:: Health Conditions - Depression
Symptoms
Signs and Symptoms of Depression
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:: Paradox of Depression
A curious feature of depression
is that it is possible to be depressed and not know it. You
may never describe yourself as depressed or even sad. You
may have little awareness of sadness, but you may still be
depressed.
Many different symptoms make up the syndrome labeled depression,
and sadness is but one of them. People often know how to mask
their feelings and hide them not only from others but from
themselves as well. If you know how to put on a "happy
face" when you are feeling down then you might do this.
If you can smile while feeling bad then others may think that
you are all right. If you are very good at this hiding of
emotion then you may also fool yourself. You may mask your
depression behind a smile.
Many depressed people make their way to the physician's office
thinking that they are ill only to be told that depression
is involved.
:: Symptoms of Depression
How do you know if you are depressed? What are the symptoms?
The table below lists the major signs of depression. As you
see there are quite a variety of them. The presence and degree
of these symptoms in your life determines whether or not you
are depressed.
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Sadness
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Discouragement
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Sense of Failure
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Guilt
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Feeling Punished
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Disappointment
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Self-criticism
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Suicidal Ideation
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Concern about Appearance
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Irritation
and
frustration
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Loss of Social Interest
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Difficulty in Decision Making
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Crying
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Can't work
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Poor Sleep
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Lack of Energy
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Poor
Appetite
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Weight
Loss
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Physical
Symptoms
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Loss of interest in Sexuality
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:: How are you doing?
If you think you are depressed it is a good idea to measure
the symptoms you have.
Measuring depression is like getting on the scales before
you go on a diet. When dieting you should weigh yourself before
starting so when you weigh again you can tell if you are making
progress. Knowing your initial level of depression is helpful
when you begin working to lower it. You can use your initial
depression score to track your progress over time.


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