Is depression a temporary mental condition?”
Depression comes in several varieties. The most serious is major depression, which can be single-episode, recurrent, or a phase of bipolar disorder, which is another kind of illness. All of these illnesses are medical problems which require medical treatment and counseling. When the illness is severe, it can lead to other problems such as extreme weight loss or gain, intractible insomnia or excessive sleeping, and suicide. It always has life-damaging consequences for both the sufferer and the people close to him or her. It affects one in six of us during our lifetimes – more, if you consider loved ones. It is often hidden, needlessly, out of shame, fear, or prejudice. It can strike at any age, and affects twice as many women as men, but this may be because men underreport it. There is another form of depression, called dysthymia, that is less severe, but more chronic. It is also a distinctive, and treatable, disorder. The ordinary feelings of despair and discouragement that all of us f
