Posted on Sep 19, 2021
Do You Know the Signs of Clinical Depression?
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If you think you or someone you know is suffering from depression, get screened! There is help and effective treatment.
The two "core" symptoms of depression are low mood and loss of interest in activities. In addition to those, people may also experience changes in appetite, trouble sleeping, tiredness, feelings of guilt, trouble concentrating, or thoughts of death.
While only a qualified medical or mental health provider can diagnose depression, there are certain warning signs that can help you identify whether you or someone you care about may be depressed.
The symptoms of depression may be different in different people. So while one person may struggle to get out of bed, someone else might be able to go to work every day without co-workers noticing anything unusual.
And sometimes symptoms that look like depression aren't really depression. Substance use issues, medical problems, medication side effects, or other mental health conditions may produce symptoms that look similar to depression.
Signs and Symptoms
The DSM-5 recognizes several different types of depressive disorders. The two most common types include clinical depression, also referred to as major depressive disorder (MDD), and persistent depressive disorder (PDD). People with PDD often experience the same type of symptoms as those with MDD, but they are typically less severe and last longer.
There are over 1,000 different combinations of symptoms that could lead to an MDD diagnosis.2 If you recognize signs that you or someone you may know be depressed, professional help may be warranted. Depression is very treatable with medication, talk therapy, or a combination of the two.
Depressed Mood
Depressed mood is consistent with both major depression and persistent depressive disorder. In major depression, a person feels depressed most of the day. Children or adolescents, on the other hand, may appear more irritable than sad.
A person with a depressed mood may report feeling sad or "empty," or may cry frequently. Having a low mood is one of the two core symptoms which is used to diagnose depression.
People with PDD experience a depressed mood more days than not for at least two years. As with MDD, children with PDD may appear more irritable than depressed. However, for a PDD diagnosis, they must experience this for at least one year.
Decreased Interest
The second core symptom of major depressive disorder is a decreased interest or pleasure in things that you once enjoyed, also known as anhedonia.3 (Sidenote: The DSM-5 does not explicitly use the term anhedonia, but it is captured in the main criteria as “decreased interest and pleasure in most activities most of the day.")
Anhedonia is different from apathy. While apathy refers to a lack of interest and motivation, anhedonia is a lack of feeling, specifically, pleasure. It is not uncommon for a person to experience apathy and anhedonia simultaneously.
Another common sign of depression is a change in how much you eat. For some people, this means a loss of appetite. You may have to force yourself to eat because eating has completely lost its appeal. Or maybe you simply don't have the energy to prepare meals.
Feelings of sadness or worthlessness can also lead to overeating. In these instances, food is typically being used as a coping mechanism. You may find that food elevates your mood, but when the temporary pleasure of eating is gone, you reach for more food to suppress your feelings.
One study followed thousands of men and women for a period of 11 years. Those who reported feelings of depression and/or anxiety during that time had larger changes in their weight and a greater chance of being diagnosed as obese.
Sleep disturbance is present in as many as 90% of people with depression. It can take the form of either difficulty sleeping (insomnia) or sleeping excessively (hypersomnia).
Insomnia is the most common and is estimated to occur in approximately 80% of people with depression.5 With insomnia, people may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Less frequently, in about 15% to 25% of cases, people with depression find themselves sleeping too much.6 This is more likely in younger people.
Sleep issues can be both a cause of depression and a symptom of depression.7 Thus, improving your ability to sleep is important for making you feel better now and reducing your likelihood of a future depression relapse.
Depression can put a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself. You may think of yourself in unappealing and unrealistic ways, such as feeling as if you are worthless.
You may also find that have trouble letting a past mistake go, resulting in feelings of guilt. You might become preoccupied with these "failures," personalize trivial events, or believe that minor mistakes are proof of your inadequacy.
An example of this would be a relationship that ended after you had a fight with your partner and said some not-so-pleasant things. This could lead you to consider yourself the cause of the breakup while potentially ignoring other issues in your relationship, such as a partner who is abusive or a poor communicator.
Excessive, inappropriate guilt and feelings of worthlessness are common symptoms of major depressive disorder. In some cases, the feeling of guilt may be so severe that it leads to delusion, which is an inability to see things for what they really are, therefore holding onto false beliefs.
Recurrent thoughts of death that go beyond the fear of dying are associated with major depressive disorder. An individual with major depression may think about suicide, make a suicide attempt, or create a specific plan to kill themselves.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than nine million adult Americans have suicidal thoughts annually. Additionally, these thoughts are highest for those between the ages of 18 and 25.10
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at [login to see] for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911. For other resources see
https://www.verywellmind.com/national-helpline-database-4799696
The two "core" symptoms of depression are low mood and loss of interest in activities. In addition to those, people may also experience changes in appetite, trouble sleeping, tiredness, feelings of guilt, trouble concentrating, or thoughts of death.
While only a qualified medical or mental health provider can diagnose depression, there are certain warning signs that can help you identify whether you or someone you care about may be depressed.
The symptoms of depression may be different in different people. So while one person may struggle to get out of bed, someone else might be able to go to work every day without co-workers noticing anything unusual.
And sometimes symptoms that look like depression aren't really depression. Substance use issues, medical problems, medication side effects, or other mental health conditions may produce symptoms that look similar to depression.
Signs and Symptoms
The DSM-5 recognizes several different types of depressive disorders. The two most common types include clinical depression, also referred to as major depressive disorder (MDD), and persistent depressive disorder (PDD). People with PDD often experience the same type of symptoms as those with MDD, but they are typically less severe and last longer.
There are over 1,000 different combinations of symptoms that could lead to an MDD diagnosis.2 If you recognize signs that you or someone you may know be depressed, professional help may be warranted. Depression is very treatable with medication, talk therapy, or a combination of the two.
Depressed Mood
Depressed mood is consistent with both major depression and persistent depressive disorder. In major depression, a person feels depressed most of the day. Children or adolescents, on the other hand, may appear more irritable than sad.
A person with a depressed mood may report feeling sad or "empty," or may cry frequently. Having a low mood is one of the two core symptoms which is used to diagnose depression.
People with PDD experience a depressed mood more days than not for at least two years. As with MDD, children with PDD may appear more irritable than depressed. However, for a PDD diagnosis, they must experience this for at least one year.
Decreased Interest
The second core symptom of major depressive disorder is a decreased interest or pleasure in things that you once enjoyed, also known as anhedonia.3 (Sidenote: The DSM-5 does not explicitly use the term anhedonia, but it is captured in the main criteria as “decreased interest and pleasure in most activities most of the day.")
Anhedonia is different from apathy. While apathy refers to a lack of interest and motivation, anhedonia is a lack of feeling, specifically, pleasure. It is not uncommon for a person to experience apathy and anhedonia simultaneously.
Another common sign of depression is a change in how much you eat. For some people, this means a loss of appetite. You may have to force yourself to eat because eating has completely lost its appeal. Or maybe you simply don't have the energy to prepare meals.
Feelings of sadness or worthlessness can also lead to overeating. In these instances, food is typically being used as a coping mechanism. You may find that food elevates your mood, but when the temporary pleasure of eating is gone, you reach for more food to suppress your feelings.
One study followed thousands of men and women for a period of 11 years. Those who reported feelings of depression and/or anxiety during that time had larger changes in their weight and a greater chance of being diagnosed as obese.
Sleep disturbance is present in as many as 90% of people with depression. It can take the form of either difficulty sleeping (insomnia) or sleeping excessively (hypersomnia).
Insomnia is the most common and is estimated to occur in approximately 80% of people with depression.5 With insomnia, people may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Less frequently, in about 15% to 25% of cases, people with depression find themselves sleeping too much.6 This is more likely in younger people.
Sleep issues can be both a cause of depression and a symptom of depression.7 Thus, improving your ability to sleep is important for making you feel better now and reducing your likelihood of a future depression relapse.
Depression can put a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself. You may think of yourself in unappealing and unrealistic ways, such as feeling as if you are worthless.
You may also find that have trouble letting a past mistake go, resulting in feelings of guilt. You might become preoccupied with these "failures," personalize trivial events, or believe that minor mistakes are proof of your inadequacy.
An example of this would be a relationship that ended after you had a fight with your partner and said some not-so-pleasant things. This could lead you to consider yourself the cause of the breakup while potentially ignoring other issues in your relationship, such as a partner who is abusive or a poor communicator.
Excessive, inappropriate guilt and feelings of worthlessness are common symptoms of major depressive disorder. In some cases, the feeling of guilt may be so severe that it leads to delusion, which is an inability to see things for what they really are, therefore holding onto false beliefs.
Recurrent thoughts of death that go beyond the fear of dying are associated with major depressive disorder. An individual with major depression may think about suicide, make a suicide attempt, or create a specific plan to kill themselves.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than nine million adult Americans have suicidal thoughts annually. Additionally, these thoughts are highest for those between the ages of 18 and 25.10
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at [login to see] for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911. For other resources see
https://www.verywellmind.com/national-helpline-database-4799696
Do You Know the Signs of Clinical Depression?
Posted from verywellmind.com
Depression
Mental Health
Wellness
Therapy
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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Thanks for breaking that subject down into small pieces, Charlie. I have known a couple of people who were bipolar, in that their moods swung from one extreme to the other: at one moment, they were giddy with emotional “highs” and the next they were morose, doom-saying and homicidal. The latter included suicidal tendencies in one case.
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Lt Col Charlie Brown
I know a few and have worked with a couple...meds are necessary but finicky and require constant monitoring for everyone's safety
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