Depression
What is Depression? The word has become so commonly used in our language, it is often difficult to know just how serious a person’s struggle may be. At times, people distinguish between a "clinical depression" and the everyday term "depressed" which conveys feeling really down. This page is devoted to helping you understand both phenomena so you know best how to get support to those who may face depression, whether it's you or someone you know and care about.
The term "clinical depression" is often used by people to describe a more serious condition, one, perhaps, that has been diagnosed by a mental health professional. It's often an intimidating task to answer the question, "How Do I Know When It's That Serious?" This page is intended to help you know the difference between a normal experience of feeling down and discouraged and an episode of depression.
Some of the difference is a matter of degrees. Many psychological problems that carry a formal diagnosis are simply more extreme versions of our normal everyday problems. We all feel anxious from time to time. We all have experiences, sometimes, where we can't get certain thoughts or urges out of our head until we act on them. At times, most of us turn to external things (such as food or work or drugs or alcohol) to change that uncomfortable feeling inside that is hard to pin down. We all feel down from time to time.And we all get shaken from our day to day responsibilities and interests from time to time. But sometimes, these storms and quakes of life impact us in a way that painful time seems to stand still, and we are unable to function as productive individuals motivated toward life. It's as if everything we are gets pressed down into a hard-to-define space that feels empty, heavy, and persistent. Different perspectives define depression differently: medical approaches define it as an illness while other approaches view it as a state of mind. Still others view depression as a condition comprised of psychological, social-context, and physiological components. Regardless of perspective, the evidence of depression is recognizable through the following signs:
- Feelings of Intense and/or Persistent Sadness
- Increased Need for Sleep or Difficulty Sleeping
- A Noticeable Increase or Decrease in Appetite
- Suicidal Thoughts or Gestures
- Repeated Episodes of Uncontrollable or Spontaneous Crying
- Feelings of Hopelessness
- Feelings of Worthlessness
- Loss of Enjoyment from things that are Typically Enjoyable
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Noticeably More Irritable Moods
- Noticeable Decrease in Emotional and/or Physical Energy
While it is most appropriate for a mental health professional to determine whether a person may meet the criteria to be diagnosed with Depression, if you or a loved one recognize several of these signs, persisting for longer than is normal for the struggling person, it would be a good idea to have that person see a mental health professional. Whether the person can be formally assigned a diagnosis of Depression is not nearly as important as responding to the pain and disruption that these indicators represent. Contacting CAPS is a good first step a person can take toward recovering his/her complete sense of who they are. For more information about Depression, click on the links below.
© 2003. Gary D. Glass, Ph.D - LifeShops
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