A thorough diagnostic evaluation is needed if five or more of the following symptoms persist for more than two weeks, or if they interfere with work or family life. An evaluation involves a complete physical checkup and information gathering on family health history. Not everyone with depression experiences each of these symptoms. The severity of the symptoms also varies from person to person.
- Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood To grasp the specifics of depression in women, it is essential to understand the illness itself.
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including sex
- Restlessness, irritability, or excessive crying
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, pessimism
- Sleeping too much or too little, chronic early-morning awakening
- Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
- Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down"
- Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
- Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain
The Symptoms of Mania
A thorough diagnostic evaluation is needed one has at least 1 week of elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, plus three or more of the following symptoms. An evaluation involves a complete physical checkup and information gathering on family health history. Not everyone with mania experiences each of these symptoms. The severity of the symptoms also varies from person to person.
• Inflated self-esteem
• Decreased need for sleep (severe insomnia),
• Talkative (increased talking),
• Flight of ideas (racing thoughts),
• Distractibility,
• Increased goal-directed activity,
• Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities.
Additional symptoms of mania may include:
• Grandiose notions
• Increased activity, including sexual activity
• Markedly increased energy
• Poor judgment that leads to risk-taking behavior
• Inappropriate social behavior
Some people mistakenly try to "reduce" their depressive or manic symptoms through alcohol or other mood-altering drugs. While such drugs may provide temporary relief, they will eventually complicate the depressive or manic disorder and its treatment, and can lead to dependence and the life problems that come with it.
There are three types of depression:
- Major depression, also known as unipolar or clinical depression, people have some or all of the symptoms for at least 2 weeks or as long as several months or even longer. Episodes of the illness can occur once, twice, or several times in a lifetime.
- In dysthymia, the same symptoms are present though milder, but lasting at least two years. People with dysthymia also can experience major depressive episodes, which is sometimes called a "double depression."
- Manic-depression, or bipolar illness, which is not nearly as common as other forms of depressive illness each year, and involves disruptive cycles of depressive symptoms that alternate with euphoria, irritable excitement or mania.
