Medical science recognizes any disease or medical condition based on symptoms. Just as a good doctor can make an assessment of a patient’s condition from the symptoms, a good psychiatrist can evaluate and suggest the right form of treatment to be given to a patient suffering from depression. Symptoms of clinical depression vary amongst people and ranges from mood swings to memory loss. Depression manifests itself in a wide array of experiences and diagnosis is often a complex study. Three most common types of depressive disorders are major clinical depression, dysthymia, and manic depression.
Clinical depression can be classified on the basis of a number of symptoms; for instance, mood swings that interfere with the ability to work, sleep or enjoy pleasurable activities. Recognizing and understanding these symptoms is the most important step in the successful treatment of depression. Common symptoms include persistent mood swings, anxiety, irritability and emotional instability. Clinical depression also causes fatigue or unexplained loss of energy, loss of enthusiasm, unexplained weight loss or weight gain and insomnia. Most patients find difficulty in concentrating or making decisions, coupled with a feeling of hopelessness and guilt. Individuals suffering from depression are also known to have suicidal tendencies. They often do not respond to treatment for headaches, digestive disorders and chronic pain, which they can complain about.
Childhood depression is as serious as adult depression. Symptoms in children include refusal to go to school, reduced interest in extra-curricular activities, morbid fears such as the death of parents and low self-esteem.
It is more difficult to recognize and treat depression amongst teenagers. The line dividing normal adolescent “blues” from clinical depression is very thin. Teenagers, as they grow try to find answers to who they are and what they believe in, tend to have a natural moodiness that is to be expected, and such changes in behavior during the teens are normal. However, problems arise when an adolescent feels helpless and hopeless, coupled with a belief that life is not worth living. Early recognition of such a mood swing helps with knowing when to seek medical assistance.
The time to cure clinical depression is when the symptoms are noticed early and acted upon without delay. It is therefore, critical for everyone to be aware of the symptoms, and to take action as soon as possible, to avoid needless suffering on the part of the depressed.
Related Articles of Interest :
-
Signs Of Clinical Depression
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Symptoms of clinical depression vary from amongst people and ranges from mood swings to memory loss. Depression often manifests itself with a wide array of experiences and becomes difficult to diagnose, if left untreated. Depression, like other illnesses come in different forms. Three of the...
-
Clinical Depression
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Clinical depression is a medical term used to refer to any form of depression that requires treatment in order to alleviate it. Typically, people are prone to depression when something bad or what they perceive as bad occurs in their lives, such as the death...
-
Clinical Depression Tests
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Though over 20 million Americans suffer from depression each year, nine out of ten do not receive adequate treatment. This is due to the fact that they dismiss their depression as a character flaw or sign of weakness and do not seek help. In order...
-
Depression and Anxiety
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
The relationship between anxiety and depression isn’t always clear-cut. If you’ve been diagnosed with depression, you might have anxiety as a secondary condition. Conversely, people diagnosed with anxiety often suffer from depression. While both conditions have many symptoms in common, there are important differences. Both...
-
Bipolar Depression
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
The criteria for diagnosis for depression specify that a person is in a depressed mood and/or experience loss of interest or pleasure for two weeks or more. Five or more of the following symptoms may be experienced by the person most of the day almost...
-
A Guide To Depression
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Depression can happen to anyone at any time. It is a medical condition that, if treated, can be managed or cured. A depressed person lacks interest in most activities that were once enjoyed, and lacks energy throughout the day. Most of the time, a depressed...
-
Clinical Mesothelioma Symptoms
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Many people who have clinical symptoms of mesothelioma have advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. This is because symptoms tend to present late in most cases. The majority of people have symptoms for only two or three months before a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma...
-
Teen Bipolar Disorder
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Children and teenagers with bipolar disorders can have manic or depressive symptoms. Some children may mostly have depression and others a combination of manic and depressive symptoms. Highs are usually combined with alternative lows. Bipolar disorders usually begin in childhood and during the teenage years,...
-
Bipolar Symptoms
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Bipolar disorder is an illness where a person experiences extreme changes in mood, thought, energy and behavior. He may feel manic for an instant and depressed the next. In manic episodes, there is a distinct period of abnormally elevated or irritable mood lasting at least...
-
A Guide To Bipolar Disorder
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Bipolar disorder or manic depression is a psychological illness which manifests as having extreme changes in mood, behavior and thought. A person’s mood can change from mania to depression in a short period of time. These mood swings from highs to lows can last for...