Symptoms and Complications
Although we all feel sad sometimes, clinical (major) depression is diagnosed when a person experiences at least 5 of the symptoms below (one of which must be depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities), on most days for at least 2 weeks:
- depressed mood (sadness)
- loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities
- changes in appetite or weight
- slowed reactions
- lack of motivation or energy
- insomnia (trouble sleeping) or chronic oversleeping
- noticeable changes in activity level (agitated or slowed down)
- feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- recurring thoughts of death or suicide
Other symptoms of depression may include:
- loss of interest in work and other activities
- avoiding family members and friends
- irritability
- crying easily
- hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that aren't there)
- delusions (having thoughts that are not based on reality)
Clinical depression may vary in its severity, and in its extreme forms (i.e., thoughts of suicide) can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of other forms of depression, although generally milder, may still negatively affect a person's daily activities and quality of life.