什麼是抑鬱症

一種神經性或精神性疾病，主要症狀是悲傷、沒有活力、有思維和注意力障礙、食慾大增或大減、嗜睡、感覺沮喪和沒有希望，有時伴有自殺傾向。抑鬱症可能是最常見的精神病，人類對此病的認識最早可追溯到希波克拉提斯（Hippocrates）的時代，他稱之爲「憂鬱症」（melancholia）。患者的症狀因人而異，病程可長可短，可輕可重，可急可緩。女性得病的機率較男性爲高，男性的發病率隨年齡的增長而增高，女性患病的顛峯期在35～45歲。病因可能包括心理（如失去摯愛的人）和生化機能方面（主要是正腎上腺素〔norepinephrine〕和血清素〔serotonin〕等單胺（monoamine）化合物的量減少）。治療方法通常結合心理治療（和藥物治療（參閱antidepressant）。一個人如果交替出現過度高昂或低落的情緒，則是罹患了躁鬱症。

depression

Neurotic or psychotic disorder marked by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies. Probably the most common psychiatric complaint, depression has been described by physicians from at least the time of Hippocrates, who called it melancholia. Its course is extremely variable from person to person; it may be fleeting or permanent, mild or severe. Depression is more common in women than in men. The rates of incidence increase with age in men, while the peak for women is between the ages of 35 and 45. Its causes can be both psychosocial (e.g., the loss of a loved one) and biochemical (chiefly, reduced quantities of the monoamines norepinephrine and serotonin). Treatment is usually a combination of psychotherapy and drug therapy (see antidepressant). A person who experiences alternating states of depression and extreme elation is said to suffer from bipolar disorder.