Common symptoms of depression

Women are from Venus and men are from Mars.  Help me…what “on earth” does THAT mean?  My best guess is that women are more sensitive and men are more confrontational and aggressive.  Generalizations are risky at best, but a common way of thinking.   The same is true with the symptoms of depression.  Women don’t always cry and men don’t always blow their top.  There are a number of other findings that can indicate the clinical diagnosis of depression, and many people don’t think that they have this condition because they aren’t crying or losing their temper.  Listed below are a few additional symptoms that, if present alone and especially in combination, may indicate clinical depression:

1)Fatigue.  Lots of conditions can cause this, but depression should always be considered.
2)Weight gain or weight loss.  Vegetative depression typically combines fatigue and inactivity with increased food intake to cope, while some people’s depression decreases their appetite, especially if there is an anxiety component.
3)Loss of memory or concentration.  Again, other conditions can cause this, but depression is a very common reason.
4)Insomnia.  This includes difficulty falling asleep (more common with an anxiety component) and early morning awakening with difficulty falling back asleep.  The latter is classic for pure depression.
5)Anhedonia, or loss of pleasure.  Nothing really excites the depressed person, including sex.
6)Moodiness and hopelessness.  This is pretty obvious, but needs to be mentioned.
7)Difficulty making decisions. Indecisiveness is a common finding in the depressed person, with procrastination a typical behavior.

Depression is very common, especially during the winter months.  The good news is that it can be successfully treated, and usually quite quickly…..Richard R Samuel. MD     Family Practice and Urgent Care   Hayden, ID  USA