Sometimes you are unable to climb out from the pits for a long time; sometimes you climb a little only to slip further back and sometimes you find yourself more in than out. When and how will you know whether you are suffering from depression or not? There are some simple self depression tests that will tell you clearly whether what you are suffering from is depression or just plain blues. Here are some things to look for:
i). Are you feeling totally withdrawn from the regular pleasures of life? This is a very accurate self depression test – try out something that you know is supposed to give extremely pleasure (such as your favorite hobby, your favorite movie, shopping, etc) and if you find that it leaves you unmoved, then this is a sign that this is depression.
ii). Are you forgetting an awful lot of things with no recollection at all even afterwards? Depression causes hiccups in your memory and you will find that certain things are totally wiped out from your memory, leaving you totally baffled. This is another point from the self depression test which gives a very accurate indication.
iii). Do you find that you cannot sleep at all or very little during the night? Check out carefully about why you are not able to sleep at night. Is it because you are drinking coffee or some similar stimulants or do you not really have any logical reasons for it? In case you do not have an answer for it, then the self depression test will give you another clue about your present state.
iv). Do you find that you have lost your appetite? Sometimes, not wanting to eat or not feeling like eating is normal. However, if you turn nauseous even when you are served with your favorite dish, then the self depression test is confirming depression.
If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, then you are likely to be suffering with depression. If this is the case, you need to get yourself some professional help and speak to them about how you are feeling and discuss your fears with them. If depression is left untreated, its effects can be devastating. Getting yourself help
Showing posts with label diagnosis of depression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diagnosis of depression. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Diagnosis of depression.
Many people are no strangers to depression and anxiety. At some point in their lives, they would have experienced a feeling of emptiness or loneliness, which clinically can be diagnosed as depression and severe anxiety. People are more prone to experience depression and severe anxiety as compared to other psychological disorders. It is a good thing that depression has already been clinically diagnosed and categorized with a list of symptoms and causes, which means that treatment programs have already been developed for it.
Depression Symptoms
•The feeling of sadness or emptiness that seems to overwhelm the person.
•Loss of focus.
•Mental and physical fatigue.
•Insomnia and other disturbed-sleep patterns.
•A noticeable change in appetite or loss of weight.
•Feelings of guilt, nervousness and other similar emotions at an intense level.
Mild depression is categorically called a mood disorder, but separately, clinical depression is a more severe form of depression because the depression is not only included as a symptom but also is the illness itself.
Each person has a different reaction to a major depressive disorder, either a loss of pleasure, mood reactivity or with psychotic tendencies. Depression and severe anxiety have long been said to be co-occurring. That is, they seem to occur at the same time, so that differentiating them may be difficult at times during diagnosis. To point it out, below are some of the common anxiety symptoms.
Anxiety Symptoms
•Heart palpitations.
•A feeling of choking leading to a sense of shortness of breath.
•Nausea and dizziness.
•Losing a sense of reality.
•Trembling and sweating.
•Chest pain.
•Numbness and tingling sensations.
•Hot flushes or chills.
Generalized anxiety or severe anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by loss of focus, fatigue, tension in the muscles, restlessness and insomnia in addition to above symptoms. Panic attacks or disorders are short but intense feelings of fear or doom that have developed in a very short amount of time and characterized with any combination of above symptoms. Other anxiety disorders include phobic and stress anxiety disorders.
The Relation Between Depression and Severe Anxiety
Studies have shown that about 58% of those people who suffer from depression also show symptoms of anxiety disorder. Because of the resemblance of symptoms, experts oftentimes agree that depression and severe anxiety occur at the same time. The level of the depression and severe anxiety is what makes the difference. There are currently two clinical terms used for when depression and severe anxiety merge with each other:
1. Agitated depression is anxiety depression characterized with heightened restlessness, insomnia, panic, a general sense of doom and suicide. It is actually a form of depression that presents itself as an anxiety.
2. Akathitic depression is anxiety depression characterized with suicide tendencies without symptoms of panic.
Because of the sometimes merging of these two psychological illnesses, medical experts agree that psychologists should take into consideration the presence of the symptoms of both depression and anxiety to have a more accurate diagnosis.
Medication for Both Depression and Severe Anxiety
The overlapping symptoms of both depression and anxiety result in a similarity in prescribing medication or solutions for treatment programs. Antidepressant drugs are oftentimes considered for anxiety cases. Patients with anxiety attacks should not be worried by the prescription of these antidepressant drugs because the drugs are taken to improve the symptoms, which both illnesses have in common.
Talk therapy is also used in both depression and severe anxiety cases, though talk therapies used for the treatment of depression may be different from those used for the treatment of anxiety.
Acupuncture is also one of those alternative treatments that can be used for the treatment programs for depression and severe anxiety. The Chinese art of acupuncture can be used to calm and relax the nerves, which is very important for the treatment of both of these related disorders.
Depression Symptoms
•The feeling of sadness or emptiness that seems to overwhelm the person.
•Loss of focus.
•Mental and physical fatigue.
•Insomnia and other disturbed-sleep patterns.
•A noticeable change in appetite or loss of weight.
•Feelings of guilt, nervousness and other similar emotions at an intense level.
Mild depression is categorically called a mood disorder, but separately, clinical depression is a more severe form of depression because the depression is not only included as a symptom but also is the illness itself.
Each person has a different reaction to a major depressive disorder, either a loss of pleasure, mood reactivity or with psychotic tendencies. Depression and severe anxiety have long been said to be co-occurring. That is, they seem to occur at the same time, so that differentiating them may be difficult at times during diagnosis. To point it out, below are some of the common anxiety symptoms.
Anxiety Symptoms
•Heart palpitations.
•A feeling of choking leading to a sense of shortness of breath.
•Nausea and dizziness.
•Losing a sense of reality.
•Trembling and sweating.
•Chest pain.
•Numbness and tingling sensations.
•Hot flushes or chills.
Generalized anxiety or severe anxiety, on the other hand, is characterized by loss of focus, fatigue, tension in the muscles, restlessness and insomnia in addition to above symptoms. Panic attacks or disorders are short but intense feelings of fear or doom that have developed in a very short amount of time and characterized with any combination of above symptoms. Other anxiety disorders include phobic and stress anxiety disorders.
The Relation Between Depression and Severe Anxiety
Studies have shown that about 58% of those people who suffer from depression also show symptoms of anxiety disorder. Because of the resemblance of symptoms, experts oftentimes agree that depression and severe anxiety occur at the same time. The level of the depression and severe anxiety is what makes the difference. There are currently two clinical terms used for when depression and severe anxiety merge with each other:
1. Agitated depression is anxiety depression characterized with heightened restlessness, insomnia, panic, a general sense of doom and suicide. It is actually a form of depression that presents itself as an anxiety.
2. Akathitic depression is anxiety depression characterized with suicide tendencies without symptoms of panic.
Because of the sometimes merging of these two psychological illnesses, medical experts agree that psychologists should take into consideration the presence of the symptoms of both depression and anxiety to have a more accurate diagnosis.
Medication for Both Depression and Severe Anxiety
The overlapping symptoms of both depression and anxiety result in a similarity in prescribing medication or solutions for treatment programs. Antidepressant drugs are oftentimes considered for anxiety cases. Patients with anxiety attacks should not be worried by the prescription of these antidepressant drugs because the drugs are taken to improve the symptoms, which both illnesses have in common.
Talk therapy is also used in both depression and severe anxiety cases, though talk therapies used for the treatment of depression may be different from those used for the treatment of anxiety.
Acupuncture is also one of those alternative treatments that can be used for the treatment programs for depression and severe anxiety. The Chinese art of acupuncture can be used to calm and relax the nerves, which is very important for the treatment of both of these related disorders.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)