Even in the best of times, depression is a major mental health issue. Recent statistics find more than 17 million Americans are affected by major depressive disorders in any given year. And in today’s period of pandemics, social distancing and wide-spread uncertainty about financial and health issues, it’s not surprising that depression is a growing problem.
Major depressive disorder is, however, more than simply feelings of sadness or grief. We all have times when things aren’t going quite right and the results leave us unhappy. Our sadness might be triggered by anything from problems at work to the grief brought on by the loss of someone dear to you.
The difference between that type of unhappiness and major depression is both the severity of what is being experienced and the fact that is long lasting. Simple sadness over life circumstances normally fades within a couple of weeks, but major depression is deeper and much longer lasting. Major depression doesn’t just have you feeling blue but it’s a mental health illness that can directly affect your life in a number of negative ways.
