什么是抑郁症

一种神经性或精神性疾病，主要症状是悲伤、没有活力、有思维和注意力障碍、食欲大增或大减、嗜睡、感觉沮丧和没有希望，有时伴有自杀倾向。抑郁症可能是最常见的精神病，人类对此病的认识最早可追溯到希波克拉提斯（Hippocrates）的时代，他称之为「忧郁症」（melancholia）。患者的症状因人而异，病程可长可短，可轻可重，可急可缓。女性得病的机率较男性为高，男性的发病率随年龄的增长而增高，女性患病的颠峰期在35～45岁。病因可能包括心理（如失去挚爱的人）和生化机能方面（主要是正肾上腺素〔norepinephrine〕和血清素〔serotonin〕等单胺（monoamine）化合物的量减少）。治疗方法通常结合心理治疗（和药物治疗（参阅antidepressant）。一个人如果交替出现过度高昂或低落的情绪，则是罹患了躁郁症。

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.