What is it?
The word depression is used in many different ways. People feel sad or blue when bad things happen. However, everyday “blues” or sadness is not a depressive disorder. We all may have a short-term depressed mood, but we cope and soon recover without treatment. A major depressive disorder lasts for at least two weeks and affects a person’s ability to work, to carry out usual daily activities, and to have satisfying personal relationships.
Signs and Symptoms
A person who is clinically depressed would have at least one of these two symptoms nearly every day, for at least two weeks:
- An unusually sad mood
- Loss of enjoyment and interest in activities that used to be enjoyable
A person may also have these symptoms:
- Lack of energy and tiredness
- Feeling worthless or feeling guilty though not really at fault
- Thinking often about death or wishing to be dead
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Moving more slowly or sometimes becoming agitated and unable to settle
- Having sleeping difficulties or sometimes sleeping too much
- Loss of interest in food or sometimes eating too much. Changes in eating habits may lead to either loss of weight or weight gain
