When do the signs and symptoms of depression become a clinical condition that needs medication treatment and/or therapy? For the signs and symptoms of depression to have clinical significance two important criteria must both be true and 5 out of 9 signs and symptoms of depression must be present.
At least two weeks experiencing the signs and symptoms of depression AND the depression symptons become disruptive to major areas of an individual’s life, i.e., depression symptoms negatively and noticeably impacting job performance, relationships, or school.
In particular, clinical depression is usually defined as a collection of any 5 of 9 signs and symptoms of depression. It’s helpful to look at the nine symptoms in 3 groups.
Category 1 is the group of symptoms that have an explicit or obvious physical nature. Translation: a man or a woman feels it in his or her body. The five physical signs and symptoms of depression are (1) Feeling slow, i.e., slowing of one’s thoughts and actions (e.g., much more difficulty getting started on something than usual) OR agitation (irritable attitude and physical tension); (2) Fatigue or loss of energy every day; (3) Diminished ability to think or concentrate or indecisiveness, nearly every day; (4) Sleep problems nearly every day (excessive sleeping or insomnia); (5) Significant change in weight not due to dieting (weight gain or loss of more than 5% of body weight in a month).
The second set of signs and symptoms of depression have more to do with a person’s subjective experience. They are: (6) Feelings of worthlessness or excessive (or inappropriate) guilt nearly every day; (7) Sad mood most of the day, nearly every day; (8) Noticeable loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities most of every day.
The next symptom is in a class of it’s own. If a man or a woman is having thoughts about death that keep returning, they are most likely clinically depressed. Of all the signs and symptoms of depression, this one is almost certainly an indicator of clinical depression, whether or not the person is aware of any other signs and symptoms of depression.
It’s important to be clear about what “thoughts of death” actually means. Common examples are recurrent images of death (not just fear of dying), recurring thoughts about suicide, frequently imagining one’s own death, or an actual suicidal attempt, or just having made plans, or a suicidal gesture (deliberate carelessness in dangerous situations such as intentional reckless driving).
Genevieve Carsondale is a freelance contributor to Irkable.com where she writes about the signs and symptoms of depression.
