DEPRESSION

The symptoms of clinical depression vary from person to person, depending on their brain chemistry and the underlying causes of their depression. All of these symptoms can change over time, as well, as the patient’s life changes or if they begin adapting to their depression in different ways, for better or worse.

Those that suffer from depression may experience:

• Feelings of hopelessness or unbridled pessimism.
• Feelings of extreme guilt, helplessness, or worthlessness.
• Sadness, anxiety, or emptiness.
• Difficulties making decisions, focusing, or concentrating.
• Fatigue, irritability, and restlessness.
• Difficulties with sleeping patterns, including insomnia, oversleeping, or waking early and being unable to sleep again.
• Loss of joy for things they used to find pleasure in.
• Radically increased or decreased appetite, causing weight gain or loss.
• Thoughts of death, suicide, or hurting themselves.
• Chronic headaches, pain, or digestive problems that never resolve.

Addition to the extreme lows of depression, some people experience radical mood swings, during which they feel elated. These symptoms may indicate a type of depression called bipolar disorder. Symptoms that may indicate mania include:

• Sudden increase in energy and reduced need for sleep.
• Excessive happiness and enthusiasm.
• Formulation of grandiose thoughts or plans.
• Loss of good judgment and inappropriate social behaviors.
• Racing thoughts, frequent talking, and increased irritability.
• Increased libido.