Throughout our lives, we all will experience periods of unhappiness, sadness, or grief often called, "the blues." We may experience a loss or suffer a personal tragedy (divorce, job loss or etc.), which may cause us to feel depressed. Majority of us are able to return to our normal activities after a couple weeks. If the symptoms last more than a couple of weeks and other symptoms (listed below) make it hard for us to get through the day, we may have what is called "clinical depression."

There are two levels of clinical depression: a low-level depression, called Dysthmic Disorder; and a deeper depression, called Major Depression. Often, people who have a low-level depression don't even know that they have it, because they are working and functioning in their social lives (these people are sometimes called "the walking sad"). But Major Depression tends to have more extreme and noticeable signs that indicate depression.

If you have a plan or intend to harm yourself, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK. For local California residents phone 877-7-CRISIS.