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Diagnosing Depression
Diagnosing depression is not always easy. One of the biggest
obstacles is recognizing that you or someone you know or love is suffering from
depression. Many times the signs and symptoms are slow to surface making it more
difficult to see the changes happening. Many people are reluctant to admit that
they are not feeling well emotionally or are worried about the stigma placed on
people with depression. It is estimated that approximately half the people who
do suffer from depression never seek any help.
The first person someone who is feels they are suffering from depression should
see is their family doctor. A thorough physical will rule out any illness or
medication that may be causing the symptoms of depression. Your physician will
look at past health issues, family history and any history of drug or alcohol
use to determine if there is some form of physical cause for your depression.
If there is no apparent physical cause then an evaluation by a psychiatrist or
psychologist is needed. Psychiatrists and psychologists diagnose depression
based on standards set by the American Psychiatric Association in the DSM-IV
diagnostic manual. The criteria to meet a diagnosis of depression as stated in
the manual are:
You have had an episode of depression lasting at least two weeks with at least
five of the following symptoms:
1. You are depressed, sad, blue, and tearful.
2. You have lost interest or pleasure in things you previously liked to do.
3. Your appetite is much less or much greater than usual and you have lost or
gained weight.
4. You have a lot of trouble sleeping or sleep too much.
5. You are so agitated, restless, or slowed down that others have begun to
notice.
6. You are tired and have no energy.
7. You feel worthless or excessively guilty about things you have done or not
done.
8. You have trouble concentrating, thinking clearly, or making decisions.
9. You feel you would be better off dead or have thoughts about killing
yourself.
A. These symptoms are severe enough to upset your daily routine, or to seriously
impair your work, or to interfere with your relationships.
B. The depression does not have a specific cause like alcohol, drugs, medication
side effect, or physical illness.
C. Your depression is not just a normal reaction to the death of a loved one.
Once evaluated a psychiatrist or psychologist can classify the
type of
depression one may be suffering from and recommend a course of treatment
involving medication, therapy or a combination of the two. If the depression is
related to a medical condition it is important that a person seek medical help
for that as well. Often resolving the medical illness will make the depression
disappear.
While many people have the “blues” from time to time it is important to
distinguish the difference between feeling down every once in a while to the
more long term signs of depression. A good place to start if you are feeling
symptoms of depression is with an
online depression test. This can be a good
first step to getting the help one needs to fight this debilitating disease.
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| NHC Report: Gaston fades from tropical storm to depression - Reuters Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:03:09 GMT+00:00 New York Times (blog)NHC Report: Gaston fades from tropical storm to depressionReutersNEW YORK (Reuters) - Gaston weakened from a tropical storm to a tropical depression in the central Atlantic as winds faded and it churned west-northwestward ...Gaston back down to tropical depression; NC could feel Earl by this afternoonPalm Beach Post (blog)Gaston now a tropical depression, no longer tropical stormWPECGaston downgraded to a depression, aims toward CaribbeanFOX43.comWSAV-TV -Platinum News Online -Baltimore Sun (blog)all 11,407 news articles »
| | | Stigma of depression diagnosis hard to overcome for Andrews - USA Today Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:09:46 GMT+00:00 Stigma of depression diagnosis hard to overcome for AndrewsUSA Today"I didn't know what depression was. I just held a lot of things in. I didn't know who to talk to because I felt I'd get a biased opinion. ...Derailed by injuries, depression, Andrews on road to recoveryNFL Newsall 2 news articles »
| | | Neuronetics Uses Magnetism to Lift Depression - BusinessWeek Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:49:50 GMT+00:00 Neuronetics Uses Magnetism to Lift DepressionBusinessWeekPennsylvania startup Neuronetics has commercialized the treatment of depression with electromagnetic pulses. The FDA has approved By Jennifer L. Schenker ...
| | | Lower Access to Care for Low-Income Mothers with Depression - PsychCentral.com Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:28:34 GMT+00:00 PsychCentral.comLower Access to Care for Low-Income Mothers with DepressionPsychCentral.comFindings also revealed that low-income mothers suffering from depression were less likely to breastfeed their infants for the first year of life as ...NAMI Offers Local Communities Support Amid State Mental Health Crisis24-7PressRelease.com (press release)Mental health classes to start this monthSouth Bend TribuneHearts & Minds: NAMI Highlights Meditation, Yoga and Other 'Mindfulness ...PR Newswire (press release)all 24 news articles »
| | | Depression in preschoolers? - Austin American-Statesman (blog) Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:57:16 GMT+00:00 Depression in preschoolers?Austin American-Statesman (blog)The first, an article about depression in preschool-aged children, appeared last weekend in the New York Times Magazine. The writer describes the growing ...and more »
| | | The Inflation Cure - New York Times (blog) Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:24:11 GMT+00:00 The Inflation CureNew York Times (blog)Actually, we have a good example: the end of the Great Depression. The immediate cause of the depression's end was, of course, a very large fiscal stimulus, ...Embracing inflation cont'dWashington Post (blog)all 2 news articles »
| | | Study Shows SAM-eTreats Depression - eMaxHealth Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:21:25 GMT+00:00 PsychCentral.comStudy Shows SAM-eTreats DepressioneMaxHealthAccording to the investigators, led by George I. Papakostas, MD, of the Center for Treatment-Resistant Depression at Massachusetts General Hospital and ...Study Shows SAMe May Ease DepressionNew York Times (blog)SAMe Aids in Depression TreatmentNatural Products MarketplaceStudy: Dietary Supplement May Treat Major DepressionAOL Health (blog)Dr. Cutler -About.com: Health -RedOrbitall 16 news articles »
| | | Bernanke rejects notion that he could have saved Lehman - MiamiHerald.com Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:52:48 GMT+00:00 Telegraph.co.ukBernanke rejects notion that he could have saved LehmanMiamiHerald.com"Before I came to the Fed chairmanship, I was an academic, and I studied for many years the Great Depression, financial crises, and this is my bread and ...Flawed decisions killed Lehman, ex-CEO testifiesBoston GlobeBernanke Says He Wasn't `Straightforward' on LehmanBloombergBernanke says Fed had to let Lehman failLos Angeles TimesThe Guardian (blog) -MarketWatch -Courthouse News Serviceall 1,507 news articles »
| | | 'Working Girl' Big Idea Needed for 1990s Redux: Caroline Baum - Bloomberg Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:20:28 GMT+00:00 'Working Girl' Big Idea Needed for 1990s Redux: Caroline BaumBloombergThe current slump already ranks as the longest period of sustained weakness since the Great Depression....Once- in-a-lifetime dislocations...will take years ...and more »
| | | Ben Bernanke's Labor Day Reading List - Wall Street Journal (blog) Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:19:22 GMT+00:00 Ben Bernanke's Labor Day Reading ListWall Street Journal (blog)Bernanke's recommendation is high praise considering that he's a Great Depression scholar. On most days, Bernanke can move markets with every utterance. ...and more »
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