In order to distinguish a real depression from a passing blues, Inserm and the High Authority of Health have published on their site the list of nine symptoms specific to depression. Permanent fatigue, dark thoughts, weight loss or gain and difficulty concentrating are among them.
Are you just tired of back to school or really depressed? Sometimes we minimize depression by attributing our lack of energy and dark thoughts to a stroke of the pump or a “rush at work” that puts pressure on us. In order to distinguish between temporary blues and clinical depression and to be able to treat oneself as a consequence, Inserm and the High Authority of Health have published on their site a list of characteristic symptoms of this disease.
1 / continued sadness
You are constantly sad, without knowing exactly why. You cry a lot and feel like it will never get better.
2 / Your favorite activities no longer interest you
Did you like going to a restaurant with your friends, swimming in the pool or sunbathing in the sun? These activities no longer give you any pleasure or emotion.
3 / You are perpetually tired
You never manage to recover. You go to bed exhausted and you still wake up so tired. You can’t get out of bed, all you want is sleep to avoid having to face the day. It also happens that some depressed people regularly suffer from insomnia.
4 / Recurring dark thoughts
You constantly think about death, about suicide. Even if you know that you will not take the plunge (between 5 to 20% of patients still kill themselves), it seems to you to be the easiest way to shorten your suffering.
5 / A loss of appetite or on the contrary a compulsive relationship to food
You have a knot in your stomach, not hungry or on the contrary you only think about eating to fill a void inside you. During a depression, the patient becomes thinner or on the contrary gains a lot of weight.
6 / Difficulty concentrating and remembering things
You can’t concentrate on anything, even on things that are supposed to be easy and fun, like a movie or a book. You can’t remember the last conversation you had and forget all the hints your boss just gave you.
7 / You feel bad and guilty of everything
You always feel like you don’t belong. You feel good for nothing at work, not funny and misunderstood with your friends and you feel guilty about anything and everything.
8 / Physical disorders
Stomach aches, loss of sexual desire, and fatigue, always this permanent fatigue … It also happens that certain antidepressants prescribed for depression are at the origin of these physical disorders. Check with your doctor about the possible side effects of these drugs.
9 / A psychomotor slowdown
You are slow, so slow. You speak slowly, you move slowly, as if everything within you is slowing down.
If you recognize yourself in at least two of the first three symptoms defined above, immediately make an appointment with a doctor who will be able to make an accurate diagnosis. For patients representing between five and seven of these characteristics, depression is considered mild and moderate. Beyond eight, it is said to be severe. It is essential to assess the level of severity of the depressive episode clinically in order to be able to treat the patient in the best possible way (supportive therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, anxiolytics, antidepressants) and to refer him to a adapted specialist.
While many people still refuse to admit that they have depression because they are afraid of the judgment of others, this disease is however very common in France. According to the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education, in 2010, 7.5% of 15-85 year-olds (6.4% of 15-19 year-olds, 10.1% of 20-34 year-olds, 9% among 35-54 year olds and 4.4% between 55 and 85 years old) had experienced a characterized depressive episode during the previous year, with a prevalence twice as high in women.
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