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Diagnosis of Depression

Depression, a serious mental illness, affects the mind and body. It transcends simple depressive feelings or situations; it includes significant alterations in perceptions, moods and functional abilities. Depression can manifest itself through an array of symptoms and consequences---so, too, can the medical diagnosis of clinical depression.

  1. Clinical Diagnosis

    • The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is reference tool created by the American Psychiatric Association for addressing all mental health conditions and disorders. This book validates depression as a patient disorder when at least five criteria for a major depressive episode are experienced within the same two-week period. The symptoms must also represent a marked modification of the patient's previous, or typical, function.

    Criteria

    • The American Psychiatric Association defines a major depressive episode as having some or all of following criteria: 1) persistent low mood occurring daily; 2) a diminished interest in activities or pleasure normally derived from them; 3) significant and unintentional change in body weight (5 percent or more); 4) excessive sleep or insomnia; 5) significant changes in psychomotor abilities; 6) lack of energy, fatigue; 7) sensations of worthlessness, excessive guilt that can be inappropriate or delusion; 8) impaired ability to focus or concentrate on a daily basis; 9) frequent contemplation of death, dying and even suicide.

    Neurology

    • In recent decades the approach for identifying, diagnosing and treating depression has centered on the neurological components and processes of the brain. From this perspective, depression is caused by a dysfunctional synapse of the serotonin neurotransmitter. This particular neurotransmitter plays a role in the biochemical processes that govern hunger, gastric secretion, sleep, moods and aggression. Patients diagnosed with depression have very low amounts of serotonin or an impaired neurotransmitter gene that regulates serotonin.

    Medication

    • Popular, commonly prescribed medicines are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). This SSRI group includes Paxil, Prozac, Cipramil and Lustral. These medications maintain the levels of serotonin in the brain by blocking its re-absorption, thus allowing it to float around a little longer than it had previously. The purpose is to stabilize the patient's mood (less mood swings) and induce a general sense of happiness (or at least lessen the intensity of depression).

    Physiology

    • The diagnosis of depression is also largely based on a number of physiological conditions either observed or reported by the patient. These conditions include psychological sensations of sadness, worthlessness, helplessness and guilt that last for two weeks or more. They also include behavioral abnormalities such as increased or decreased sleep, fatigue and lack of energy, restlessness, irritability, disinterest in normal hobbies and actions, and disinterest in sexual activity. Physical discrepancies, such as increase or decrease in weight and chronic aches and pains, may also support a diagnosis for depression.

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