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Depression:
Signs, Symptoms
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What
are the signs and symptoms of depression?
Severity of Depression symptoms varies with individuals
and also varies over time.
Some of them may be as follows: |
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- Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism.
- You feel that life has/is 'passing you by'.
- You don't want to see people or are scared
to be left alone. Social activity may feel hard or impossible.
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness.
- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty"
mood.
- You feel exhausted a lot of the time with
no energy.
- You feel as if even the smallest tasks are
sometimes impossible.
- You spend a lot of time thinking about what
has gone wrong, what will go wrong or what is wrong about yourself as
a person. You may also feel guilty sometimes about being critical of
others (or even thinking critically about them).
- Loss of interest in previously pleasurable
activities.
- You feel a burden to others.
You sometimes feel that life isn't worth living.
- You feel you have no confidence.
- You have difficulty sleeping or wake up very
early in the morning and can't sleep again.
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Physical
Symptoms of Depression include:
- Changes in weight - either significant loss or gain in weight.
- Restlessness, fatigue.
- Physical aches and pains, sometimes with the fear that you are seriously
ill.
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Some
more Severe Symptoms of Depression include:
- Thoughts about death or suicide.
- Increased heart beat
- Poor concentration, memory or attention.
Common symptom of depression, as voiced by Hamlet: "How weary, stale,
flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!"
Importantly, there are also other illnesses which may produce similar symptoms
to depression, and that require a very different treatment. Your doctor
will be able to test for these.
The way our thought process works, how depression affects our biology and
where the physical symptoms of depression come from are the most vital pieces
of information needed to Understand Depression. |
Major
depression Symptoms
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Symptoms
may include:
- recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without
a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing
suicide.
- loss of interest or pleasure in things that used to be fun
- diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly
every day
- irritability, hostility, aggression
- a decrease in the ability to make decisions
- feeling hopeless or helpless;
- Feeling restless or unable to sit still.
- loss of energy
- Withdrawal from family members/peers/co-workers.
- changes in appetite or weight
- drug or alcohol abuse
- trouble sleep or sleeping too much
- Blaming yourself for things going wrong.
- Crying a lot.
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Symptoms
of bipolar disorder |
Symptoms
of bipolar disorder may be especially difficult to discern in children because
they may be mistaken for age-appropriate emotions and behaviors of children
and adolescents. Also, their symptoms of bipolar disorder may vary somewhat
from adults. For example, when manic, children and adolescents are more
likely to be irritable and prone to destructive outbursts than to be
elated or euphoric. When depressed, they may complain about headaches, stomach
aches, tiredness, poor performance in school, poor communication, and extreme
sensitivity to rejection or failure.
Women are more commonly diagnosed with type 2 bipolar disorder. In addition,
women are more affected by rapid cycling bipolar disorder, a complex variant
of the disorder, than men. In some patients, bipolar disorder assumes
a seasonal pattern, marked by a cyclic relation between the onset of the
mood episode and a particular 60-day period each year.
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Symptoms
and Sign of Teen depression:
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It is difficult
to understand, when teenagers suffer from depression. As they grow, they
try to find who they are and what they believe in. Such changes in behavior
are normal . However, problems arise when an adolescent feels helpless and
hopeless much of the time. If a teen faces any of the following signs of
depression for more than 2-3 weeks, he or she may be depressed.
- Change in school performance.
- Eating habits change; Low appetite or eat a lot more.
- Persistent unhappiness.
- Low self esteem and guilt.
- Social isolation, poor communication.
- Excessive guilt and/or anxiety.
- Destructive and/or defiant behavior.
- Inability to concentrate.
- Belief that life is not worth living.
- Change in sleeping pattern.
- Irritable or angered easily.
- Physical aches and pains.
- Has lost a lot of energy, complains of feeling tired all the time.
- Talk about death or suicide - this should always be taken seriously.
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Symptom
and Sign of depression in child
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Childhood
depression is just as serious as adult depression. However, it is important
to recognize that children have unique signs to be aware of when recognizing
and diagnosing depression.
- Reduced ability to function during events and activities at home
or with friends, in school, extracurricular activities, and in other
hobbies or interests
- refuse to go to school, cling to a parent, or worry that the parent
may die.
- Older children may sulk, get into trouble at school, be negative,
grouchy, and feel misunderstood.
- Impaired thinking or concentration
- Fearful, tense, anxious
- Repeated rejection by other children
- Drop in school performance
- Doesn't talk to other children
- Repeated physical complaints without medical cause (headaches, stomach
aches, aching arm or legs)
- Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities.
- Change in appetite
- Change in sleep patterns
- Low self-esteem or feelings or worthlessness. A child may make such
statements as, "I'm bad. I'm stupid. No one likes me."
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Symptoms
and Sign for Postpartum Depression
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Postpartum
depression has many symptoms. Most mothers who have the illness find that
they are less able to cope with the demands of the baby and of the home.
Some or all of the following symptom may occur due to postpartum depression:
- A depressed mother is often very confused by everyday situations
and may experience feelings of panic,
- Not really enjoy anything. Lack of interest in yourself and your
baby,
- You're tearful for no obvious reason, very frequently,
- a feeling that you cannot cope with life (eg hopelessness, helplessness),
- Feeling a failure as a mother,
- Sleeping problems,
- Sometimes you long for sleep, yet wake un refreshed each morning,
- Poor appetite or overeating,
- Loss of interest (eg. in sex),
- Poor concentration feeling of tension and anxiety,
- Obsessional and inappropriate thoughts,
- Feeling irritable, angry or fearful,
- Some mothers experience pains with no apparent cause (other than
tension and anxiety).
- Getting angry with the baby,
- Feeling rejected, and
- Marital problems (eg. feeling rejected or paranoid).
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Symptom
of Mild Depression:
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Mild depression usually causes symptoms that are detectable and impact
upon our daily activities. The sufferer will show a diminished interest
in things which he or she usually finds interesting or enjoyable.
Sufferer may carry on with their normal lives, only appearing low in
spirits and possibly less sharp in their thinking or in their interest.
They may stop doing things they do not actually have to do, but will often
continue with the essentials, such as going to work or carring for the
family.
However, they will tend not to be as conscientious about these things
as previously, or will become upset because they feel they are not coping
as well as they should because they feel too tired. |
Symptoms
of depression in woman
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- Reduction of interest and/or pleasure in activities, including sex
- Feelings of guilt, hopelessness and worthlessness
- Suicidal thoughts (recurrent)
- Sleep disturbance (insomnia or hypersomnia)
- Appetite/weight changes
- Period irregularities.
- Constipation.
- Attention/concentration difficulties
- Decreased energy or unexplained fatigue
- Psychomotor disturbances
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Symptoms
needed to meet criteria for 'depressive episode' in ICD-10:
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A - Depressed Mood
Loss of interest and enjoyment
Reduced energy and decreased activity
B - Reduced concentration
Reduced self esteem and confidence
Ideas of guilt and unworthyness
Pessimistic thoughts
Disturbed sleep
Diminished apetite
Ideas of self harm
- Mild depressive episode - at least 2 of A and atleast 2 of B
- Moderate depressive episode - at least 2 of A and atleast 3 of B
- Severe depressive episode - all 3 of A and atleast 4 of B
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