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Depression (everyday general usage) commonly refers to a relatively transitory, negative mood experienced to varying degrees by living, thinking organisms. This usage of the term differs significantly from that associated with the the medical term clinical depression, which is a mental disorder marked by depressed-mood symptoms that last two weeks or more and are so severe that they interfere with activities of daily living. While the type of depressed mood discussed here can be said to apply to many kinds of animals, including human beings, this article focuses primarily on the mood manifesting in people.

In the field of psychiatry the terms depression or depressed are used in both the ordinary, non-clinical sense and to refer specifically to pathology, especially when the mood of depression has reached a level of severity and/or duration that warrants a clinical diagnosis. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) states that a depressed mood is often reported as being: "... depressed, sad, hopeless, discouraged, or 'down in the dumps'." In traditional colloquy, "depressed" is often synonymous with "sad," but both clinical and non-clinical depression can also refer to a conglomeration of one or more feelings, including (but not limited to) anger, fear, anxiety, despair, guilt, apathy, and grief, in addition to what many people would describe as typical "sadness."

In a clinical setting — e.g., a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, or nursing home — a depressed mood can be something a patient reports (a symptom, or subjective sign), something a clinician observes (an objective sign), or both.

Determinants of mood

Depression can result from one or more factors, acting individually or in concert. A depressed mood can be a limited state of mind and/or feeling, or it can be a fundamental symptom of the disease known as clinical depression.

Environment

Negative experiences related to external events are perhaps the most obvious reasons for feeling depressed, and can often involve a loss of some kind. A loss may be overt and easily identified, such as the death or estrangement of a loved one (loss of life), moving from a familiar place to an unfamiliar place (loss of security), incarceration or other physical confinement (loss of freedom), getting fired/laid off from one's job (loss of income), or falling ill (loss of health). A feeling of loss can also be subtle, such as disillusionment about one's career prospects, or generalized anxiety about growing older.

Distress leading to feelings of depression can result from other things, as well. Helplessness or frustration stemming from a perceived lack of control over one's environment can lead to feelings of depression; examples can include noisy neighbors that interfere with one's sleep, getting lost in a foreign country, bad weather on a long-planned-for vacation, or sexual harassment at work. Domestic disputes and financial difficulties are also common causes for a depressed mood. Other causes of non-clinical depression can include loneliness, the awareness of (temporary) physical illness or discomfort, fear, or worries that one isn't cared about by others. Situational anxiety and stress — especially long term — often cause transient depression that, if left unattended, can lead to more serious, clinical depression.

Psychology

Sometimes a depressed mood may be triggered by internal, psychological processes, i.e., not resulting from external forces or environment. Unfocused pessimism, doubt about one's personal attractiveness or worth, or feelings of generalized inadequacy can all lead to feelings of limited-duration depression. Changes in cognition, such as unpleasant or frightening delusions or hallucinations, that occur in illnesses like psychosis and dementia can also can lead to depression. Phobias can also cause problems, both practical and emotional, that can often result in feelings of depression.

Biology

Biological influences of depression are varied, but can include hereditary, hormonal, and seasonal factors, illness, neurotransmitter malfunction, and long-term exposure to dampness and mold and to the frequent exposure via the frequent use of air fresheners and other aerosols in the home., all of which are more fully discussed in the clinical depression article. Generally speaking, non-clinical depression can only rarely be directly attributed to serious biological disorder.

Depression as mechanism of adaption

While a depressed mood is usually referred to (and perceived) as negative, it can sometimes be subtly beneficial in helping a person adapt to circumstance. For example, physical illness, such as influenza, can lead to feelings of psychological malaise and depression that seem, at first, only to compound an already unpleasant situation. However, the experience of depression, or feeling "down," often results in physical inertia, which leads to the compulsion to rest. The fleeting helplessness and immobility of the physically ill may also serve to elicit care from others.

From an evolutionary standpoint, some argue that depression could be at least partially related to atavistic fears that were originally based on real dangers. Marcello Spinella, Ph.D., in his book, How Sadness Survived: The Evolutionary Basis of Depression, suggests that, because "social support and interdependence were important features of the ancestral environment" "the group could have offered extra help to the depressed person until the condition resolved." Further, "...a depressed person may change the attitudes of other people around him, making them more sympathetic to his needs and therefore giving him a long term advantage."

Temporary depression, psychologist Thomas Moore (spiritual writer), Ph.D., suggests, can, in some cases, not only "...provide a rest from the hyperactivity of the good times...," but can also be assigned value in the overall spectrum of human experience, and how members of a community relate to, and support, one another. In some cases, Moore says, "dark times leave their mark and make you a person of insight and compassion."

Mental disorders with depression

A chronic depressed mood is usually a core feature of such mental disorders as:

• manic depression (Bipolar disorder)
• clinical depression
• endogenous depression
• reactive, or neurotic, depression
• atypical depression
• psychotic depression
• seasonal affective disorder
• adjustment disorder with depressed mood

See also

• Depression and natural therapies

References

1. Dampness and Mold in the Home and Depression: An Examination of Mold-Related Illness and Perceived Control of One’s Home as Possible Depression Pathways Edmond D. Shenassa, ScD, Constantine Daskalakis, ScD, Allison Liebhaber, BA, Matthias Braubach, MPH and MaryJean Brown, ScD, RN October 2007, Vol 97, No. 10 | RESEARCH AND PRACTICE | American Journal of Public Health 1893-1899 © 2007 American Public Health Association DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.093773 PMID 17761567 http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/10/1893?HITS=10&sortspec=relevance&hits=10&author1=Edmond+Shenassa&maxtoshow=&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT&searchid=1&RESULTFORMAT=
2. "Symptoms of mothers and infants related to total volatile organic compounds in household products" Arch Environ Health. 2003 Oct;58(10):633-41; PMID 15562635; "Air fresheners can make mothers and babies ill" University of Bristol press release issued 19 October 2004 http://www.news-medical.net/?id=5680
3. How Sadness Survived: The Evolutionary Basis of Depression, Marcello Spinella | Radcliffe Publishing | 2008 | ISBN:1846190134
4. Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals, Thomas Moore, Ph.D. | Gotham Books | 2004 | ISBN:1592400671

External links

• About the Brain – Includes definitions relating to depression
• beyondblue – The Australian National Depression Initiative
• Black Dog Institute – Depression and Bipolar Disorder Information Australia
• Template:Dmoz
• Depression at WebMD - Drug and treatment information for depression.
• Depression Research News at ScienceDaily
• Mental Health Disorders: Mood: Depression at Mozilla Open Directory (categorized links)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness – Depression support, advocacy, and education
• National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association - National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association
• Stanford Depression Research Clinic
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) – United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• of the Soul - Website of writer/clinical practitioner, Thomas Moore, Ph.D.

• Symptoms