Symptoms of Depression
Many of you that stop in here once in a while may have wondered what it means to be a depressed person. I wonder about what event might jolt me out of this deep blue funk, as if I would suddenly be transformed by a miracle-like event from a severely depressed person to a severely happy person, and I try to picture specific events that might change my life drastically, events such as romantic getaways, maybe a road trip to desert sunrises, maybe an 'I love you' from the one who does it best. I don't doubt that a pivotal time in my life will come, because they always do, but I would like to make the best of my time in the meanwhile.
Enjoying life has been a struggle for me, and since I started taking Prozac, the struggle has been made easier. Before I was diagnosed as clinically depressed, I thought that my 'rut' would pass soon enough. Not until three years of spiraling downwards did I decide to consult a doctor about my depression. I feel much better now, after eight months on the drugs, and I only regret my hesitation about seeking help for my declining health.
Part of the problem with passively waiting for a depressed period to pass is that an untreated depression can make anyone feel stronger for bravely defying the brain pills like Prozac and Zoloft, when all the while their condition can be worsening and as a result, they could be weaker for neglecting a proven alternative to 'rolling with the punches.'
The use of antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft has increased in the past five years which erupts social arguments about their over-prescription. I've met people who swear against the over- prescription of antidepressants, and so do I, to an extent. I believe that the drug should be prescribed to people who need it, but I would honor a doctor's opinion before I made any false claims against the need for antidepressants in our greying world.
How do the doctors deem a person clinically depressed?
Here are five criteria the psychiatrists use to classify a clinically depressed person:
• Depressed mood for most of the day
• Disturbed sleep
• Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, inability to enjoy usual activities
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
• Difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly
• Morbid or suicidal thoughts or action
If you're depressed all day, you should take any of the other matching symptoms of clinical depression seriously. It is the symptom of foremost importance because it indicates that the other
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