Understanding the Signs of Clinical Depression

Did you know that there are some tell tale signs of clinical depression? If you don’t know what you’re looking at or for, these signs can often be mistaken for a “bad attitude” or just being unhappy or cranky.

For people who suffer from clinical depression, these signs don’t mean that the person is trying to be mean, self-centered or a downer, it’s just that there is something wrong, and that’s why they’re feeling the way they do.

Don’t Ignore The Signs of Clinical Depression

The thing is that the longer you ignore the signs or symptoms of clinical depression (and many of us have some of the signs or symptoms), or don’t make efforts to see how likely you are to suffer from this condition, the more likely it is that your problem will become worse over time. See, clinical depression rarely just goes away. You have to do something about it.

What You Need to Know and Why

Unlike telling you that you have a virus or a broken bone, a doctor cannot tell you that you have clinical depression unless you are able to be completely honest and straight forward about what your symptoms are. Diagnosing this condition can be very difficult because health care professionals rely more on your answers to certain questions.

So, it’s important to keep track of your symptoms so you can be upfront with your health care provider.

Since your health care professional relies largely on what you report your symptoms are and what your friends or family members say, it’s a good idea to know what some of the signs are.

Signs such as:

• mood swings
• unhappiness
• inability to function normally
• fatigue
• insomnia
• weight changes
• irritability
• ambiguous physical pain
• constant or frequent crying
• not having the motivation to do things the person ordinarily would and
• feeling disconnected from others…these are some of the more common identifiers of clinical depression.

You need to be able to see these things and address whether or not you have been using drugs or alcohol excessively, had suicidal thoughts or are beginning to feel worthless so that you can tell your doctor and he can devise a treatment plan for you.

How It Helps to Know

It is said that only sane people ever wonder if they are crazy and this might be true of clinical depression because the fact is that many people who are struggling with this condition every day cannot see what is happening to them.

The beginnings of the illness are often slow to come on, so it’s not surprising that one day you just look at your loved one and realize that they are not the person they used to be. To make matters worse, many people who are clinically depressed deny or don’t see this as a possibility. For this reason, it’s important to know what you’re looking for when you are seeking signs to share with your doctor.

Often, if you are the one who is feeling as if you might have the signs of clinical depression, you only have to tell your doctor the way you are feeling and they will begin to put the pieces together. It’s always important to get a proper diagnosis, however, because sometimes signs of depression can be linked to real health problems and it’s important to rule these out.

In any event, leaving clinical depression alone and hoping it goes away is not the answer, but knowing how to identify the signs of clinical depression might be your first step toward a mentally healthier, happier tomorrow.

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