Major Depression: New Treatments Offer Major Results - Health News For Families http://www.healthnewsforfamilies.com/major-depr... Major depression is a debilitating mental illness that affects nearly 9.9 million adults in the United States in any given year. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org, major depression is diagnosed after more than one of these symptoms -- difficulty sleeping, sadness, irritability, agitation, or thoughts of hopelessness or suicide -- occur at the same time, persist for over two weeks, and interfere with normal activities (work, social outings, activities of daily living). Other physical symptoms may occur as well, like nausea, abdominal pain, or headaches. Mental health professionals, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists can help those that are suffering from major depression; there are new medications and treatments being prescribed that are proving to be very effective in treating symptoms of major depression.
