Do You Know Depression Symptoms?
You probably know someone who is depressed. You may be wondering about yourself. The way you feel right now–does it fit the definition of depression? Clinical depression is a serious illness that affects millions, so you are right to be concerned. Understanding depression is a good first step toward treatment. Let’s see if we can figure this out together.
All of us experience blue moods once in a while. We all experience feelings of sadness. It is just a normal part of going through life. When those blue moods turn into a dark heavy persistent cloud, and when those sad and hopeless feelings become your predominant feelings, you may indeed be suffering from depression.
Depression is a mental disorder. Depression can overwhelm your mind, your thoughts and your body. It affects your personality, your interaction with others, and your beliefs as well. When in depression it is just about impossible to feel hopeful about anything, including ever feeling happy again.
So how can you tell the difference between actual clinical depression and normal feelings of sadness. Essentially it’s about intensity and time. The feelings associated with depression are much more intense. Your character and your ability to cope with reality become severely affected. It becomes almost impossible to function on a daily basis.
The threshold for diagnosing depression in terms of time seems to be about two weeks. Being sad and withdrawn for a short period of time is a normal human reaction to significant negative events. However, if your personality and interaction with others fails to return to normal after about two weeks time, then you may have entered a major depressive episode. Depression can last for weeks, months or even years–without treatment.
The good news is depression is treatable. Through a combination of therapy and medication, up to 80 percent of people with depression get better. But treatment takes time and involves some trial and error, so patience is a must.
Depression can affect anyone. It is not a disorder for “weak” people. If you feel you may have depression, do not hesitate to seek help. The sooner you do, the sooner you can get back to your old self again.
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