Introduction: Depression is a life-changing disorder that affects more than 350 million people worldwide (who.int). Depression isn't just about being sad, and it's not something you can just free yourself from. Depression for many people is a perpetual feeling of doom. It causes people to see life as “grey” and meaningless. It's like being in the depths of despair. However, I am pleased to inform you that depression is a treatable disease. There are two main ways to treat depression: medications and therapy. Both drugs and therapy easily compete with each other in terms of effectiveness, but which is more effective? Depression: Depression is a mood disorder that causes a constant feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Depression can affect the way you feel, think and behave. When you suffer from depression, normal daily activities become worrisome and you feel like life isn't worth living. Depression is similar to sadness, but is in no way comparable. It's normal to feel sad from time to time, and everyone experiences sadness at some point in their lives. Sadness is a normal reaction to a painful experience. Depression is more extreme, it is a clinical illness and if left untreated can lead to self-harm and possibly suicide (coastalhealthinfoservicedotcom). Symptoms of depression include: feelings of sadness, emptiness or unhappiness, insomnia, anxiety, loss of appetite, tiredness, and thoughts of suicide and death (mayoclinic.org). Not everyone who suffers from depression will all experience the same symptoms or the same severity of symptoms. Typically, for depression to be diagnosed, five or more symptoms of depression must be present (Trimarchi). Anyone can suffer from depression, and there is no single cause of depression, b... middle of paper... it doesn't form. Using both medications and therapy gives people the best of both worlds, where they can alleviate and address their depression. Works Cited “Depression.” WHO. Np, October 2012. Web. May 20, 2014."Depression (major depressive disorder)." Mayoclinic. NP, Feb. 21, 2014. Web. Apr. 29, 2014 Consumer Reports “Drugs vs. Talk Therapy.” Np, October 2004. Web. April 29, 2014. “Treatment of Major Depression.” NAMI. Np, nd Web. 01 May 2014.Toothman, Jessika. ““Is it possible to completely cure clinical depression?””Health.HowStuffWorks.Np, 23 September 2010. Web. 07 May 2014.Trimarchi, Maria. “Depression Overview.” Np, May 12, 2008. Web. May 7, 2014. "What is the difference between being sad and being depressed?" Coastalhealthinfoservicedotcom. Np, 12 April 2011. Web. 06 May 2014.