There are many misconceptions about depression. Pathological depression is not the "dispirited" or "down" mood, which we all experience from time to time, and which causes us to say, "I'm depressed," but it is a debilitating illness that affects one in five people of all ages from children to adults. It is not just a passing mood swing. Depression can affect not only a person's mood but also his or her ability to function normally. Treatment is available yet quite a number do not seek it. Depression is the most common psychiatric disease in so ....