Major depressive disorder

Self-Checks/At-Home Testing for Depression Depression is a common mental health disorder. Approximately 1 in 5 U.S. adults have received a diagnosis of depression in their lifetime. If you are concerned that you may be experiencing symptoms of depression, it's essential that you reach out to a medical or mental health professional. While there is an abundance of self-tests for depression on the internet, they don't all come from reputable sources. You will not be able to self-diagnose a medical or mental health condition with a quiz or checklist, but these online tools can help you initiate a conversation with your doctor or therapist. Some questionnaires will ask you to rate your responses to a statement on a numerical scale. At one end, a 0 might indicate that a statement does not apply to you at all, and at the other end, a 10 might indicate that the statement applies to you all the time. A provider can use these tools to guide them through observing and talking to a person who might be experiencing symptoms of depression. For example, taking note of whether a person is showered and appropriately dressed, the tone and speed of their speech, and other aspects of their appearance and demeanor can provide clues. Asking direct questions about a person's day-to-day life and their feelings can also provide valuable insight into the cause of a person's depressive symptoms. In some cases, a person may have symptoms of depression but not have a major depressive disorder. Provide...

Key points • Anxious distress is not the same as having an anxiety disorder along with major depressive disorder. • Physical tension, feeling something bad will happen or you'll lose control, are signs of anxious distress in a major depressive episode. • Anxious distress within depression is believed to elevate suicidal thinking and activity. The case of Liz: Liz, a 26-year-old part-time college student, was no stranger to anxiety. She struggled with At her appointment, Dr. H noticed Liz not only going to that dark place again, but she also appeared to have a tense jaw and was prone to hand wringing; she looked very uneasy on top of being depressed. Liz confessed that the past couple of weeks she was increasingly dreading that she will never get out from under this psychological roller coaster. "I'm so stuck!" she lamented, noting she worries about the depression never ending and being alone forever. "It seems so futile, I may as well give up," Liz mumbled through tears. Critical thinking about what qualifies as an Anxious Distress specifier: Though Liz experienced an anxiety disorder at baseline, Social Anxiety, it does not make the fact she experienced an anxiety disorder and a depressive episode together as "with anxious distress." These would be considered independent, co-occurring diagnoses. The anxiety symptoms that arose with the MDD episode were a direct consequence of her mood; "owned by the depression," if you will, and therefore meet the criteria for With Anxiou...

How depression is classified It’s common to feel down from time to time, but depression is a separate condition that should be treated with care. Aside from causing a general feeling of sadness, depression is known for causing feelings of hopelessness that don’t seem to go away. The term “depression” has become common in mainstream society. But depression is a more nuanced subject than popular usage may suggest. For one, not all cases of depression are the same. There are varying classifications of depression, and each can affect your life in different ways. Depression may be classified as: • mild • moderate • severe, also called “major” The exact classification is based on many factors. These include the types of symptoms you experience, their severity, and how often they occur. Certain types of depression can also cause a temporary spike in the severity of symptoms. Keep reading to learn more about the different classifications of depression and how they may be treated. Mild depression involves more than just feeling blue temporarily. Your symptoms can go on for days and are noticeable enough to interfere with your usual activities. Mild depression may cause: • irritability or anger • hopelessness • feelings of guilt and despair • self-loathing • a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed • difficulties concentrating at work • a lack of motivation • a sudden disinterest in socializing • aches and pains with seemingly no direct cause • daytime sleepiness and fatigu...

We all feel sad sometimes. But if you’ve been feeling very low for more than two weeks, you may be experiencing depression. Sadness, anger, and tiredness are all natural human emotions. We’re usually able to manage these feelings, and they don’t tend to get in the way of our lives too much. Depression, on the other hand, is a serious The good news is that depression is treatable, and help is available. Lots of treatments can help, including therapy, self-care, and in some cases, antidepressants. Depression is a widespread mental health disorder. So if you have it, you’re definitely not alone. In fact, depression is one of the leading causes of Other names for depression include major depressive disorder, major depression, and clinical depression. We all feel sad or lonely from time to time. That’s part of being human. But if you feel low or hopeless often — like almost daily — it might be depression. This is especially true if you’ve been experiencing symptoms for You might not know what’s causing these lingering symptoms. You might not even know when they began. All you know is that you just haven’t felt like yourself in a while. “Depression is something that doesn’t have much to do with outside circumstances,” says In other cases, depression has an identifiable cause. A stressful life event, such as a sudden loss or a relationship change, might trigger low moods. If these moods last a long time or are relatively severe, this might be considered depression, especially in ...