What is depression? Who are the groups affected by depression? How do people know when they have signs and/or symptoms of depression? Depression has numerous signs and symptoms, meaning it comes in different shapes and sizes. No individual is identical when it comes to feeling depressed. Depression is a mood disorder that involves emotional disturbances (excessive sadness), behavioral disturbances (loss of interest in one's usual activities), cognitive disturbances (thoughts of hopelessness) and bodily functions (fatigue and tiredness). loss of appetite) (Wade, Tavris 567). Most people don't even know when depression is happening to them. It usually takes friends, family, or even doctors to notice symptoms of depression in someone they know. Depressed people have a tendency to describe their mood as gloomy, unhappy, sad or uncomfortable. Many victims of depression experience additional feelings of worthlessness, doubt, emptiness, worthlessness, unreasonable guilt, boredom, hopelessness, and weakness. A severely depressed person can have negative effects on the people around him. If a person is aware of the type of depression they suffer from, it will help them manage the symptoms better and help doctors carry out the appropriate treatments. Those who are unfamiliar with depression sometimes confuse it with sadness. Regular sadness is not identical to depression. Sadness is a response to the disappointments, failures and difficulties that life brings, which is very typical. Unlike depression, sadness changes into a joyful moment. Different types of depression have unique causes, effects and symptoms. One type of depression is called major depression. Major depression is the incapable… center of paper… will soon become the next leading cause of death after heart disease by 2020, and studies confirm that depression is a contributing factor to deadly coronary heart disease. Depression is one of the most advanced and killer problems of our time. Works Cited Ainsworth, Patricia. Understanding Depression and Understanding Health and Illness Series. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 2000.Quinn Ph.D., Brain P. The Depression Source Book 2nd edition. Los Angeles: Lowell House, 2000. Smith MA, Melindanna, Joanna Saisan MSW and Jeanne Segal Ph.D. 6. June 2011. Wade, Carole and Carol Tavris. Psychology tenth edition. New York: Prentice Hall Publishers, 2011.www.womenshealth.gov/statistics. (n.d.). June 21st 2011. .