Clinical Signs of Depression

Clinical depression is a mental disorder that affects 15 million Americans each year. Though everyone has periods of sadness or feeling down, those who are clinically depressed have periods of depression that lasts consistently for at least two weeks at a time.
When a person is clinically depressed, they exhibit particular signs and symptoms that indicate they have this condition. A mental state exam can be administered to determine if a person is clinically depressed.

Definition

• Clinical depression is a mental health condition that encompasses those who have it with a low mood that needs professional treatment to alleviate. As a result of this low mood, the individual's entire life is adversely affected to the extent of potential extreme distress and even disability. These effects are not a normal aspect of human development or any culture, and affect the individual emotionally, mentally and physically.

Who Can Diagnose Clinical Depression

• A person who may be clinically depressed is examined by a health care professional who is trained to diagnose clinical depression. This health care professional has access to a mental state exam that evaluates the individual's current mental status. Though those who are clinically depressed are individuals and may experience depression in different ways, there are general symptoms that tend to exist in all cases. Trained health care professionals are qualified to look for these signs, and are also experienced in pinpointing variations in symptoms. Such health care professionals include general practitioners, clinical social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists.
  General practitioners often serve as an individual's and a family's primary doctor. They are trained in treating and preventing a variety of conditions and in health education. They are familiar with their patient's history and circumstances, and are able to diagnose and provide some treatment for clinical depression. In addition to performing a mental status exam, they can also perform any necessary physical exams and prescribe medication.
  Clinical social workers are social workers who have an advanced degree in social work, have been trained to work in a clinical setting and have significant experience providing mental health treatment. Their job is to prevent, diagnose and treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders.
  There are several types of psychologists; however, they all primarily study the human mind and human behavior. Clinical psychologists provide mental health care to individuals in a variety of settings: hospitals, clinics, personal offices and schools, to name a few.
  Psychiatrists are medical doctors who have focused on studying the human mind and behavior. As a result of their training, they are able to treat mental and behavioral disorders, but are also able to perform a variety of diagnostic tests (such as medical tests or brain scans) and prescribe medication when necessary.

The Examination Process

• The first two symptoms the health care professional will look for is if the individual being examined has experienced an altered mood most every day for a period of at least two weeks and if the individual has lost interest in activities they usually enjoy, such as hobbies, relationships or their work or school.
  If the health care professional finds this to be the case, she will interview the individual being diagnosed and perhaps even some family and friends.
  The health care professional will also perform (if qualified) or order a physical exam to determine if another medical condition is causing the above symptoms. Conditions such as thyroid disorders involve symptoms that are similar to clinical depression, but the treatments are different. It's important for the correct illness to be treated if the individual is to get better.

Symptoms

• When diagnosing depression, health care professionals question the individual and family and friends to determine if a variety of physical, emotional and psychological symptoms are present.
  Those who are clinically depressed experience physical symptoms such as a significant increase or decrease in appetite, weight loss or weight gain, psychomotor agitation or retardation, insomnia or hypersomnia, energy loss or fatigue and a loss of interest in sexual activity.
  These individuals also exhibit emotional symptoms, such as feeling hopeless, worthless, self-reproach and excessive or inappropriate guilt.
  Finally, the clinically depressed individual also experiences psychological and mental effects. An inability to think clearly or to concentrate is often reported. Those who are depressed may also be preoccupied with thoughts of death and suicidal, or may even have attempted suicide. As previously mentioned, these individuals have also lost interest in daily activities and interests that once brought them pleasure.

Treatment

• Once an individual is diagnosed with clinical depression, her health care provider can help her pursue the most appropriate treatment for them. There is no one set treatment for depression. This is primarily because individuals respond differently to the available treatments (such as medications) and because there are three main types of depression: major depression, dystheria and bi-polar disorder, each of which can require different treatments.
  However, the general coarse of treatment involves encouraging the individual to exercise and seek some type of therapy or counseling. Adults will often be prescribed medication. For those who are purely clinically depressed and not bi-polar this will be an anti-depressant, of which there are several. It may take experimenting with one anti-depressant or with several to find one that is best for the individual. Individuals under twenty-four do not tend to respond well to anti-depressants; their treatment plan usually involves exercise and therapy or counseling. In extreme cases, electroconvulsive therapy may be used to treat clinical depression.