How can I tell if I am suffering from depression?

The following are symptoms of depression:

• Do you frequently feel sad, irritable, or quick to anger?

• Have you stopped enjoying your hobbies and other things you used to enjoy?

• Do you feel guilty or hopeless or worry too much?

• Do you feel out of energy or just prefer to sit alone more than usual?

• Have you stopped participating in social events with your family or friends?

• Are you sleeping too long or having trouble getting to sleep?

• Have you experienced a 10-pound change in your weight that you didn't intend to have?

• Do you have thoughts of suicide or death?

If you answered yes to the last question or at least two of the other questions, talk to your doctor. These feelings can be symptoms of depression. They can also be caused by other health problems, like anemia, thyroid disease, medication side effects, or other medical conditions.

Feeling down once in a while is normal. But some people feel a sadness that just won't go away. Life seems hopeless. Feeling this way most of the day for two weeks or more is a sign of serious depression.

Depression is a medical illness that involves the mind and body.  If affect how you feel, think and behave.  Depression can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.  You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and depression may make you feel as if life isn't worth living.

You may be depressed if you any of the following depression symptoms:  feelings of sadness or unhappiness; irritabililty or frustration, even over small matters; loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities; reduced sex drive; insomnia or excessive sleeping; changes in appetite; agitation or restlessness; slowed thinking; indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration; fatigue, tiredness and loss of energy; feelings of worthlessness or guilt; frequent thoughts of death, dying or suidice; crying spells for no apparent reason; unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches. 

If any of these symptoms are present, please seek assistance from you health care provider. Most people with depression feel better with medication, psychological counselling or other treatment.

Depression is marked by profound sadness and a lack of interest in life. It's not just a blue mood. If you have major depression, you'll have a persistent low mood that interferes with your ability to function. It may cause physical and emotional symptoms, and can last for weeks, months, or years.

To be diagnosed as major depression, symptoms must last at least two weeks, says Rob Doyle, MD, clinical instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and staff member at Massachusetts General Hospital. You may feel hopeless, be unable to sleep or eat, or have thoughts of self-harm.

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It can be difficult for you to determine if you are clinically depressed without consulting a trained psychiatrist or psychologist. Sometimes people think they are clinically depressed when they are simply experiencing a reasonable reaction to a difficult life circumstance. Someone who has gone through a recent loss is likely to be experiencing grief, which can be confused with depression. Grief and pain are part of every human life, but they don't necessarily indicate or lead to the clinical disorder of depression.

In contrast, some people may have been depressed for quite some time but not recognize it in themselves. These people may think they have to tough it out and try to bulldoze through each day without giving themselves the special attention they need -- attention that would allow them to realize that their lives don't have to be this way. Sometimes people don't recognize they're depressed because they know that their problems aren't as bad as those of others, and so they tell themselves that they shouldn't and can't be depressed. This logic is very deceptive because depression can strike anyone, no matter what their financial or social situation is. Some people don't recognize their depression, because they mask it by eating too much, working too hard, drinking too much, or using drugs. When people dull their pain with these behaviors, they typically create two problems instead of just one: depression and obesity, depression and a drug problem, or depression and workaholism.

So how do you find out whether you are depressed? Seek a professional consultation.

To see if you might be clinically depressed, please read through the following list and rate how frequently you’ve experienced each symptom over the past week. The three rating scales are Not At All or Only a Little (0-2 days), Some of the Time (3-5 days), and Most of the Time (6-7 days).

- Waking up at night or in the early morning, unable to return to sleep
- Very restless sleep
- Fatigue/loss of energy
- Decreased sex drive
- Unable to enjoy life/loss of zest for life
- Withdrawing from others
- Strong thoughts of suicide
- Loss of appetite
- Memory problems, forgetfulness, or poor concentration
- Feeling irritable or easily frustrated
- Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or unhappiness
- Sleeping a lot
- Feelings of low self-esteem
- Apathy or low motivation

If you’ve checked more than five of the items in the “Some of the Time” or “Most of Time” columns, you may be struggling with clinical depression and would probably be helped by seeking a diagnosis from a healthcare professional.

There are many different signs of depression. Some of the most common signs include having a “blue” mood, feeling sad or down, and not having much interest in anything. Other changes you may notice if you are depressed are an inability to sleep, sleeping too much, or having difficulty getting out of bed to start your day. Your appetite may change -- you may find yourself eating when you are not hungry or just not eating as much. You may have feelings of guilt, difficulty concentrating or find that you don’t find the same activities enjoyable. Some people who stuggle with depression have thoughts of harming themselves; if you are experiencing these thoughts, you should seek medical attention immediately.