What is depression?

one of me mates have it and im just wondering what is it? I know it makes u sad but how bad can it get?

In very severe cases people with depression can become suicidal. Everybody has to deal with down days from time to time. When it continues to the point it affects your ability to function normally, it's time to seek help. It's not advisable to try to deal with it yourself and the longer a person goes without treatment the more difficult the treatment becomes. If your mate isn't receiving any treatment try to get it started right away.

Symptoms of clinical depression:
http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/detecting-depression

If people do not get out of depression, they may lead to committing suicide. I have an old friend, who remains depressed, but he never took his life.
He just lays in bed and becomes over weight. Depression can also cause you health problems, because you are not doing anything. They are different forms of depression.

According to my survey I have done in the past 2 months, for a class. Most people think it is a mix between serotonin levels in your brain and what is going on in your life.

Which I agree.

You have to learn first before you can help your friend.
1st realize that before two people conceive. What are their chemical imbalances? What are eating, do anything bad at the time they procreate?

2nd. When the baby is in the womb, so now what ever you did and what mind set you have has been done. Is the mother eating right, not smoking, etc...

3rd. Now more damage is done. Baby is born. Who is raising the child? Are they poor? Rich? Well off?

4th. baby is childhood stage of live. Now how the child acts is mostly because of above. Now the child will get mad, sad, depressed, whatever.

5th. If nothing is done, child grow up to remain with these problems.

How do we fix it? In the USA, the government needs to get stable first.
We need to educate people about life and child.

In your case, I would try to understand why is the person feeling this way, however, you might not get to it, because of above. So much could have gone wrong. Also Maybe it has nothing to do with that.

If you can understand, get them out and do what they life to do. Show them love and support. If not they may have to get on meds or just need someone to talk too. Yeah check that site rob gave you.