Healthy Living & Prevention in El Paso

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Recognizing Depression

Recognizing Depression

16 May 2020 by Ted Escobedo   3 min read

Life will take us through a wide spectrum of emotions. Feeling down from time to time is simply part of that journey. But depression can be characterized as something more serious and should receive professional attention. How can you tell if it is depression? Here are some of the symptoms.

The symptoms of depression — technically referred to as major depressive disorder — are characterized by an overwhelming feeling of sadness, isolation, and despair that lasts two weeks or longer at a time. Depression isn’t just an occasional feeling of being sad or lonely, like most people experience from time to time. Instead, a person who has depression feels like they’ve sunk into a deep, dark hole with no way out — and no hope for things ever changing (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

If you or someone you are concerned about is experiencing depression, you can call:1-800-273-8255 (TALK)


KNOW MORE: Read more about the signs of depression

Clinical depression is characterized by the presence of 5 or more of these depressive symptoms:

  • Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (e.g., feeling sad, blue, “down in the dumps,” or empty) or observations made by others (e.g., appears tearful or about to cry). (In children and adolescents, this may present as an irritable or cranky, rather than sad, mood.)
  • Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities every day, such as no interest in hobbies, sports, or other things the person used to enjoy doing
  • Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5 percent of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day
  • Insomnia (inability to get to sleep or difficulty staying asleep) or hypersomnia (sleeping too much) nearly every day
  • More days than not, problems with sitting still, including constant restlessness, pacing, or picking at one’s cloths (called psychomtotor agitation by professionals); or the opposite, a slowing of one’s movements, talking very quietly with slowed speech (called psychomotor retardation by professionals)
  • Fatigue, tiredness, or loss of energy nearly every day — even the smallest tasks, like dressing or washing, seem difficult to do and take longer than usual
  • Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day (e.g., ruminating over minor past failings)
  • Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (e.g., appears easily distracted, complains of memory difficulties)
  • Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideas without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide
  • Source: https://psychcentral.com/depression/depression-symptoms-major-depressive-disorder/

    If you or someone you are concerned about is experiencing depression, you can call:1-800-273-8255 (TALK)

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