Depression test? The diagnosis depression?
It is not always easy to diagnose a depression. Depression can namely manifest in many different ways. There are many different ways in which depression might show itself. A doctor or a psychologist will be able to recognize a depression rather quickly, but for people who do not have any experience with this, it can be difficult. A diagnosis can only be made by a doctor or a psychiatrist, but at the hand of the symptoms you can decide whether a depression might be at play in your case.Depression test? The symptoms of depression?
Depression consists of three main domains when it comes to symptoms: the physical symptoms, the psychological symptoms, and the social symptoms.Depression test? The physical symptoms
While a depression is a mental illness, it does also affect or body. The following symptoms can be caused by depression.- Exhausted feeling: you would like to stay in bed all day
- Fatigued feeling: you find it difficult to get up in the morning
- Issues sleeping: you find it difficult to fall asleep and your sleep becomes more shallow
Depression test? The psychological symptoms
The mental symptoms of depression mainly affect us at an emotional level. Still, depression can also affect your mental processes beyond this.- Overwhelming somber mood: in spite of enjoyable or funny situations, you remain somber
- Crying fits: you cry more often than you used to and you often feel lost
- Worrying: you start to worry about everything that has gone wrong
- No future plans: you can no longer imagine your future
- Memory issues: you forget more and more and find it difficult to remember things
- Attention issues: you find i difficult to remain focused on anything
Depression test? The social symptoms
Depression also has an influence on your social life:- Neglecting hobbies: you hardly, if at all, enjoy your hobbies anymore
- Neglecting friends: you isolate yourself as much as possible
- Neglecting family: even with them you do not want to do anything
- Difficulties in accepting help: you prefer to do everything yourself
Depression test? A treatment for depression?
The symptoms of depression are as good as reversible if you treat your depression early on. However, if you wait too long your depression forms into some type of mental scar which increases chances of the depression returning as well as other possible illnesses occurring. You can look for treatment with a psychologist or psychiatrist. There is another alternative available nowadays, too: online self-help. 15 Minutes 4 Me developed an online self-help program which helps depression reduce by an average 77% after one month (according to research published in the Artsenkrant, 2011).
