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  3. Depression: The Hidden Epidemic Felt down? Got the blues? You’re not alone. Everyone gets sad (yes, everyone you’ve ever met

Depression: The Hidden Epidemic Felt down? Got the blues? You’re not alone. Everyone gets sad (yes, everyone you’ve ever met

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问题                         Depression: The Hidden Epidemic
    Felt down? Got the blues? You’re not alone. Everyone gets sad (yes, everyone you’ve ever met). Some people have sad feelings just pretty often. More than half of teenagers go through a sad period at least once a month and plenty of younger kids do, too.
    When you’re in a sad mood, it may feel like it will last forever, but usually feelings of sadness don’t last very long — a few hours, or maybe a day or two. A deeper, more intense kind of sadness that lasts a lot longer is called depression. Each year millions of people are estimated to .suffer from depression, a condition so widespread that it has been dubbed "the common cold of mental illness."
                               Types of Depression
    For some people, depression can be intense and occur in bouts that last for weeks at a time. For others, depression can be less severe but can linger at a low level for years.
    Doctors who treat depression distinguish between these two forms, diagnosing the more severe, short-lasting form as major depression, and the longer-lasting but less severe form as dysthymia.
    A third form of depression that may be diagnosed is called adjustment disorder with depressed mood. It refers to a depressive reaction to a specific life event (such as a death, divorce, or other loss) when the adjustment to the loss takes longer than the normally expected time frame or is more severe than expected and interferes with the person’s daily activities.
    Bipolar disorder (also sometimes called manic depressive illness) is another depressive condition that involves periods of major depression mixed with periods of mania. Mania is the term for abnormally high mood and extreme bursts of unusual activity or energy. Mental health experts divide Bipolar disorder into four types because the symptoms of bipolar disorder show up differently in different people.
                          What Are the Symptoms of Depression?
     Depression is associated with many symptoms and not everyone has the same ones. Some people have many symptoms, while others may only have a few. The symptoms below may signal that you or someone you love may be depressed:
1. Appearance — sad face, slow movements, unkempt look
2. Unhappy feelings — feeling sad, hopeless, discouraged, or listless
3. Negative thoughts — "I’m a failure," "I’m not good," "No one cares about me."
4. Reduced activity — "I just sit around and mope," "Doing anything is just too much of an effort."
5. Reduced concentration
6. People problems — "I don’t want anybody to see me," "I feel so lonely."
7. Guilt and low self-esteem — "It’s all my fault," "I should be punished."
8. Physical problems — Sleeping problems, weight loss or gain, decreased sexual interest, or head-aches
9. Suicidal thoughts or wishes — "I’d be better off dead," "I wonder if it hurts to die."
                        Why Do People Get Depressed?
    The exact cause of depression remains unclear. The most probable explanation is that it is an imbalance in neurotransmitters in the brain. But what triggers it in the first place?
    First, genetic factors. There is growing interest in genetic approaches to understanding a variety of diseases and depression is no exception. Some people certainly seem to be more vulnerable to depression than could make individuals susceptible to the disease. Some studies have shown that people who have relatives with depression have a one in four chance of developing it themselves, compared with only one in 14 for the general population.
    Secondly, external triggers. In most cases just having these genes is probably not enough-to cause depression on its own. Depression can be triggered by a number of factors such as unemployment, bereavement (亲人的过世), social isolation or even a severe physical illness.
                    What Kinds of People Are Apt to Depression?
    Anyone may suffer from depression, regardless of age, gender, race and belief. It is "normal" for certain people to feel depressed — such as women, old people, employees with work-related stress, or people with chronic illness.
    Depressed women are more likely to talk about their problem and reach out for help; depressed men often have less tolerance for internal pain and turn to some action or substance for relief. Male depression isn’t as obvious as the defenses men use to run from it. As the "covert depression", it has three major symptoms. Men attempt to escape pain by overusing alcohol or drugs, working excessively or seeking extramarital affairs. They go into isolation, withdrawing from loved ones. And they may lash out, becoming irritable or violent.
    Women are more than twice as likely as men to experience depression. Although the reason for this difference are not known, research suggests that biological differences in women—such as hormonal changes and genetics I may contribute to depression. Additionally, social reasons, such as greater stresses from work and family responsibilities, and even the increased rates of sexual abuse and poverty among women, may lead to higher rates of clinical depression.
    Depression affects employers at all levels of the corporate ladder. One in every 20 employees experiences the illness. An estimated 200 million workdays are lost each year due to employee depression. Depression tends to ’affect people in their prime working years and if left untreated may last a lifetime.
                          About the Treatment for Depression
    Unfortunately, many employees with depression don’t seek the treatment they need. Some people are embarrassed to get help for depression, or are reluctant to talk about how they are feeling. Others believe that depression will simply go away on its own, and that they should just "tough it out." Male depression may be more rampant than we realize. Many men try to hide their condition, thinking it unmanly to act moody. And it works: National studies suggest that doctors miss the diagnosis in men a full 70 per cent of the time. Such views are simply wrong — like any other medical illness, depression requires professional treatment. Talking to friends, family members can often give you the support needed when going through life’s difficulties. However, for those with clinical depression, such support is no substitute for the care of a health professional. Clinical depression is a serious illness that you cannot treat on your own.
    Clinical depression is one of the most treatable of all medical illnesses. In fact, more than 80% of people with depression can be treated successfully with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both. Many people believe that psychological therapies make more sense than the use of antidepressants — but this ignores the fact that depression is a genuine physical illness.  However, the choice of right treatment depends on a variety of factors, such as severity of illness, presenting symptoms, age, etc.
    Only a qualified healthcare professional can decide if someone has clinical depression. As with many illnesses, if treatment is needed, the earlier it begins the more effective it can be. Furthermore, early treatment decreases the likelihood of recurrence.
    The commonest form of psychotherapy alms to help the depressed person replace negative thoughts and attitude with a more realistic view of themselves and the world about them. Interpersonal psychotherapy focuses more on past and present relationships and examines how they affect the patient’s current functioning.
    Antidepressant therapies began in 1956. Now, there is a wide choice of antidepressants available. They are the recognized treatment for all forms of moderate and severe depression regardless of cause. About 70 per cent of patients with depression respond to treatment with antidepressants. Antidepressants are useful and effective, they are not addictive and do not lose efficacy with continued use.
    Talk with your doctor or a qualified mental health professional if you think you may have symptoms of clinical depression. With recognition and treatment, depression can be overcome!
    Life can be enjoyable again!
The most probable cause of depression is that it is an imbalance in ______.
选项
答案neurotransmitters in the brain
解析 本题的关键词是The most probable cause of depression，由此可寻读原文标题“Why Do People Get Depressed?”第1段中...remains unclear. The most probable explanation is...，故本题答案应为neurotransmitters is the brain。
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