old sense of apathy waiting beneath the surface, playing with your emotions and your ability to react to your surroundings. As one Australian author observed, “Depression is a prison, where you are both the suffering prisoner and the cruel jailer” (Rowe). According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “Depression is defined as a state of sadness or a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and is often unable to live normally” (“Depression ”). It is an onset of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being, it is also seen as an illness (Salmans). Depression doesn't just hurt the people who live with it; it also has an effect on the people around them. Americans are fanatical about happiness, but they are increasingly depressed: about 15 million Americans struggle with it. Cross-cultural studies of happiness can shed light on this paradox (Sharma). When people experience happiness or depression, both can overwhelm us and leave us speechless. Both are capable of increasing blood pressure, heart rate or hormone production. Unlike depression, happiness is a choice. Huffington Post writer Randy Taran wrote, “While we can’t control our circumstances, we can influence how we respond to them.” Yet against depression you have no choice, despite all attempts, depression can and will take over your daily lifestyle. Depression can lead to emotional and physical problems. Typically, depressed people have difficulty carrying out daily activities and may even feel that life is not worth living (Nordqvist). “When you are depressed, the past and future are absorbed entirely by… middle of the paper… National Alliance on Mental Illness.” NAMI. NAMI and Web. May 26, 2014.Nordqvist, Christian. “What causes depression and what is depression.” Medical news today. MediLexicon International, ndWeb. May 20, 2014. Persaud, Raj, Dr. “Being Religious or Spiritual Is Linked to Becoming More Depressed.” The UK's Huffington Post. Np, nd Web. May 27, 2014. Rowe, Dorothy. “Quotes About Depression.” Quotes about depression. Np, nd Web. May 20, 2014.Sharma, Sahil. "Official Site: Sahil Sharma." The emotion of America. Sahil Sharma, and Web. May 20, 2014.Solomone, Andrea. "Anatomy of melancholy." Andrew Solomon Anatomy of Commentaries on Melancholy. Np, nd Web. May 27, 2014. Taran, Randy. "Is happiness a choice?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, January 27, 2014. Web. May 20, 2014. Wongmo, T. “Depression: A Buddhist View.” Depression: a Buddhist view. Np, nd Web. May 27 2014.

Topic > old sense of apathy waiting beneath the surface, playing with your emotions and your ability to react to your surroundings. As one Australian author observed, “Depression is a prison, where you are both the suffering prisoner and the cruel jailer” (Rowe). According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “Depression is defined as a state of sadness or a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and is often unable to live normally” (“Depression ”). It is an onset of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being, it is also seen as an illness (Salmans). Depression doesn't just hurt the people who live with it; it also has an effect on the people around them. Americans are fanatical about happiness, but they are increasingly depressed: about 15 million Americans struggle with it. Cross-cultural studies of happiness can shed light on this paradox (Sharma). When people experience happiness or depression, both can overwhelm us and leave us speechless. Both are capable of increasing blood pressure, heart rate or hormone production. Unlike depression, happiness is a choice. Huffington Post writer Randy Taran wrote, “While we can’t control our circumstances, we can influence how we respond to them.” Yet against depression you have no choice, despite all attempts, depression can and will take over your daily lifestyle. Depression can lead to emotional and physical problems. Typically, depressed people have difficulty carrying out daily activities and may even feel that life is not worth living (Nordqvist). “When you are depressed, the past and future are absorbed entirely by… middle of the paper… National Alliance on Mental Illness.” NAMI. NAMI and Web. May 26, 2014.Nordqvist, Christian. “What causes depression and what is depression.” Medical news today. MediLexicon International, ndWeb. May 20, 2014. Persaud, Raj, Dr. “Being Religious or Spiritual Is Linked to Becoming More Depressed.” The UK's Huffington Post. Np, nd Web. May 27, 2014. Rowe, Dorothy. “Quotes About Depression.” Quotes about depression. Np, nd Web. May 20, 2014.Sharma, Sahil. "Official Site: Sahil Sharma." The emotion of America. Sahil Sharma, and Web. May 20, 2014.Solomone, Andrea. "Anatomy of melancholy." Andrew Solomon Anatomy of Commentaries on Melancholy. Np, nd Web. May 27, 2014. Taran, Randy. "Is happiness a choice?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, January 27, 2014. Web. May 20, 2014. Wongmo, T. “Depression: A Buddhist View.” Depression: a Buddhist view. Np, nd Web. May 27 2014.