Life isn't a bed of roses and nobody is immune to the little cruelties of life. But when you're feeling down, how do you know if it's just sadness or you're suffering from depression?

Understanding Depression
Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood and thoughts. It is not a sign of personal weakness or something that can be willed away.

Major depressive disorder, or depression, is a disabling episode that can occur several times in a lifetime. It can severely disrupt your life, affecting the way you think and feel about things, your appetite, work, sleep and your loved ones.

A less severe type of depression, dysthymia, involves persistent, chronic symptoms that do not disable but keeps one from functioning well or from feeling good.

People suffering from depression often feel hopeless, lethargic and loses interests in things happening around them. Some may feel irritable for no apparent reason.