A depressive illness is a "whole-body" illness involving your body, mood, thoughts and behavior. It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. A depressive illness is not a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help over 80 percent of those who suffer from depression

Types of Depression
Depressive illnesses come in different forms just as do other illnesses, such as heart disease.

Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities. These disabling episodes of depression can occur once, twice, or several times in a lifetime. These symptoms are:

Symptoms of Depression

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Persistent sad or "empty" mood

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Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism

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Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness

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Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that you once enjoyed, including sex

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Insomnia, early-morning waking or oversleeping

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Appetite and/or weight loss, or overeating and weight gain

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Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"

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Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts

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Restlessness, irritability

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Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions

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Excessive crying

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Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain

Manic Depressive Illness (also called Bipolar Depression) is another form of depression   This is not nearly as prevalent as other forms of depressive illnesses, manic-depressive illness involves cycles of depression (symptoms described above) and elation or mania (described below). Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid, but most often they are gradual. When in the depressed cycle, you can have any or all of the symptoms of a depressive illness. When in the manic cycle, any or all symptoms listed under mania may be experienced. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, unwise business or financial decisions may be made when in a manic phase.

Symptoms of mania include:

Symptoms of Mania Include

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Inappropriate elation

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Inappropriate irritability

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Severe insomnia

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Grandiose notions

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Increased talking

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Disconnected and racing thoughts

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Increased sexual drive

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Markedly increased energy

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Poor judgment

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Inappropriate social behavior

Dysthymia is a less severe type of depression. Dysthimia involves long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disable, but keep you from functioning at "full steam" or from feeling good. Sometimes people with dysthymia also experience major depressive episodes.

Causes of Depression

There is a risk for developing depression when there is a family history, indicating that a biological vulnerability can be inherited. The risk may be somewhat higher for those with bipolar depression. However, not everybody with a genetic vulnerability develops the illness. Apparently additional factors, possibly a stressful environment and other psychosocial factors are involved in the onset of depression.

Though major depression seems to occur, generation after generation, in some families, it can also occur in people who have no family history of depression. Whether the disease is inherited or not, it is evident that individuals with major depressive illness often have too little or too much of certain neurochemicals.

Psychological makeup also plays a role in vulnerability to depression. People who have low self-esteem, who consistently view themselves and the world with pessimism, or who are readily overwhelmed by stress are prone to depression.

A serious loss, chronic illness, difficult relationship, financial problem or any unwelcome change in life patterns can also trigger a depressive episode. Very often, a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors is involved in the onset of a depressive illness.

[Information gathered from the National Institute of Mental Health]