Typical Symptoms of Depression

Everyone has good days and bad days. But some people suffer from what most people call simply depression. The medical and psychiatric communities call depression major depression, major depressive disorder or clinical depression. It is a medical illness that can cause a variety of emotional and physical problems. Major depression affects how you think and behave. It can interfere with your daily activities, and may make you feel as if there is nothing to live for.

Symptoms

• Signs of depression may vary because people experience it in different ways. Sometimes, depression symptoms are so severe that it's obvious that something is wrong. Other may feel miserable or sad and not know why.

  However, according to the Mayo Clinic, there are several typical signs of clinical depression. These include loss of interest in normal daily activities, feeling sad or down, feeling hopeless, and crying for no apparent reason. Additional symptoms can include sleep problems, difficulty making decisions, unintended weight loss or gain, irritability, restlessness, becoming easily annoyed, fatigue, feeling worthless, and loss of sex drive, as well as unexplained physical problems such as aches and pains, and suicidal thoughts or behavior.

Types

• There are several types of depression. There is dysthymia, or minor depression, which describes people who seem to always have a mild form of depression. Bipolar depression, commonly called manic depression, causes extreme highs and lows with no apparent cycling pattern. In atypical depression, which is common in women, depression can come and go, and can cause panic attacks. Psychotic depression causes people to hear voices inside their heads, and to experience hallucinations and delusional thinking. Postpartum depression, which affects about 10 percent of new mothers, causes prolonged, severe, and disabling depression symptoms. If not treated, postpartum depression can last for months or years.

Treatments

• Yes, depression is a treatable illness. It all starts when you decide you want to feel better, and that decision can make all the difference. The standard treatment for depression is a combination of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy. However, a proper diagnosis of depression, and of the kind of depression you may be experiencing, is crucial in determining the best treatment program because different types of depression are treated with different medications

Common Medications

• According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications include tricyclic drugs such as amitriptyline (brand names Elavil and Endep); monoamine oxidase inhibitors such as isocarboxazid (brand name Marplan); and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine (brand name Prozac), paroxetine (brand name Paxil), and sertraline (brand name Zoloft). Maprotiline, trazadone (brand name Desyrel), and bupropion (brand name Wellbutrin) also are effective in treating depression.

Warning

• In 2005, The Food and Drug Administration adopted a "black box" warning, their most serious warning, on all antidepressant medications. This was done to alert the public about the increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors in children and adolescents using antidepressant medications. In 2007, the FDA extended the warning to include young adults up through 24 years old. Possible side effects may include worsening depression, increased suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and unusual changes in behavior such as insomnia, agitation, and social withdrawal.