To the best of my knowledge, the disease known as depression is a type of mood disorder with symptoms such as feelings of great sadness or despair. It is also an abnormal emotional condition characterized by overwhelming feelings of guilt and sadness, melancholy, feelings of worthlessness, emptiness and hopelessness, all of which are out of ordinary reality, meaning that these symptoms are not usually experienced by a normal person.

             I also know that when a person is suffering from depression, he/she may experience a lack of motivation and the ability to concentrate, such as in a school setting or possibly at one's place of employment. One of the most common reasons for depression has much to do with some kind of traumatic experience which creates symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, not knowing what day it is and a lack of self-identity, much like amnesia. According to what I've recently read on depression, it appears that the disease affects more women than men and that most experience the first signs of depression in their early adult years. However, there are currently many cases where children as young as ten years old are suffering from depression.

             I also realize that depression is often a genetic disease, meaning that it occurs due to a person's heredity, such as inheriting certain traits from one's parents. But depression can also be caused by various types of nervous/chemical disorders in the brain which then requires special medications to treat the symptoms. Unfortunately, depression at this time is not curable, yet many scientists and researchers are currently working on ways to find a cure and bring an end to this often emotionally debilitating and crippling disease.