Loss of Interest: Signs of Depression

Depression is an extremely common psychiatric disorder which manifests itself through several symptoms, including loss of interest in usual activities, persistent decreased or depressed mood, and sometimes thoughts of suicide. Clinical depression affects between 7 and 18 percent of the population at some point in their lives before the age of 40, and one episode of depression is likely to lead to more depressive episodes in the future. While there are several causes for depression, some of the most common causes for depression include genetic predisposition, medical conditions, sleep quality, or psychological factors such as a death in the family, or poor self esteem.

In this free video series, our expert will teach you how to identify signs of depression. If you suspect you, a friend or family member is suffering from depression, let our expert explain the various symptoms of depression and when you may need to seek professional help. Learn about how trouble concentrating, weight loss or gain, poor school or job performance and stomach aches can all be signs of depression. Also get tips for identifying drug and alcohol abuse, relationship trouble and social isolation as depression symptoms. Depression is one of the major causes of suicide and can also severely affect a persons enjoyment of life, so be sure to check out this free video to catch serious clinical depression signs before it is too late.

"Hello. My name is Leslie Moselle and I'm from Tampa, Florida. And, on behalf of Expert Village, these are the signs of depression. For a doctor or other health professional to diagnose depression, most of the following signs and symptoms must be present for at least two weeks. Loss of Interest in Normal Daily Activities: One of the first signs of depression, and one of the most obvious signs of depression, are the loss of interest in normal hobbies and activities that you take part in. Say for example, you have a love for sports (like baseball), and this is something that you usually like to do with your friends or family in your spare time. This may be an activity that you are not taking part in anymore. When you have depression, you tend to lose the love and passion for things that you normally do. So, your inability to gain pleasure is one of the main points in this sign of depression. For example: sexual activity. People who suffer from depression tend to not want to take part in something like sexual activity that usually gives them pleasure and makes them feel good. So, if you don't want to take part in things that usually make you feel good, this is a huge sign that you may have depression."