Erica was supposed to be going to the prom this weekend; instead she is in bed. When her parents tell the pediatrician that Erica __________________, the pediatrician tells the parents to bring Erica in immediately to be evaluated for depression.

Depression is a mental illness that is characterized by a feeling of sadness and hopelessness that persists for most of the day. Other symptoms of depression are irritability, guilt, loss of interest in activities that the person enjoyed before, little contact with other people and sleeping for most of the day.

The reasons why a person can develop depression involves environmental and genetic factors. There is clinical evidence that people can inherit depression and be more likely to develop if one of their relatives had it. Regarding environmental factors, events such as the loss of a job or the lost of a loved one can lead to a person developing depression.

A person with depression has difficulty developing their daily activities. The symptoms of this mental illness can interfere with their work or with their studies, causing the person to lose interest and isolate themselves from others. The World Health Organization states that more than 300 million people around the world suffer from depression and will be the leading cause of disability in 2020.

Women are more likely to develop depression due to hormonal changes they experience such as the menstrual period and pregnancy.

A person who has depression does not want to be in that state but in turn, finds it difficult to overcome the symptoms of the disease. Depression is a mental illness that does not heal on its own, which needs urgent medical attention because if it is not treated, it can have serious consequences. Among the treatments for depression are those focused on psychological therapy and drug therapy, which will be applied by a mental health professional.