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When we use the term depression here, we are talking about a common medical condition with very specific symptoms. These symptoms have a significant intensity and duration and can affect a person's functioning and sense of well-being in a variety of ways. This type of depression requires treatment, as it can seriously impair a person's ability to carry on with normal life activities, work, and relationships.
Depression can affect a person's mood, outlook on life, behaviour, and bodily functions in a number of ways. The depressed person's mood is nearly always sad or worried, and irritability is common. Feelings of anxiety, or a sense of dread that something terrible is going to happen, frequently accompanies symptoms of depression.
Depressed thinking is often associated with low self-esteem and may take the form of negative ideas about oneself and one's future. In severe depression, feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness can become disabling, and the depressed person may begin to feel that life is not worth living. In cases like this, siucide can be a real danger. (Always take talk of suicide seriously.)
How can one tell if somebody is depressed? A good sign is often a change in the person's usual behaviour. For example, a formerly cheerful, sociable person may become withdrawn and irritated. He or she may lose interest in activities that were once enjoyed, or may begin having trouble with sleep or appetite. Because everyone is unique, the signs of depression may vary greatly from person to person. However, some of the most frequently seen signs are listed below.
- depressed mood
- loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activities
- dissatisfaction with life
- withdrawal from social activities
- loss of energy
- loss of interest in sex
- feeling useless, helpless, of hopeless
- irritability
- great concern with health problems
- sadness and crying
- worry and/or self-criticism
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