Depression

Am I suffering from depression or simply the blues?

Sadness is a normal emotion experienced by everybody from time to time. If you are feeling sad but are still able to function normally in your daily activities and enjoy some recreational activities, you are probably experiencing a case of the blues. Transitory fatigue and mild changes in eating and sleeping patterns may be further indicators of the blues. Generally, the intensity and duration of sad feelings, as well as the level of their interference with your life and the presence of any accompanying symptoms, determine whether sadness may be indicative of a mood disorder. The blues are temporary feelings of mild-to-moderate sadness, usually lasting only a few days, that have minimal impact on your daily life. The blues resolve on their own although such self-care measures as getting adequate sleep, exercise, eating balanced meals, and keeping a journal may be helpful.

Doctors sometimes use the expression depressed mood to describe the blues. Depressed mood alone is not the same as depression. It is a symptom that may or may not be indicative of depression.

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness or loss of interest in daily activities. To be diagnosed as clinically depressed, a person must have some of the following symptoms: significant weight gain or loss, significant change in sleep patterns, feelings of restlessness or slowed down, fatigued all the time, worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, hopelessness, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. When a combination of these symptoms is experienced for two weeks or more, it may indicate the presence of a clinical depression. The negative feelings associated with depression may last weeks, months, or even years. Afflicted people are usually treated with antidepressant medication, psychosocial therapy, or a combination of the two. Some self-care (exercise, relaxation techniques, and nutritional supplements) and alternative treatments such as acupuncture may be helpful in alleviating depressive illness as well.

To find out if your symptoms may be indicative of depression, complete the Depression Assessment Questionnaire if you have not received a formal diagnosis of depression from your physician.