It would be good  to reflect on what depression is all about and how to understand and prevent it.

Depression has been called the common cold of psycho pathology.  It is a very common phenomenon.  Everyone experiences it sooner or later, and no human being is totally exempt from it.  People of all ages, of all different social classes or races suffer from depression.  Everybody, rich or poor, religious or not, young or old, are possible candidates.  It seems to be a very uniquely human phenomenon.

Depression results many times from frustration of aspirations and ideals.  Many great and famous people have been severely depressed - Abraham Lincoln, Churchhill, Van Gogh, Hemmingway. . .  are perfect examples of what depression is all about. 

Common Phenomenon
Depression may be more frequent in Western culture than in other cultures because Western society is very competitive and very skeptical concerning the expression of emotions.  Even traditional values are under question and do not give a stable direction to behavior and thoughts.  One study reveals that each year, four to eight million Americans of the labor force need professional care for depressions which will keep them away from their work. 

Many people are not aware that they are depressed or they refuse to accept it.  People tend to hide their own depression from themselves by keeping busy, overworking, overeating, excessive drinking, taking drugs, or gambling.  Actually, a person who is very critical and negative is likely to be suffering from a kind of depression.  Negative attitudes cover up depression.

Everyone feels depressed at some time.  It is unpleasant to face certain things.  As a result, a person may lose his or her ambition or sense of humor.  If these feelings occur infrequently and are of short duration, then the depression is normal.  If, however, they reoccur frequently and last a long time it is something about which to be more concerned.

There are different signs and symptoms which are helpful in discovering if a person is depressed.

Many times a depressed person has a sad look, cries easily, speaks in a sad gloomy voice, reports of suicidal behavior, blames himself for things done or not done, feels tired all the time, has no interest in hobbies or in being with others, speaks slowly, has trouble remembering, suffers from sleep disturbances or sleeps too much, feels more depressed in the morning than the rest of the day.

In one word the present and the future seem to be enveloped in  very dark clouds.

A problem which often arises in discussing a definition of depression is the vagueness of the term. There are many kinds of depression, and there are many terms describing the same types. This abundance of terms can be quite confusing.  For example, some of the terms used to describe the various types are: chronic, acute, major, minor, manic, psychotic, neurotic, multiple, simple, etc.