Depression

"About five to fifteen percent of the United States' population has depression. One in eight American teens have depression. And one in four people experience a serious depressive episode during his or her lifetime." Depression is a serious topic that affects millions of people worldwide. Friends, family members, and even I have been affected by depression.
My name is Kyrra. I have been depressed for five to six months now. The symptoms of depression have been really hard on me. Withdrawal from friends, loss of interest in past hobbies, sleeping troubles, and even thoughts of suicide have affected me more than once. People with depression often have these symptoms plus a few more like feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, eating disorders, and troubles concentrating. Having these problems and knowing people with these problems make me passionate about helping people who want help. The rest of the post is broken down to help someone know the basics of why people have depression, how it affects them, and other risks that someone may have.
Causes:
Stress, low self-esteem, pessimism, chronic pain, terminal disease, and abuse are some of the causes of depression.
Effects/Symptoms:
Withdrawal from loved ones, indifference to physical appearance, sadness, anxiety, fatigue, eating disorders, and feelings of emptiness are all effects/symptoms of depression.
Other Risks:
Self-harm is a big risk of depression. Deliberate cutting, hair pulling, scratching, burning, etc... of one's self is self-harm. Some people who self-harm are depressed, but not all people are. Many people, however, have been hospitalized due to infection or blood loss of self-harming. However, suicide is most likely the biggest risk of depression. "Suicide is now the third leading cause for those ages fifteen to twenty-four." Some people who are depressed will think, attempt, or even succeed at suicide. It's scary really.
All in all, if you or someone you know is depressed, they can be helped. Therapy or medicine is proven to help, all one needs to do is ask. Even if someone feels like they are alone in the world, they're not. Everyone is loved either by friends or family. Someone is always there, no matter what.
Works Cited
Levin, Judith. "Depression and Mood Disorders." Rosen, 2011. http://www.teenhealthandwellness.com/article/119
Scholten, Amy, MPH. "Depression: Major Depressive Affective Disorder; Unipolar Disorder Unipolar Mood Disorder." Consumer Health Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com