What Is Depression?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, the following criteria are needed to diagnose a patient with depression.Those symptoms are as follows:
Loss of Interest: Loss of interest – or anhedonia – is marked by a decrease of all normal or regular activities as noted by the patient themselves or those around them. Patients that suffer from depression will lose interest in things that usually give them pleasure, such as sex.
Mood: During the course of a day, the patient will display a depressed mood and will appear depressed to others that come into regular contact with them. The patient may, in turn, talk about feeling depressed, empty, hopeless or discuss other thoughts associated with depression. However, if the patient is experiencing denial regarding their mental health, then they may manifest a depressed disposition and cry, or develop headaches.
Eating Disorders: The patient may gain or lose weight depending on appetite. These symptoms are marked by an increase in eating habits, such as overeating or under eating. In such cases, the patient may go for long periods without eating at all while on the other hand, the patient may eat excessive amounts of food rich in carbohydrates or sugar. This is true in those who are affected by seasonal affective disorder though weight gain is also a symptom in generic or atypical depression.
Sleep Disorder: Patients afflicted with depression often manifest symptoms of a certain sleep disorder known as hypersomnia, which is when the patient oversleeps or sleeps excessively. The patient may also not sleep enough, which is known as insomnia. During bouts of insomnia the patient may not be able to sleep for long periods of time and feel sluggish the next day.