Depression is characterized by feelings of low self-esteem, pessimism, and despair. It can range from a transient low mood to a potentially life-threatening severe clinical depression.

Signs and Symptoms

Clinical depression is more than just feeling depressed. The official defintion of clinical depression is based on the following eight primary criteria:

1. Poor appetite accompanied by weight loss, or increased appetite accompanied by weight gain
2. Insomnia or excessive sleep habits (hypersomnia)
3. Physical hyperactivity or inactivity
4. Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities, or decrease in sexual drive
5. Loss of energy, feelings of fatigue
6. Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, or inappropriate guilt
7. Diminished ability to think or concentrate
8. Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

Causes

Depression can be the result of psychological as well as physiological factors. The most significant psychological theory is the learned-helplessness model, which theorizes that depression is the result of habitual feelings of pessimism and hopelessness. The chief physiological theory is the monoamine hypothesis, which stresses imbalances of monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Serotonin deficiency is the most common biochemical cause.

Natural Medicines¹

Ginkgo Biloba
IP6
St. Johns Wort

¹The Pill Book Guide to Natural Medicines, Michael Murray N.D., 2002