Demystifying Depression

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This book may not have been written by a doctor. The recommendations are not referenced to actual research except in a bibliography. This document should in no way serve as a substitute for medical advice. Experts are welcome to add their comments at Talk:Demystifying Depression#Review Notes.

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"Depression is a mood disorder", so start many descriptions of the illness. That is a gross understatement. Depression does indeed seriously affect your mood, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. A clinical depression can be an incapacitating illness, affecting your ability to perform tasks that require concentration and rendering you unable to work.

By writing this document we hope to provide you with the knowledge everyone should have about their mental well-being. Depression is not an unavoidable fate. It is physical.

The good news is that you can recover and yes, even learn to be happier than you have ever been before.

Download the entire book as a PDF File. This can be done in two ways, you can either right click on the link "PDF File Edition 1.0" and choose "Save target as", this saves the PDF on your computer for viewing at any time; alternatively left click on the link: PDF File Edition 1.0 Click here to see a continuous, printable version of the book Print version (edit)

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What is Depression?
  • Normal Neuron Communication: The Role of Serotonin
  • The Stress System: Adrenaline and Cortisol
  • The Buildup to a Depression
  • Speculation on the Physiology of Depression
• The Recovery Process
• Recovery Guide
  • General Lifestyle Advice
  • Daily Routine
  • Tips for Good Sleep
• The Controversy about Antidepressants
• Suicide
• The Role of Sports
  • Feeling Good vs Actual Improvement
  • Why Moderate Exercise May Sometimes Help
  • Caveats of Treating Depression with Exercise
  • A Real World Example
• Depression and Ageing
• The Genetic Link
• Is Depression on the Rise?
• Quantifying Depression
• The Burnout Syndrome
• Happiness
• Facing the Prejudice
• Conclusion
• References
• List of Figures

Colophon

This book is based on a two-part series with the same title published on Kuro5hin by Name of Feather. Below you will find links to the original articles plus the associated discussions.

• Demystifying Depression - Part I (via Internet Archive)
• Demystifying Depression - Part II (via Internet Archive)