What Is Depression?
Depression is a mood disorder which causes feelings of extreme sadness and loss of interest, persistently. Major depressive disorder or clinical depression affects how you feel, think, behave, and leads to a variety of physical and emotional issues. You may have challenges doing normal daily activities and may feel as if life is not worth living.
More than just feeling blue, depression is not a weakness, and merely snapping out of it is next to impossible. Long-term treatment may be required to deal with major depression. Do not get discouraged; most people with depression feel better with psychotherapy, medication, or both. At times depression can evolve from unresolved grief from loss of a loved one.
Although depression may occur during your life once, typically, there are multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms persist most of the day, frequently daily and may include:
- Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
- Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration over insignificant matters
- Loss of interest or pleasure in many or all normal activities.
- Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or hypersomnolence
- Excessive tiredness and lack of energy, taking extra effort
to accomplish the smallest of tasks
- Reduced appetite, weight loss or increased food cravings and weight gain
- Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
- Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
- Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
- Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
- Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
For many suffering from depression, symptoms are usually severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day functioning, work, school, social activities, or relationships with others. Some may generally feel miserable or unhappy without identifying why.
Depression symptoms in children and teens
Common symptoms and signs of depression in children and teens are similar to those in adults, and some differences.
- In younger children, symptoms may include sadness, irritability, clinginess, worry, aches, and pains, refusing to go to school or being underweight.
- In teens, symptoms may include sadness, irritability, feeling negative, worthless, out of proportion anger, poor performance or attendance at school, feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive, using recreational drugs or alcohol, eating or sleeping too much, self-harm, loss of interest in usual activities, and avoidance of social situations.
Depression symptoms in older adults
Depression is not a normal part of growing older and is not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, it often goes undiagnosed and untreated in older adults, who may be reluctant to seek help. Symptoms may be different or less distinct, such as:
- Memory challenges or changes in personality
- Physical aches or pain
- Unexplained fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep problems or loss of interest in sex — not caused by medication or a medical condition
- Often desiring to stay home, rather than going out to socialize or attempting new things
- Suicidal thoughts or feelings, particularly in older men