A student thinks about what a relief it would be to be hit by a car and not have to deal with life anymore. Another student contemplates ways to commit suicide. When several of these symptoms occur for a period of about two weeks or longer, and when these symptoms interfere with one's ability to function in school, on the job, in social relationships, etc. As one of the main symptoms of depression is decreased ability to concentrate, a person who is depressed will often have difficulty focusing on class lectures or on reading a textbook. A student who was previously able to read a text chapter in an hour may now spend 20 minutes on one page and remember very little of what they read.
Depression also interferes with the ability to make decisions.
For example, it may become very difficult to decide on a topic for a writing assignment, or more difficult than usual to decide where to begin when there are several tasks to do. In short, depression can significantly interfere with academic functioning. Additionally, a depressed person tends to distort perceptions of self, the world, and the future in negative ways. Thus, a person is likely to feel hopeless about doing well in a class, is likely to see his or her skills as lower than they actually are, and is likely to judge his or her work as being worse than it actually is. This hopelessness and tendency to see skills and work as worthless decrease motivation and add to discouragement.