Being sad or in a low mood is a normal (正常的) part of life. Many people feel down from time to time. For example, when people face challenging events in their lives, such as financial(经济的) difficulty or major changes, it's common to feel down. But in most cases the bad feelings slowly disappear.
As for depression(抑郁症), however, the bad mood lasts for weeks, months, or ever longer because it is a mental(精神的) illness. As the World Health Organization (WHO) noted, depression is a mood disorder. It shows in different ways, including loss of interest in normal activities and feelings of low self-worth. It often lasts for a long time and greatly harms a person's ability at work or school or in the daily life. People with depression usually don't like to talk about their problems with others. More seriously, depression may even lead to the act of killing oneself.
"Depression is not just a bout(一阵) of sadness or a sign of weakness, and you can't just simply stop feeling depressed." said the health news website www.mayoclinie.com.
But depression is not a person's problem. It's also more common than most people think. It is hurting about 280 million people around the world, according to WHO.
Though depression is worrying, we don't have to be afraid of it. Depression can be treated by getting professional(专业的) help, taking medicine or a mixed treatment of both. In fact, when you begin to feel the danger of depression, you can try to deal with it early by yourself. Listening to music, doing some sports and drawing some pictures might help you feel better. Another useful way is talk therapy. When we are attacked by a low mood, having a conversation with others is of great help. Being honest about how we feel does not make us weak, it makes us human.
