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Major Depression





Major depression is a terrible situation to experience, but don't worry... there is very successful treatment for it. Your job is to reach out for it just like you have in coming to this page to learn more about it. Statistics say that most every adult will experience an episode of major depression sometime in their lifetime. Unfortunately, many have recurring episodes but even then there is hope when you take responsibility for the disease of depression and manage it much like a person might manage diabetes.

But, first things first. Let's back up. Many people think that they have a major depression, and many in fact will have the symptoms, but the facts will prove us wrong. How, do you say? There are many issues to rule out before settling on major depression as a final diagnosis. Three are the most important and the most commonly seen issues that can occur that look like major depression but are not. They are:

  1. A General Medical Condition
    1. This can be a thyroid problem, circadian rhythm problem or several other medical problems that mimic the symptoms for depression. It's very important, if experiencing major depression symptoms, to have a thorough medical checkup including blood work that involves a thyroid test. This can save you years of spinning around in psychiatry offices attempting to treat the wrong issue.
  2. A Substance Abuse Problem
    1. Here's your gut-check question... Are you abusing alcohol, drugs, prescription drugs or any illegal drugs? It's amazing how people who have an addiction will spend enormous time, money and effort treating a bushel of medical or mental health problems when all you would have to do for recovery is stop abusing a drug. So, please be honest with yourself. Your the only one looking at this web page right now. If you have even an abuse problem and not a full-fledged addiction, please give yourself a 30 day break and see if your major depression symptoms begin to dissipate.
  3. Grieving a Loss
    1. It's normal to be terribly distraught after a big loss in your life. In fact, all people will experience denial, anger, only ifs, depression and acceptance when losing something or someone important to us. The time to be concerned is when you become non-functional, or stuck in one of the stages I just outlined. Then you may need my help.

Possible Symptoms of Major Depression - The 9 Symptoms listed in my diagnostic manual will be in bold (You have to meet 5 of the 9 to qualify for Diagnosis)

  • Depressed mood observed by self or others, lasting most of the day and nearly every day.
  • Increased irritability
  • Lowered sex drive
  • Diminished interest in daily activities
  • Strong anxiety
  • Paranoia
  • Lack of pleasure in daily activities
  • Loss of ability to laugh and experience joy in your daily life
  • Stronger or diminished appetite resulting in weight loss or gain
  • Insomnia or hypersomnia (oversleeping) on a regular basis
  • Feeling slowed down in your ability to think or physically move
  • Fatigue or loss of energy
  • Feelings of worthlessness
  • Excessive and inappropriate amounts of guilt
  • Diminished ability to focus or concentrate
  • Indecisiveness
  • Impulsiveness
  • Thoughts of death
  • Thoughts of suicide
  • Plan for suicide
  • Suicide attempt

I know I have bolded more than 9, but some of the official criteria I have split out because I believe they shouldn't be grouped together.

Affected Areas of Your Life:

  • Physical symptoms
  • Behavior problems
  • Distorted thinking
  • Mood and emotional difficulties
  • Troubled relationships
  • Specific situations that trigger episodes of depression
  • Spiritual or symbolic meanings attached to depression
  • The personal history that led to lifestyle patterns that seem related to depression
  • Physical aches and pains
  • Family history of depression or mental illness

Rule of Thumb:

The above criteria is general. Remember, every person experiences this differently. The best way to know if you have major depression is to be evaluated by a professional. If you would like a couple of options before doing that then I would suggest taking a major depression screen which I will list below and you can link to. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) installed on your computer to read it.

Zung Scale Screen

I also have designed an e-class consisting of 8 classes. The first class goes over all the types of depression and the symptoms of each, which can be very helpful in determining what type of depression you might have. Then, we get into the meat of the DETS course, where you get to reclaim your life.  You can take a closer look at the class here .







major depression

Dave Turo-Shields, ACSW, LCSW
CounselingPros.com
622 W. Valley View Drive
Indianapolis, Indiana 46217
317-865-1674






Major Depression Home Page