Clinical depression or major depressive disorder happens often. In fact, about 5% of the population suffers from this medical illness. Commonly misunderstood, clinical depression has caused decline in functioning, relationship problems, financial losses, and worse, even suicide and homicide.
Are you depressed? How do you know if you are indeed depressed rather than just lonely or sad? What are the common symptoms of depression? Take a quiz below and know how you feel.
- Do you feel down in the dumps daily for at least two weeks? Yes or No
- Do you suffer from lack of motivation or interest to do things daily for at least two weeks? Yes or No
- Do you have trouble sleeping? Yes or No
- Do you have poor appetite? Yes or No
- Have you lost weight? Yes or No
- Do you suffer from impaired concentration? Yes or No
- Do you have poor energy level? Yes or No
- Do you feel hopeless, worthless, or helpless? Yes or No
- Have you ever thought that you’re better off dead? Yes or No
- Have you had thoughts of suicide? Have you intended or planned to kill yourself or others? Yes or No
People with clinical depression feel blue or down in the dumps daily or almost daily for at least two weeks. They have crying spurts or feel irritable even without any triggers. Also, they lack interest to do their usual activities. For instance, someone who loves to exercise outdoors prefers to just stay in bed with windows and doors closed.
Problem sleeping is a typical concern. They can hardly fall asleep or they have interrupted sleep. At times, they wake up early in the morning. The average sleep is reduced by three to four hours. So someone who normally sleeps about seven hours can only sleep for two to three hours.
Having poor appetite happens a lot in the depressed population. Those who are typical voracious eaters find themselves with no desire for food or with a “different taste.” As a result, they end up losing weight within a few weeks.
Depressed individuals can hardly read or perform mental tasks because they can’t concentrate. Their mind easily drifts off or gets distracted by any stimuli. Moreover, they feel that they have to push themselves to do things. . Tired almost daily, even getting a glass of water or using the washroom can become a burdensome chore. In fact, they can hardly make their beds.
Some feel hopeless, that there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. For those who are depressed, everything appears bleak. They view the world as a negative force, a desperate place. As well, they feel like a heap of garbage inside. Their self-esteem is nonexistent and their negative situation is considered helpless.
As depression worsens, some people develop thoughts of death. Life becomes so miserable that they wish to die. Scared of life, they rather not wake up in the morning so they don’t have to face the world. Eventually some harbor suicidal ideas as they feel that this is the only escape from all the world’s miseries. With no hope, with no worth, and with no obvious help from others, suicide becomes the only alternative.
Indeed, clinical depression is a devastating medical illness that needs timely assessment and treatment. Any delay means that life may be at stake, that families may be hurt, that suffering may just be prolonged unnecessarily.
If you have answered Yes to either 1 or 2 with at least four of the symptoms from 3 to 10, then you have to see your family doctor or Mental Health Services at once. If you already suffer from suicidal or violent ideas related to your depressed mood, then you should get help as fast as possible.