Valerie Chisholm

4/2/2018

Depression is much more common now than in the past. It is one of the most common mental illnesses today. In the United States, 16 million adults have had or currently have depression, which is 6.9 of the US population. 360 million people worldwide suffer from it. In teens, major depression has increased by 37 percent in the last decade.

Younger people aren’t being properly treated or not treated at all which has many effects in performance in school. Those who don’t get help can have, drug or alcohol abuse, affected  relationships, and problems in physical health. Unresolved depression can lead to excessive eating, gain weight, loss of appetite, and possibly anorexia. There isn’t a known cause of depression, but stress and certain genetic factors can be a cause.

Depression is a mental health problem. It’s common to feel sad and upset at times but when it negatively affects the person every or most days it’s depression. Depression is a persistent sadness and loss of interest in things that used to bring happiness. Occasionally, the depression can have other specific features such as increased anxiety, seasonal depression, psychotic features, catatonia, and many others.