And now you might be experiencing some letdown. If you answered yes to any of these questions you may just be experiencing the blues. But if you answered yes to five or more of the symptoms and they have been present during a minimum of two weeks and represent a change from previous functioning you may have a clinical diagnosis of depression. Major depression is defined as a depressed mood on a daily basis for a minimum duration of two weeks. An episode may be characterized by sadness, indifference or apathy, or irritability and is usually associated with change in a number of functions including sleep patterns and appetite and weight, motor agitation or retardation, fatigue, impairment in concentration and decision making, feelings of shame or guilt, and thoughts of death and dying.
Some depression is normal and is a part of almost every person s life.
Life changes, such as the birth of a baby, divorce, death of a loved one or loss of a job, can leave a person feeling depressed. So can worrying about financial problems or illness. And sometimes you may feel empty or depressed for no apparent reason. Whatever the cause, depression can be treated. Treatment includes medicines, psychotherapy and other therapies specific to the cause of depression, such as exposure to bright light, similar to sunlight, that results from seasonal affective disorder.