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Depression is a condition that can affect up to 20% of the population at some time in their life. Often friends, family or a colleague's advice of 'snapping out of it' just does not help. An upsetting part of suffering from depression is that the personal support network of friends and family often do not understand the condition.
What is Depression?
The Oxford Reference Dictionary says that depression is "as state of extreme dejection often with physical symptoms". There are, as with anything, different types of this condition which range in duration and severity.
The human condition is one that brings with it what is often called "moods". You can be in a good, bad, high, low or indifferent mood. It is normal to experience all these moods at different times. Some of these moods can be started by conscious events in our lives whilst at other times we may be unaware of why we feel a particular way. Sometimes there may be a physical reason for feeling one of these moods.
The word 'depression' or 'feeling depressed' is often used to refer to feeling 'blue' or 'down' even though this may state may last for only a short period of time. Referring to this short time of feeling down as depression is not accurate and it is important to distinguish between occasional low moods and depression.
Depression is when someone experiences a sustained period of dejection or feeling low that seems to have little respite or it can be a low mood that seems to continue to return on a regular basis. To
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