Information and Links

Information and Links about Depression

Depression is a disease that affects approxiamately five percent of the United States population. People of all races, ethnic backgrounds, social classes, and sexes are victims of it. Women are more likely to be depressed than men.
Many people believe that depression is just a condition that one can will him- or herself out of. That is a big misconception. Depression is actually a chronic illness.
Depression causes a disturbance in a persons feelings and emotions. Sometimes it is caused by a major event, such as a death or a move, and sometimes it is just there for no apparent reason. It can build up gradually or come on suddenly. If you are in a down mood for a day or two, you do not have clinical depression. Clinical depression is characterized by a sadness or emptyness that lasts for two weeks or more.
However, not all people who are depressed are sad. Some people experience indifference, apathy, loss of pleasure or irritability. Depression not only affects a persons mood. It also disrupts daily activities such as sleep, work (or school), eating, and socializing. A depressed person may have insomnia, loss of appetite, weight loss, loss of concentration, and a poor memory. Or they may sleep too much, eat too much, and gain weight. Depression affects each person differently.
Most people do recover from depression within a few weeks or months. But for others, it can last for years. The good news it that most depressive episodes clear spontaneously after six months.

Information from DrKoop.com

Links

DrKoop.com: DrKoop.com has a very informative section on depression. It includes facts, an FAQ, treatment options, many articles, and news. The depression section can be found here.
Online Depression Screening Test: At this site, you can take a simple, ten question quiz that will give you an indication of how depressed you are. To take the quiz, click here.
NBCi: Dealing With Depression: This site, from one of the best search engines, is packed with a wealth of information. You can find articles, medical studies, treatment options, quizzes, facts, and information about medicines. Visit this section of NBCi by clicking here.
Search Engines: Go to any search engine and type in depression, adolescent depression, or anything similar, and I can pretty much guarantee you're going to get about a bazillion results. Try Yahoo.com, Excite.com, Google.com, or Metacrawler.com.
Kristin's Site: Depression- A Common Problem for Teens: The head honcho at this site is a good friend of mine. She's got some great ideas and they're coming along well because she is *constantly* updating! She's got her story, symptoms of depression, and a whole bunch of links! Visit by clicking here.
Depression: This site is really good. I read through it all, and said "exactly". She knows what she's talking about because she's been there. Visit her site by clicking here.
Depression and Suicide Awareness: This site has a lot of information for all types of people. There is a general depression section, plus info geared specifically to women and high school and college students. Visit now!.

Suicide Links

Yellow Ribbon Cards: This is the site of the famous yellow ribbon program. You can print the cards directly from your computer. You give the card to someone when you are feeling suicidal. It tells them you need help without you actually saying it. Yellow Ribbon Site or Print a Yellow Ribbon Card. I want you all to get Yellow Ribbon Cards, I have mine!
USA National Suicide and Crisis Hotlines: "When you feel you can't go on, call a suicide hotline". Links, info about what to expect when you call, why you should live, and how to distract yourself. Everyone visit! National Suicide Hotlines.

Other Causes

Depression is not always caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. An event can also trigger it. Many victims of sexual, emotional, or physical abuse often become depressed. I don't know much about any of these subjects though, so I will provide some links to sites of those who do know.

Sexual Abuse

Sheri, A Survivor's Story: Not only does she share her personal experience, but she links to sites of others with similar experiences. She also provides many links to other informative and helpful websites. You can go to Sheri's site by clicking here.
Sexual Assault Information Page: This site is set up sort of like an encyclopedia. There are lots of topics, including rape, incest, and sexual harrassment. It also has links to newsgroups, hotlines, and web resources. This is great! SAIP.

Emotional Abuse

Symptoms of Emotional Abuse: This site is aimed specifically at women (or at men-- click in the upper right corner) to help them find out if their relationship with their significant other is causing their depression. It asks many questions to help you find out if your partner is emotionally harming you. Visit this site by clicking here.
Emotional Abuse: This is a personal account of one woman's experience with emotional abuse. She speaks honestly and frankly, and gets her point across-- abuse should be taken seriously, and it can happen to anyone. Read her story by clicking here.

All types of abuse

Sue's Abuse Pages: This site is AMAZING. She has so much information about so many different topics! Visit Visit Visit NOW!

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Last update: May 6, 2001