depression

Clinical depression can present with a variety of symptoms, however almost all patients display a marked change in mood, a deep feeling of sadness, and a noticeable loss of interest or pleasure in favorite activities. Other symptoms include:

* Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood

Undoing Depression

* Loss of appetite and/or weight loss, or conversely overeating and weight gain
* Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
* Loss of energy or increased fatigue
* Restlessness or irritability
* Feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, helplessness
* Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
* Difficulty thinking, concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
* Thoughts of death or suicide or attempts at suicide
* Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
* Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down" or sluggish
* Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain

Not all patients will present every symptom, and the severity of symptoms will vary widely among individuals. Symptoms must, however, persist for at least two weeks before being considered a potential sign of depression, with the exception of suicidal thoughts or attempts.

Diagnosis of clinical depression in children is more difficult than in adults and is often left undiagnosed, and thus untreated, because the symptoms in children are often written off as normal childhood moodiness. Diagnosis is also made difficult because children are more likely than adults to show different symptoms depending on the situation.

While some children still function reasonably well, most who are suffering depression will suffer from a noticeable change in their social activities and life, a loss of interest in school and poor academic performance, and possibly drastic changes in appearance. They may also begin abusing drugs and/or alcohol, particularly past the age of 12. Although much rarer than in adults, children with major depression may attempt suicide or have suicidal thoughts even before the age of twelve.[4]

Curiously easily diagnosable and treatable medical problem, depression happens to at least 20 million American adults every year. As we discussed earlier, although everyone has experienced sadness and feelings of being depressed, people that are suffering from true depression have many frequent and recurring long-term symptoms, making them view life as something not worth living.

How would you know if you have a depression problem? Here are more depression symptoms. These symptoms vary in each person, although if these happen to you, it might be wise to consult a doctor.

- Sadness that is prolonged
- Crying spells that are unexplained
- Significant and abrupt changes in sleep patterns and appetite
- Anger, irritability, anxiety, worry, agitation
- Pessimism, indifference
- Energy loss
- Persistent lethargy
- Guilt feelings and unexplained sense of worthlessness
- Difficulty in concentrating and indecisiveness
- Inability in taking pleasure in interests you previously enjoy
- Social withdrawal
- Unexplained pains and aches
- Extreme fatigue when you have not done much
- Recurring and frequent thoughts of suicide or death

If you are experiencing at least five of the symptoms listed above and have begun interfering with family activities or work for more than a week, ask your doctor for a thorough checkup. This would most likely include having a comprehensive physical exam (although some symptoms might be caused by other health problems that you have) and a detailed clinical history. Just be honest and open on what and how you are feeling.

Do not even think of diagnosing yourself. Likewise, you cannot rely to a friend or a member of your family for diagnosis. Only a doctor that is properly trained to check illnesses is the only one that can fully determine if you are having a depression episode.

If you want, you could try self-evaluation tests available on the Internet that could help you gauge the symptoms that you have, or at least, can prepare you when you visit your doctor. Think of these tests as a way of communicating your symptoms better to a healthcare professional when you go in for a visit. Of course, online tests prove no match to an actual consultation.

For other people, depression is recurrent, which simply means that they experience depression episodes often - once or twice in a month, at least once a year, or many times throughout their lifetimes.

Do not feel embarrassed, shy, or ashamed of your depression problem. People of various ages, ethnic groups, races, and social classes get this problem. Although depression can happen at any given age, depression commonly develops in people whose ages lie between 25 and 44. If you have a depression problem, you're not the only one. Every day, there are more than 20 million American adults that are experiencing depression problems.

Be persistent and patient and you will find the method that suits you best for determining depression.

Depression and Pregnancy - Separating Fact from Fiction

Throughout the past decades, there have been a variety of misconceptions about depression and pregnancy. Many doctors used to believe that depression could be relieved during pregnancy simply due to the shifts in hormones a female experiences once they become pregnant. Recent studies, however, have shown that this link between alleviating depression and pregnancy is simply not true. Actually, according to some psychiatrists from Massachusetts, pregnancy is not, in any way, shape or form a scientifically proven way to prevent relapse of clinical depression. Just because a woman becomes pregnant while she is depressed does not mean that there will be some magical link between relieving depression and pregnancy - in fact, the depression could become even worse.

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Perhaps the major problem with these new findings about depression and pregnancy is what the woman should do if she becomes severely depressed during pregnancy. It lies on the woman to decide whether or not she should take antidepressants during her pregnancy. Normally this would not be a problem, but several of the leading antidepressants have been known to cause birth defects in the child, prompting the FDA to issue strict guidelines about their use. Unfortunately, those who choose to stop taking their proscribed antidepressant or those who choose to lower their doses are more at risk for relapsing into depression during pregnancy.

The links between depression and pregnancy do not end there, however. A very serious problem known as postpartum depression is also on the rise amongst women after their pregnancy. The symptoms of this type of depression are generally very similar to those experienced during clinical depression, except they are brought on by sudden hormone changes which a woman goes through after the child has been born. Treatment is much the same as for standard depression and ranges from antidepressants to counseling.