next six months. The results of these studies are most likely due to a combination of direct and indirect factors. Directly, depression may result in chronically elevated levels of adrenaline and cortical which are stress hormones that activate the "fight or flight" response of the body. This can have negative effects on the heart. Indirectly, depression may cause a patient to lose hope, motivation, and energy which make it more likely that they will fail to take the medication prescribed to them to treat heart disease.Another tragic result of serious depression can be suicide. Depression is one of the disorders linked most strongly with suicide. There is research that suggests 15% of patients with this disorder at least attempt suicide. One of the symptoms of major depressive disorder is the reoccurrence of suicidal thoughts. Even if a person with depression shows apparent improvement in their mood, their likelihood to commit suicide may actually increase. This can be because as they feel better, they have more energy to plan and act on their suicidal thoughts. Depression is also often associated with other mental disorders as well as alcohol and drug abuse. These problems increase suicide chances even greater.The second step in approaching the problem of depression is being able to recognize its symptoms. Symptoms are our warning signs and need to be taken seriously. Depression is also a general term and can be broken down into sub-categories such as unipolar disorder(periods of depressive symptoms that are usually reoccurring), bipolar disorder(also known as manic-depressive disorder, characterized by alternating states of extreme mania and depression), and dysthymic disorder(a less severe form of depression that is usually more chronic, with symptoms lasting at least two years). Symptoms of depression may be some but not necessarily all of the following: inability to concentrate fatigue feelings of hopelessness or w...
