Changes in Body Functions

Changes in Body Functions
Depression is more than a mental illness It is a total body illness. People suffering from moderate to severe depression experience changes in the body functions.

Their energy levels fall and they fatigue more easily.

Insomnia is common and takes many forms depressed individuals may have difficulty going to sleep or experience early morning awakenings.

A subgroup of depressed patients feel an excessive need for sleep.

Depressives consistently complain that their sleep is not restful and that they feel just as tired in the morning when they awake as they did when they went to bed the evening before.

Some may be troubled by dreams that carry the depressive tone into sleeping hours, causing abrupt awakenings due to distress.

Appetite changes are common. Most depressive experience decreased or total loss of appetite, with associated weight loss resulting in lower energy levels.

The same individuals who oversleep when depressed also tend to overeat. They gain weight from combination of increased caloric intake and decreased activity level, which compounds their problems through increased frustration and lowered self-esteem.

Whether the appetite increases or decreases, the end result is a vicious cycle of physical symptoms aggravating the depression.

Physical complaints are common and may or may not have a physical basis. Many seriously depressed people, in fact, first to their physicians with physical complaints.

The depressed mood many not be recognized initially by these patients, especially if they are men. Men, in general, are less apt to look inward when they “feel bad”, attempting instead to locate the problem in their environment.
Changes in Body Functions

Symptoms of a Major Depressive Episode

Symptoms of a Major Depressive Episode
Major depressive episode can be defined by the criteria listed below. At least five of the symptoms, including one or the other of the first two, must be present during the same two-week period for major depression to be diagnosed.

• Depressed mood (or can be irritable mood in children and adolescents) most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated either by the subjective account or observation by others.

• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all day, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated either by subjective account or observation by others of apathy most of the time)

• Significant weight loss or weight gain when no dieting (e.g. more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day (in children, consider failure to make expected weight gains).

• Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day

• Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observation by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being showed down)

• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive of inappropriate guilt which may be delusional nearly every day (not merely self reproach or guilt about being sick)

• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others)

• Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

Symptoms of a Major Depressive Episode

What do you know about Depression?

What do you know about Depression?
The most common symptom of depression and one which most people think is the only one is having a persistent empty or 'sad' mood. This is not what can sometimes be referred to as feeling 'down in the dumps'. The mood will last from several weeks at least. At which point should see a psychiatrist or doctor. A feeling of pessimism, hopelessness or helplessness and being critical of oneself for never being good enough at anything no matter what we do. Depression can lead to a lack of interest in pursuits someone usually enjoys. Feeling lethargic or having no energy or drive, even for sex, is another symptom of depression that can slowly be re-enforced over time.

Trouble with sleeping and eating is a symptom that most people would not usually associate with depression. Sleeping disorders are often dismissed as having developed a mild case of insomnia that will surely go away over time. Some people wake early in the morning and are unable to fall back asleep. Eating disturbances to, especially in women, can hide the depression, because the first thing that will come to mind is anorexia or bulimia. This is true, but we also need to place these symptoms in context, which is why it is so important to know the facts and symptoms of depression so that we can see the bigger picture.
What do you know about Depression?

Diagnostic Criteria for Depression

Diagnostic Criteria for Depression
Psychologists and psychiatrists would not be able to diagnose and treat psychological disorders without more specific diagnostic criteria. DSM-lll defines depression – a very familiar psychological disorder – as a variety of distinct affective or mood disorders, some relatively mild and some severe. One of the common is major depression, which is define as at least one episode of feeling in and the ability to derive pleasure from almost all activities, for at least two weeks. More specifically, a major depressive episode cannot be diagnosed unless the individual meets the criteria listed below.

1. Depressed mood most of the day.
2. Markedly diminished interest
3. Significant weight loss
4. Insomnia
5. Psychomotor agitation
6. Loss of energy
7. Feeling worthlessness
8. Diminished ability to think
9. Recurrent thoughts of deaths

Diagnostic Criteria for Depression