How to Recognize Serious Depression

Many clinicians do not use a tight scale to diagnose depression, and even normal grief is categorized and treated as depression these days. You may be depressed but not suffering from depression at the same time. Therefore, it is very important to know what depression is. Read on to learn more about the clinical features and diagnosis of depression.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Write the following 9 symptoms (listed in Steps 2 through 10) on a piece of paper. Check the ones that you think you are having.
2. Depressed mood.
3. Loss of interests or pleasure.
4. Change in sleep pattern.
5. Change in appetite or weight (both increase or decrease).
6. Change in psychomotor activity.
7. Loss of energy.
8. Trouble concentrating.
9. Thoughts of worthlessness or guilt.
10. Thoughts about death or suicide.
11. Remember, to qualify for major depression you must at least have 5 of these symptoms. They should be present for a minimum of 2 consecutive weeks.