Millions of people get depressed everyday due to the stressful modern lifestyle. Some people are more predisposed to depression due to heredity or hormones. Hormonal imbalance affects not only bodily system including mental disposition as well. Normally, women who just gave birth experience post-partum depression as a result of the sudden drop in hormones. After a few months, the mother can adjust to her new baby and resume a normal lifestyle. Adults who also experienced early trauma during childhood days experience depression at a higher rate .Sudden changes in life events can trigger also depression since people usually resist change. In an economic downturn, people can become seriously depressed as they lose jobs and face high mortgage loans that needs to be paid. In fact, during the Great Depression period, a lot of income earners (usually husbands) committed suicide or abandoned their family as a way of reacting to troubled times. Changes in marital life such as divorce or death of a spouse is a stressful event that individuals who experience such situations find a hard time coping with reality.

Nevertheless, depression can also simply a case of chemical imbalance in the brain due to lack of neurotransmitters such as serotonin or epinephrine. No matter what causes depression, it is important to arrest the case as early as possible especially when the behavior manifested indicate symptoms of severe depression. A major depression is characterized by very low self-esteem, loss of interest in things that used to be pleasurable such as a hobby, changes in eating or sleeping patterns, chronic sadness and mood swings. It is also possible that the person talks about impending death or considering suicide. When these traits manifest, the person is severely depressed. Severe depression is not easy to treat since it is already a mental disorder that should be handled by a health professional. It is possible that the person may also have hallucinations and delusions. Psychiatrists usually prescribe medicines that would stop the hallucinations since the person can commit acts that are not safe such as hurting oneself. Severe depression symptoms include hearing voices inside one’s head and seeing things that do not exist. The person can become irritable or angry at most times although there is no rational explanation. Feelings of inadequacy or guilt are often felt by people who are severely depressed. In such cases, it is best to seek a mental health professional before the person can hurt himself or other people.