Increasingly a lot of organizations and countries world over are dedicating their resources to fight the increasingly escalating rate of suicide. Over a million people are lost to suicides every year. Another 10 to 20 million people attempt suicide and escape Most suicide cases can be traced back to ignored cases of depression or ones that lacked proper depression treatment.
The causes of depression are many. Depression may be genetic and sometimes, may even skip a generation. A chemical imbalance in the brain can sometimes cause depression. An imbalance in serotonin, a neurotransmitter (a chemical that passes messages to and from the different parts of the brain) can cause depression symptoms like increased mood swings, overeating, sleeplessness and even a tendency to suicide. Past horrific incidents or continued addiction to abusive substances like drugs and alcohol can also cause depression. The success of the depression treatment depends on being able to get to the root of the problem.
The different types of depression are major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder or maniac depression and dysthymia.
In MDD, the patient suffers from low self esteem, lethargy and prolonged sadness. Medical practitioners might prescribe anti depressant drugs and therapy as depression treatment.
Dysthymia is a form of depression that is less intense than MDD. Most patients suffering from this form of depression learn to live with it and don’t volunteer to get treated. The standard depression treatment in this case includes antidepressants, mood stabilizers and anti-anxiety medication..
Bipolar disorder is one of the most extreme cases of depression and usually the most dangerous too. A patient suffering from bipolar disorder has sudden mood swings and keeps swaying between an extremely happy and elevated state to (sudden shifts from ecstasy to depression swings from) being down and miserable (despondent). Depression symptoms include dangerous behavior, violent mood swings, and a tendency to commit suicide and/or hurt others. These are usually cases that cannot be left untreated for longer durations as the patients tend to hurt themselves or others as the illness becomes more severe. Depression treatment includes prescribing anti depressants, mood stabilizers and in extreme cases, confinement.
In all types of depression, it is imperative that the depression symptoms be identified and treated early on. Relatives and friends play an important role in recognizing the depression symptoms and need to guide the patient to a proper medical practitioner to seek the right depression treatment.

