What are the symptoms of depression?

Question

Is it a real illness ?

Answer 1

You're not a happy puppy and no in my opinion it is an illness of self pity and self importance by people seeking attention - you could name it Munchhausen's syndrome (look it up).

Answer 2

You know what my friend i got into an accident back in 2004 that has left me in the position that i will never be able to work or do much anymore.I feel fine..i sit at home and watch movies and the insurance company bought me this nice laptop to keep occupied.I feel fine..But every time i get sent to some specialist for one reason or another by the insurance company they all report back that i suffer from major depression..And so i asked my pshycologist why this is.and he told me that the first sign of depression is that the person thinks they are fine..but they don't do anything..for example.."sit and watch television..start little projects and give up on them...want to go make something to eat but can't be bothered..for a person suffering depression everything seems to be a major task to accomplish so they usually don't bother. also if you just start to cry for no reason...but the truth of the matter is that depression manifest itself differently in everyone..so it's hard to say if someone is depressed or not but i can tell you one thing the tests they have to see if you are depressed are very good..so talk to your family doctor and he will give you a questionaire to fill out..he'll give you the answer your looking for..wither it's for you or someone else

Answer 3

You can have any or all of the following: sleep disturbances, feeling down, feeling blue, feeling like you are surrounded by a "gray cloud" or a heaviness, feeling helpless, feeling hopeless, feeling suicidal, thinking about death a lot even if it isn't your own death, inabililty to concentrate, inability to get things accomplished, irritability and increased anger (these two are commonly missed, so don't discouint them), not wanting to do things with friends, loss of appetite, weight gain. It certainly is a real illness. It is a chemical imbalance in the body, just like other diseases. It is not something that you can just "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" mentality that some well meaning but ignorant people propose. Get to a doctor. There are excellent medications out there that address the chemical imbalances in your body and will get you back to feeling that life is worth it and that every day is a good day. Check it out with your family doctor.

Answer 4

It is most definately a real illness. Affects as many as 17 million Americans each year and ranges from mild to debilitating. I have gone through it for now more than six years. Anyway, the symptoms include
1. Fatigue
2. Loss of interest in things usually enjoyed
3. Anxiety
4. Crying
5. Trouble concentrating
6. Trouble sleeping/sleeping too much
7. Irritability
8. Feelings of helplessness
9. Loss of sexual drive
10. Eating too much/too little
11. Thoughts of suicide.

Good luck if you're going through it. It gets better. I have learned a lot of how to manage mine and work fulltime and have fun in my life.

Answer 5

Depression is a real illness but with hard work on your part you can pull yourself out of it. I was diagnosed as depressed by my doctor in the new year of 2006. I had sleeping problems during the night, felt tired, un-motivated, lacked energy during the day, cried alot - sometimes not really knowing why I was crying. quiet, seeked to be alone, not wanting to mix with friends etc.
If you are really worried see your doctor, they might suggest a few things or councilling to talk you through your feelings. Hope I have helped.

Answer 6

A Chemical Imbalance.
Headaches
Can not focus/Quit Jobs or Low Grades
Sadness Constantly
Anger Burst
Feel Hopless/No Love InSight

Answer 7

depression creeps on you slowly, at first you don't notice it, but then as the systems progress, you can find you don't want to eat, cry a lot, can't be bothered to care about your look, or health, then you will properly find you can't be bothered to get out of bed.

It's a bad experience, you can have other systems, but they is always light at the end of the tunnel. Yes it is a real illness,

Answer 8

symptoms INCLUDE...
Low mood
Sleep disturbances (too much or too little)
Disturbance in apetite (eat more OR less)
lack of interest / enjoyment in previously enjoyable activities
Loss of libido
thoughts of or actual self harm
thoughts of worthlessness
suicidal ideas
slower movements and speech
feeling "disconnected" / numb

it IS a real illness, as it is caused by a lack of or imbalance of chemicals in the brain (which is why meds can help)

Answer 9

Depression is very much an illnes, called Clinical Depression, and is very much misunderstood.
Common symtoms include:
feelings of great 'depression', not wanting to get out of bed in the morning, feelings of self worthlessness, inability to see other peoples points of views ect.
It is a very selfish illness, and the sufferer finds it very difficult to care for others as their own feelings consume them.

Answer 10

Yes, it's a real illness. People don't seem like themselves. They lose interest in things they once liked. It affects people around them. It's more than just a bad day, because it happens for a few weeks at least. Sucidial thoughts and hopelessness are signs as well. There is medication for it.

Answer 11

THE SYMPTOMS ARE AS FOLLOWS;[1]NEGATIVE THINKING,[2]IRRITATION,[3]SLEEP DISTURBANCES,[4] LO SSE OF APPETITE,[5]OVER AND OVER THINKING,[6]LON LY NE SS,[7]WEIGHT LOSS. IT IS A PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS.