When Sadness Lingers

Understanding and Treating Depression

It’s normal to feel sad, down, or low at times. But these feelings can sometimes linger. They can get worse, too, eventually making it hard to do basic daily tasks. If you’ve had a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in most activities for at least two weeks, you may be experiencing depression.

Depression is a serious disorder. “It’s not something that you can just ‘push through,’ or get through without help,” says Dr. Kymberly Young, a mental health researcher at the University of Pittsburgh.

Depression isn’t caused by a single thing. Some people’s genesStretches of DNA you inherit from your parents that define features, like your risk for certain diseases. put them