Symptoms of Depression - And How to Get Rid of it - A Definitive Guide

Everyone, at one point in their lives, experience gloom because of unexpected turn of events such as deaths and accidents. When relaying these feelings to our friends, we often use the word 'depression' to quantify how sad we were feeling at the moment. The truth is, depression may be too strong a word because there is something called "clinical depression" which has a separate set of quantifiable signs and symptoms. The following paragraphs will discuss these symptoms.

The symptoms that most characterizes clinical depression is the presence of negative feelings that are experienced at a high intensity. Individuals who are diagnosed with depression experience worthlessness, guilt, and helplessness. An overall gloom that persists for a certain number of months are also included in the symptoms. Because the feeling of helplessness accompanies this sadness, individuals find it hard to come out of depression without outside help.

Individuals who have clinical depression are known to have difficulty in making decisions about their lives, and they also struggle to to concentrate on their work. Their difficulty is considerably more intense than mild indecisiveness that a number of people already have. These individuals find it hard to simply get up in the morning and face the real world.

They may also experience extreme tiredness and fatigue, and they cannot summon enough energy to get through the day no matter how long or hard they slept. Some patients that were diagnosed with clinical depression also complain of aches that cannot be treated by medication.

Sleeping habits are also adversely affected by the presence of depression. People may have difficulty falling asleep, or even if they could, they do not feel rested enough. In some cases, all the person does is sleep, all day and all night. They may also lose interest in activities that they actively sought in the past such as sports, hobbies, or even sexual intercourse. One other common symptom is the change in eating habits. Some might eat more than usual, others lose the appetite they once had.

Research has shown that approximately 50% of the cases of clinical depression are not treated or even diagnosed. It may be because the individuals are not aware that their symptoms are already severe enough to be classified as clinical depression. It may also be due to the inability to cope and the helplessness that people feel during their illness that discourages them to seek help. In truth, depression is treatable, and if it goes undiagnosed, it can even lead to suicide. It makes it all the more saddening that some choose to just end their lives over a condition that can be treated.