed people leaves little doubt that physical inertia is in fact a genuine symptom of depression itself, and not something separate. It's one thing to intellectually understand that decreased will and motivation are symptomatic of depression, but coping with the reality of such can be an entirely different matter. The person who's depressed and is lacking will and energy can frustrate people who care for them, and can frustrate themselves as well. The thinking seems to go that the person who's feeling depressed should just will him or herself into action, and again, even the depressed person can share in this sort of critical thinking.

Frustrating though it may be, it's important to keep in mind that a lack of energy and physical action is a legitimate symptom of depression. While it's true that lethargy in a depressed person can be tough for all parties involved to cope with, the positive news is that energy often comes back in a person with depression once they've initiated treatment for their depressed state.