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Depression is generally ranked in terms of severity -- mild, moderate, or severe. The degree of your depression, which your doctor can determine, influences how you are treated. Symptoms of depression include:
Sleep disturbances -- usually insomnia (for example, consistently waking up very early in the morning) but may be excessive sleeping
A dramatic change in appetite, often resulting in either weight gain or weight loss
Fatigue and lack of energy
Feelings of worthlessness, self-hate, and inappropriate guilt
Extreme difficulty concentrating
Agitation, restlessness, and irritability OR inactivity and withdrawal from usual activities
Recurring thoughts of death or suicide
Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
Low self esteem is common with depression. So are sudden bursts of anger and lack of pleasure from activities that normally make you happy, including sex.
The main types of depression include:
Major depression -- five or more symptoms listed above must be present for at least 2 weeks, but tends to continue for 20 weeks. (A mood disorder is classified as minor depression if less than five depressive symptoms are present for at least 2 weeks.)
Dysthymia -- a chronic, generally milder form of depression but lasts longer -- usually as long as two years.
Atypical depression -- depression accompanied by unusual symptoms, such as hallucinations (for example, hearing voices that are not really there) or delusions (irrational thoughts).
Other common forms of depression include:
Postpartum depression -- many women feel somewhat down after having a baby, but true postpartum depression is rare.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PDD) -- depressive symptoms occur one week prior to menstruation and disappear after you menstruate.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) -- occurs during the fall-winter season and disappears during the spring-summer season. Likely to be due to lack of sunlight.
Depression may also occur with mania (known as manic-depression or bipolar disorder). In this condition, moods cycle between mania and depression.
Depression is more common in women than men and is especially common during the teen years. Men seem to seek help for feelings of depression less often than women. Therefore, women may only have more documented cases of depression.
Definitions of Depression
In everyday language "depression" refers to any downturn in mood, which may be relatively transitory and perhaps due to something trivial. This is differentiated from Clinical depression which is marked by symptoms that last two weeks or more and are so severe that they interfere with daily living.
A mental state of depressed mood characterized by feelings of sadness, despair and discouragement. Depression ranges from normal feelings of the blues through dysthymia to major depression. It in many ways resembles the grief and mourning that follow bereavement, there are often feelings of low self esteem, guilt and self reproach, withdrawal from interpersonal contact and physical symptoms such as eating and sleep disturbances.
A depressive disorder characterized by extreme feelings of sadness, lack of self-worth, and dejection.
Not just temporary or situational sadness, but a persistent and pervasive feeling of sadness or hopelessness that is often associated with weight loss (or gain), sleep disturbances, constipation, disturbances of sexual function, and feelings of guilt or self-blame.
Mental state characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, and self-reproach; accompanying signs include psychomotor retardation or at times agitation, withdrawal from interpersonal contact, and vegetative symptoms such as insomnia and loss of appetite. The term refers either to a mood that is so characterized or to a mood disorder.
A lifestyle whose structure prevents growth of the personality.
Depression is a state of low mood that is described differently by people who experience it. Commonly described are feelings of sadness, despair, emptiness, or loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all things.
When used to describe a mood, depression refers to what may be normal feelings of sadness, despair and discouragement. More serious depression may be a symptom of a variety of physical and mental disorders, a syndrome of associated symptoms secondary to an underlying disorder, or it may itself be a specific mental disorder. ...
A mental disorder marked by altered mood, this may occur daily with the addition of diminished interest or pleasure in most or all activities. Symptoms can be as follows: poor appetite or weight loss, or weight gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness or inappropriate guilt, difficulties with concentration and thinking, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideations.The main symptoms are feeling low, sleep problems, loss of appetite, concentration and energy.
A state of sadness marked by inactivity and inability to concentrate: reduction of the functional activity of the body.
A major disorder that can begin at any age. Major depression may be characterized by a depressed mood most of each day, lack of pleasure in most activities, thoughts of suicide, insomnia, and feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
A state characterized by depressed mood, decreased energy, reduced interest in sex, suppressed appetite, and too much sleep or sleeplessness. Depression is common in people with HIV infection; it often responds well to treatment.
A mood described as feeling dejected and sad with a lowering of functional activity. A depressive disorder usually includes appetite and sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, and suicidal ideation.
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