Clinical depression has many names; depression, "the blues", biological depression, major depression. Although people call it by different names, they all describe the same feelings: feeling sad and depressed for weeks or months at a time, accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, lack of energy, and taking little or no pleasure in things that brought you joy in the past . Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. A depressed person feels completely unmotivated to do anything; even simple things like getting dressed in the morning or eating become major obstacles for people struggling with depression. Depression can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can make you feel like life isn't worth living. Depression is not just a state of sadness, it is an illness that conquers the ability to feel emotions, whether good or bad, of any kind. In several cultures, excessive headaches and extreme pain are believed to be a way to identify depression. This disease can be transmitted through genes, can follow external events, or be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Every human being is prone to depression and no exceptions to this disease. “Almost twice as many women (12.0%) than men (6.6%) are affected by a depressive disorder every year. These figures translate to 12.4 million women and 6.4 million men in the United States” (Depression Facts and Statistics 2009). Although women are three times more likely to become depressed than men, men are five times more likely to commit suicide when depressed than women. Depression is an illness that affects the body, mood and thoughts; it impacts how a person functions socially,...... middle of paper...... different personal and learning styles can be very challenging. This is why it is important for a teacher to be organized and maintain a clean and safe school environment. It is also important to develop some type of structure, keeping the same schedule in your daily activities. If you notice a child who seems downcast, point out their positive strengths to try to change their mood. Works cited "Major Depressive Disorder." The New England Journal of Medicine. Np, Jan. 3, 2008. Web. Apr. 19, 2011. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra073096."NIMH • What is depression?" NIMH • Home. Np, nd Web. April 7, 2011. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/what-is-depression.shtml."What is Depression." Psychological information online. Np, nd Web. April 5, 2011. http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/description.html.