Depression is a very serious matter, which does not discriminate.
Depression doe not care what your age is, what gender you are,
or even what your race or social class is.

Depression can often make a person feel sad, helpless, hopeless,
and irritable. It is normal for people to have these feeling
sometimes, but some people cannot just snap out of it and this is
the difference between what is normal and major depression. It is
the determination and brutality of the emotions that determine the
mental illness of depression from normal mood changes.

We are going to talk about different types of depression and how
it can affect you. Depression is an illness that affects your body,
mind, disposition, thought, sleep, energy, concentration, weight,
and much more. Depression is not a mood, it is not a sign of
personal weakness, and it cannot be simply willed away.

Clinical depression is constant and can interfere significantly with
an individual"s ability to function by emotional experiences of
sadness, loss, or passing mood states. Clinical depression can be
devastating to all areas of a person"s everyday life, including family
relationships, friendships, and the ability to work or go to school.

Bipolar disorder (manic-depression) is a mood disorder, which
means that the symptoms are abnormalities of mood. Bipolar
disorder involves episodes of both serious mania and depression.
Bipolar disorder can have a devastating impact on sufferer"s lives
and can lead to suicide if it is not treated.

Major depression is a more common illness, the symptoms of which
are mainly those of "low" mood.

Causes

Several things can cause depression; one of the causes can be
attributed to a deficiency of certain neurotransmitters in the brain
that signal from one nerve cell to another. The immune system of
a depressed person is usually very low and therefore ineffectively
responding to diseases, including cancer. The everyday stressors
faced by Americans have simply become too much for many to
bear, and reasonably so. In recent years, taking an anti-anxiety
medication or anti-depressant has become as common as taking a
multi-vitamin.

How to Alleviate

Two amino acids are known to alleviate depression in many
persons. They are tyrosine and L-phenylalanine. The two amino
acids are a natural precursor of certain neurotransmitters.

You can"t afford what?

Perhaps the only thing worse than depression is having
depression and not being able to afford treatment. Needy Meds is
a website that offers all the information you need to get your meds
free, just click the name of your drug in the list on the left side of
the page.

The Medicine Program is for people who do not have insurance and
do not qualify for government programs you may qualify to enroll in
a privately sponsored program. They do charge a $5 processing
fee but the medications themselves are free. Volunteers staff this
organization and the processing fee covers their expenses. This
company will contact the drug manufacturer on your behalf, or you
can choose to contact the drug companies themselves.
Free Samples - Often pharmaceutical companies provide physicians
with free samples. Ask your doctor is he/she has any samples on
hand of your medication.