And sometimes other symptoms appear, such as loss of interest in life and disturbances in sleep and appetite, interfering with a person's normal daily functioning. Depression may be the cause. The criteria doctors use to diagnose major depression are presented in the box below. Feelings of sadness or emptiness and loss of interest and pleasure in life must be present for at least two consecutive weeks before a diagnosis of major depression can be made. There is no single set of symptoms that indicate major depression.
Some people have panic attacks.
Still others withdraw socially, with resulting marital, sexual, or occupational problems. In general, diagnosing depression in an individual is an inexact science because everyone's experience of sadness and other symptoms of depression is highly subjective and variable. All too frequently, these symptoms are simply attributed to the aging process. It is important to remember that depression is not a normal part of aging. It is a disease that can strike at any age, and it is usually treatable no matter what the age of the patient.