While the mood disturbance described above is at the heart of depression, mental health professionals go to great pains to distinguish depression from other disorders. They combine their own clinical judgment with information and guidelines provided in a formal description of mental disorders known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, five or more of the symptoms listed below must be present during the same two week period before a final diagnosis can be made. As noted above, one of the five depression signs must be either depressed mood or loss of interest.
Depression Signs and Symptoms
• A depressed mood. The person experiences feelings of sadness nearly every day during the period of observation. The sadness is more than the just the “blues”. It is deep, as well as persistent. It may be marked by unexplained crying jags.
• Loss of interest in daily activities. The person loses interest in almost all of the activities that once brought pleasure. This is likely to be accompanied by social withdrawal.
• A significant change in appetite accompanied by significant weight loss or weight gain.
• A significant change in patterns of sleep. The depressed person may exhibit either insomnia or excessive sleepiness nearly every day.
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day during the period of observation. The person shows either an aimless kind of restlessness or a slowing of everyday mental and physical activities.
• Loss of energy, fatigue. The person exhibits persistent lethargy. Completing even simple tasks is difficult and physically draining.
• Inappropriate feelings of guilt and a pervading sense of worthlessness. The person exhibits excessive and, perhaps, delusional levels of self-loathing.
• Difficulty concentrating and indecisiveness. Thinking is impaired. The person has difficulty maintaining focus and has great difficulty making even minor decisions.
• Frequent thoughts about death or suicide. The person may not have an actual plan for suicide in mind, but nevertheless has recurring thoughts about death or suicide.
It is important to note that mental health professionals evaluate the signs of depression in relationship to how the person acted and functioned before seeking help. The key depression signs must represent a change in mood that cannot be explained by such things as bereavement, general medical conditions, or other forms of mental illness. Other possible causes for the depression symptoms, such as drug use or medication, must be eliminated, also.
There are a number of different forms of depression. Exactly how it may be classified depends on such things as severity and duration. In any case, when a diagnosis of depression is made, it is important to reach out to others for support and to follow an appropriate plan of treatment.