Depressive Symptomatology

Depressive Symptomatology is a grouping of symptoms that help in the diagnosing of depression. There are many symptoms that fall under the diagnosis of depression and you do not need to have all of them to be clinically depressed. Everyone is an individual and each will experience depression differently. Here is a grouping of symptoms that can be present when you are suffering from depression. These symptoms need to be present for at least two weeks consecutively and to be abnormal for your usual self. Five of the symptoms need to be present for depression to be a diagnosis, and one of them has to be either a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in activities.

Depressed And Irritable

• Experiencing a depressed and irritable mood most of the day and nearly every day can be a sign that you are depressed. If this is situational such as losing a loved one recently, it can be normal. If for no apparent reason this symptom has just come over you, it could be part of the depressive symptomatology used to diagnosis this disorder.

No Interest or Pleasure

• Have you lost of Interest in activities that you are used to doing in your everyday life? This would include work, sex, hobbies or social time with friends. Do you find you are not experiencing pleasure in the things that you used to? This too is a piece of the depressive symptomatology used to diagnose depression.

Eating And Sleeping

• A sudden change in your weight without dieting, or gaining more than 5 percent of your body weight in a month, can be a symptom. A change in appetite is also something that can indicate you might be depressed.

  Sleep disturbance is also part of the depressive symptomatology--either an inability to sleep or sleeping too much.

Fatigue, Loss of Energy and Difficulty Concentrating

• Fatigue is another area of depressive symptomatology. Loss of energy nearly every day is a symptom that you might experience when depressed.

  Difficulty in concentrating and making decisions almost every day can be a sign that you are depressed.

Agitation and Restlessness

• Agitation or restlessness is another factor that depressive symptomatology addresses. Do you find yourself snapping at your family and friends? When you are depressed you may not to be able to feel contentment and you go from one activity to another because you're feeling restless. Uneasy feelings and not being able to feel comfortable are also signs of restlessness.

Worthlessness, Guilt, Preoccupation with Death and Suicide

• Frequent feelings of worthlessness and feelings of guilt for no reason can point to depression in the depressive symptomatology criteria.

  Preoccupations with death or suicidal thoughts are something that needs to be addressed immediately with a health professional. If you have a plan for how to end your life you are most likely depressed and need to tell someone right away. These symptoms fall within the boundaries of depressive symptomatology