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Almost everyone gets a little "depressed" at times in their lives, and a brief attack of the blues isn't necessarily anything to worry about. But if the symptoms of depression persist then it could be clinical depression, whether a severe or mild form of depression. Any persistant depressive symptoms need prompt medical investigation by a medical professional.

In some cases, the term "depression" will refer to full clinical depression. Other uses of the term may refer to the cluster of depressive disorders of which clinical depression is the most severe type. As mentioned above, the term "depression" may simply refer to depressive symptoms like sadness or down moods.

Diagnosis of depression is not always easy and an underlying cause is always possible. Depressive symptoms could be caused by an emotional upset (e.g. grief, divorce, job loss, etc), by drug abuse, or several other causes. Feeling "depressed" a few days after a major life crisis does not warrant a diagnosis of depression, and in fact taking antidepressants may be an inappropriate treatment in this case (e.g. they may avoid the healthy sequence of coping with grief or loss). However, over-diagnosis of depression and over-prescription of antidepressants in such situations is known to occur. Another possible over-diagnosis of depression is caused by the cycle of emotional symptoms that arise from premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Depressive symptoms may also indicate some type of underlying physical medical disorder. Various related depression-like physical symptoms (e.g. fatigue, lethargy, weakness, tiredness) could be symptoms of an underlying condition such as chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, fibromyalgia, Parkinson's disease or several other possible underlying conditions and alternative diagnoses.

List of symptoms of Depression:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Depression includes the 62 symptoms listed below:

* Depressed mood and other emotional problems

• Persistent sadness
• Inappropriate crying
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Hopelessness
• Empty feeling
• Misery
• Inappropriate guilt
• Loss of confidence
• Loss of interest in activities
• Sluggishness
• Agitation
• Lack of energy
• Tiredness
• Restlessness
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Irritability
• Losing your temper
• Anxiety
• Thoughts of suicide
• Suicide attempts
• Despair worse at night

* Eating pattern changes - you might eat more or less than usual

• Appetite loss
• Weight loss
• Overeating
• Weight gain

* Sleep pattern changes

• Difficulty sleeping
• Oversleeping
• Waking too early

* Mental changes

• Forgetfulness
• Difficulty thinking
• Difficulty concentrating
• Difficulty making decisions
• Fear of the future

* Social problems

• Relationship difficulty
• Isolation
• Alcohol problems
• Drug problems
• Sex problems
• Loss of interest in sex
• Loss of enjoyment of recreation
• Staying in bed
• Social withdrawal

* Physical problems

• Headaches
• Backaches
• Body aches
• Stomach aches
• Joint aches
• Muscle aches
• Constipation

* Other signs of childhood or adolescent depression:

• Poor school grades
• Poor school attendance
• Getting into trouble
• Running away from home
• Substance abuse
• Reckless behavior

Note that Depression symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Depression signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

Treatment list for Depression:

The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Depression includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.

* Lifestyle changes - helpful but often not adequate without other treatments.

• Love and care of family and friends

* Psychotherapy

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Interpersonal therapy (IPT)
• Psychodynamic therapies

* Antidepressant medications

• Tricyclic antidepressants (tricyclics)
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - mainly used if panic disorder with depression.

+ Fluoxetine
+ Sertraline
+ Fluvoxamine
+ Paroxetine
+ Citalopram

• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

* Antianxiety drugs
* Sedatives
* Lithium
* Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
* St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
* Biotin - possibly used for treatment of related biotin deficiency
* Magnesium - possibly used for related magnesium deficiency
* Vitamin B3 - possibly used for related vitamin B3 deficiency
* Vitamin B6 - possibly used for related vitamin B6 deficiency
* Vitamin B12 - possibly used for related vitamin B12 deficiency

Source: wrong diagnosi s.com

Depression has many features which are intensely physical in nature. Many of these symptoms and signs are very similar to symptoms seen in diseases which are known to have an identifiable physical cause. These physical symptoms of depression include aches and pains, weight loss, constipation, tiredness always tired, loss of appetite, loss of interest in sex and others. It can therefore be difficult for both patients and doctors to be certain whether a physical symptom is representative of depression, or suggests an entirely different disorder requiring a different treatment.

In addition because it is sometimes considered unacceptable to be psychologically ill, physical symptoms are often used as substitutes for psychological ones, particularly the more minor variations in mood. Many cultures express mood changes in concrete body terms, including descriptions of pains, for example. Many patients feel that doctors are trained to respond to bodily complaints and hence present these unconsciously to their doctors.

It is well known that common physical complaints can have a psychological contribution. Headaches, for instance, can be made worse by the increase in muscular tension of the neck and scalp muscles which are a physical accompaniment of a state of anxiety. In the more severe forms of depression not only are very physical symptoms such as slowness and constipation present, but worries about their physical state can increase in patients until they imagine they are ill when they are not, sometimes to the point of delusion.

Source: web 4 health.info