How do you know if you are depressed? I'm gonna try to explain it on this article.
Hi! I am RevaBrielle, a nurse psychiatrist who helps people for mental health and self improvement.
So even though we don't have a blood test to diagnose or to prove that you are depressed, it isn't still a matter of guess work. There is a cluster of symptoms that are associated with being depressed.
In order to be diagnosed with depression, you must have five of the following symptoms for at least two weeks and also all of this symptoms is present at least most of the day and present most every single day. So they must not be fleeting.
You must have five of the nine symptoms:
Depressed mood
people may tell they are sad, hooeless or even empty
In children and adolescence, they can be more irritable then what you would expect just from regular childhood upset and to a moody teenager
Can't enjoy things
Things that you enjoy just you don't give you pleasure anymore
Weight Loss/Gain
5% decrease or increase of appetite
Insomnia/Hypersomnia
Insomnia is having trouble sleeping and staying asleep for less thatn 5 hours
Hypersomnia is sleeping more than 10 hours. This could be continous or a total of nightly pleasure nap
Slowed/Restless
Some people knows that they will have an episodes bacause they can feel their limbs are getting really heavy
Low energy
You don't have any power to do something
Worthless or Excessive Guilt
you have no value or use
Poor concentration or focus
Depression is a huge disruptor on your ability to concentrate/focus. And if you can't focus or pay attention, you will have trouble remembering things.
Suicidal thoughts
Depression can distort your perception of the future. Things can look very bleak and get to the point where you just wanna end the pain.
Difference between Active and Passive Suicidality
Examples:
Supposed you are crossing the streets and you thought if you got hit by a car, i will be fine with that. That is passive suicidality. You don't have a plan on ending your life but the prospect of doing something or having someone to kill you is an attractive option for you.
People became actively suicidal if they are formulating a plan in their head, even though for a moment they are holding back from acting on it. Active suicidality is an emergency and should be treated in a hospital or a crisis center where the person will be on a safer environment.
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Here are some symptoms that i commonly see or observed that don't fit neatly on to the list that is provided above.
This are the feelings that is everyday is hard and this can result of having anything done. You just can't bring yourself to attend the task.
Frequent crying.
You could have a short fuse all the time that makes you irritable or easily angered.
There are so many symptoms that can be asso iated with depression. But there is one thing that is to be answered, how much all this symptoms affect your life or how much dysfunctions did it cause?
One person can have several symptoms listed above but there still going to work each day and participating in social activities but they don't feel happy inside. They go to this social things and put up in a fake smile but yet feel very empty while they are there.
There is another person who may have trouble getting out on bed and not going to work or some people may have stop bailing. This is the person that whose probably gonna get pull out of this without the help of some health professional whereas the first person may be able to slug through without any kind of treatment and symptoms may eventually past.
Treatments can be therapy and or medications. I'm gonna create some articles about this in the future.
So that's it for now. Thank you for your time readibg my article and if you want to be updated, please subscribe.
