MayoClinic.com Helps Users Understand and Evaluate Their Risk of Depression - New Online Tools Provide Information Related to Symptoms and Treatment o

Rochester, Minn. (PRWeb) February 13, 2007 -- Depression affects a person's thoughts, moods, feelings, behavior and even physical health. People once thought that depression was "all in the head" and that if a person really tried, he or she could simply "snap out of it." But doctors now know that depression is not imagined, and it cannot be easily treated solely through self-care. Depression is a medical disorder with a biological and chemical basis and should be taken seriously.

The new depression self-assessment tool on MayoClinic.com can help people become better informed about their risk of depression. While the assessment can't provide a definitive diagnosis, it can help evaluate a person's mood, so he or she can seek treatment if needed.

MayoClinic.com also features a new depression guide to help users understand which treatment may be best, and what options they might want to discuss with their physician. This new guide offers a wealth of information regarding standard treatments; new, emerging and nontraditional options; which treatments are recommended for mild depression and which may be more effective for severe depression; as well as information on side effects associated with treatment and how to balance any negatives with treatment's benefits.

Causes of Depression

Depression has no single cause. The illness often runs in families. Experts believe a genetic vulnerability combined with environmental factors, such as stress or physical illness, may trigger an imbalance in brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) and result in depression. Imbalances in three neurotransmitters -- serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine -- seem to be linked to depression.

Scientists don't fully understand the link between imbalances in neurotransmitters and symptoms of depression. It's not certain whether changes in neurotransmitters are a cause or a result of depression.

Factors that contribute to depression include:
•    Heredity. Researchers have identified several genes that may be involved in disorders associated with certain types of depression. But not everyone with a family history of depression develops a disorder, and people who have no family history of these disorders can become depressed.
•    Stress. Stressful life events, particularly a loss or threatened loss of a loved one or a job, can trigger depression.
•    Medications. Long-term use of certain medications, such as some drugs used to control high blood pressure, sleeping pills or, occasionally, birth control pills, may cause symptoms of depression in some people.
•    Illnesses. Having a chronic illness, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer or Alzheimer's disease, is linked to a higher risk of developing depression. Having an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), even mildly, also can cause depression.
•    Personality. Certain personality traits, such as low self-esteem and being overly dependent, self-critical, pessimistic and easily overwhelmed by stress, can make people more vulnerable to depression.
•    Postpartum depression. Commonly, mothers feel mild distress that usually occurs a few days to weeks after giving birth. During this time, women may have feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, irritability and incompetence. Postpartum depression is a more serious condition that can also affect new mothers.
•    Hormones. Women experience depression about twice as much as men, which leads researchers to believe hormonal factors may play a role in the development of depression.
•    Alcohol, nicotine and drug abuse. Experts once thought that people with depression used alcohol, nicotine and mood-altering drugs to ease depression. But using these substances may actually contribute to depression and anxiety disorders.

Regardless of the cause, depression is a serious condition that can be treated. For more information, visit MayoClinic.com.

About MayoClinic.com

Launched in 1995 and now visited by more than 7 million users a month, this award-winning consumer Web site offers health information, self-improvement, and disease management tools to empower people to manage their health. Produced by a team of Web professionals and medical experts, MayoClinic.com gives users access to the experience and knowledge of the more than 2,000 physicians and scientists of Mayo Clinic. MayoClinic.com offers users intuitive, easy access tools such as "Symptom Checker" and "First-Aid Guide" for fast answers about health conditions ranging from common to complex; as well as more in-depth sections on more than 25 common diseases and conditions and a wealth of healthy living articles, videos, animations and features such as "Ask a Specialist" and "Drug Watch." Users can sign up for a free weekly e-newsletter called "Housecall" which provides the latest health information from Mayo Clinic. For more information, visit http://www.mayoclinic.com">http://www.mayoclinic.com.

To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your health stories.

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